Today’s recipe may look time-consuming, but it’s actually not. My Chicken Katsudon (チキンカツ丼) is a perfect meal for a busy day! I usually serve it with a bowl of miso soup and small salad on the side. Because it is served donburi (rice bowl) style, katsudon makes a satisfying and balanced meal.
What is Chicken Katsudon?
Chicken katsudon is golden-fried chicken cutlet with savory-sweet onions and eggs cooked in a dashi broth and served in a large bowl over rice. It’s typically topped with mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) or green onions with a sprinkling of optional Japanese dried chili pepper.
A more typical katsudon is served with deep-fried pork cutlet called tonkatsu. Chicken katsudon is also a favorite, especially among children. It’s a popular lunch dish in Japan and you can find it on the menu at every corner in shops, cafeterias, and restaurants.
What is Chicken Katsu?
Chicken katsu (チキンカツ) is the Japanese version of chicken schnitzel or chicken tenders. It’s a panko-breaded chicken cutlet that’s fried until golden brown. With juicy and tender meat encased in a crispy, crunchy crust, it’s truly irresistible!
My mom always makes chicken katsu with chicken tenders, so that’s how I make it. You can substitute chicken breasts or chicken thighs, if you wish. If you use chicken breast, make sure to thinly butterfly each piece so it will cook fast and evenly; I use a Japanese cutting technique called Kannon biraki to do this.
Shallow Fry the Chicken Katsu
I know that many of you avoid deep-frying at home. With this in mind, I developed my recipe so you can shallow-fry the chicken katsu instead. This uses less oil and creates less mess in the kitchen. The chicken will brown beautifully with a crispy char outside while staying tender inside.
Alternatively, you can bake it in the oven with my Baked Chicken Katsu (揚げないチキンカツ) recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken Katsu
- chicken tenders
- kosher salt and black pepper
- all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- large egg
- panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) — lighter and crispier than regular breadcrumbs for an ultra-crunchy cutlet
- neutral oil — for frying
Katsudon
- onion — cut into thin slices
- dashi (Japanese soup stock) — use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or dashi powder, or Vegan Dashi
- sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar
- large eggs
- Japanese short-grain white rice — cooked
- mitsuba (Japanese parsley) — chopped; or substitute green onion/scallions
- ichimi togarashi (Japanese chili pepper)
How to Make Chicken Katsudon
- Make the chicken katsu. Bread the chicken in the flour, beaten egg, and panko breadcrumbs. Shallow fry until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
- Cook the onion. Add the sliced onion, dashi stock, and seasonings to a frying pan. Cover and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and cook until the onion is wilted.
- Add the chicken katsu on top of the onions in the pan. Simmer the dashi broth.
- Pour in the beaten eggs. Drizzle in a thin stream over the chicken and onion in a spiral pattern. Cover with a lid and cook until barely set.
- Slide onto cooked Japanese white rice in individual bowls and garnish with chopped mitsuba.
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Chicken Katsudon
Ingredients
For the Chicken Katsu
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (beaten)
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 7 oz chicken tenders (4 tenders)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups neutral oil (for frying)
For the Seasonings
- ⅔ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 1½ Tbsp sake
- 1½ Tbsp mirin
- 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp sugar
For the Katsudon
- ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g; thinly sliced)
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (“cut“ the egg whites 5–6 times into smaller clumps so the yolks and whites are marbled; do not whisk or beat)
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
- 4 sprigs mitsuba (Japanese parsley) (chopped; or substitute green onion)
- ichimi togarashi (Japanese chili pepper) (for a spicy kick)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
To Make the Chicken Katsu
- Place ¼ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) beaten, and 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) in individual bowls or plates. Next, season 7 oz chicken tenders with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. To bread the chicken, dust each piece with the flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip it into the beaten egg to coat completely. Finally, coat the chicken with the panko, pressing the panko into the cutlet so that it adheres well. Remove any excess. Set the breaded cutlets on a plate.
- Heat 3 cups neutral oil in a frying pan. Shallow-fry the panko-coated chicken at 340ºF (170ºC) until golden brown. Remove the chicken and place it on a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain the extra oil.
To Make the Katsudon
- In another (or a clean) frying pan, add thin slices of ½ onion and all the ingredients for the seasonings—⅔ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock), 1½ Tbsp sake, 1½ Tbsp mirin, 1½ Tbsp soy sauce, and 1½ tsp sugar. Cover and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and cook the onion, covered, until wilted.
- Place the chicken katsu on top of the onion slices and turn the heat up to medium. While you‘re waiting for it to heat up, prepare the eggs by lightly “cutting“ the egg whites with chopsticks 5–6 times into smaller clumps so the yolks and whites are marbled (do not whisk or beat). Once the cooking liquid is simmering, evenly distribute 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) over the chicken katsu and onion in a circular pattern, avoiding the edges of the pan where the egg can easily overcook. Cover to cook until the eggs are set to your liking, roughly 30 seconds. Tip: For more tips and tricks for "cutting" and cooking the eggs, see my Oyakodon recipe.
- Top with the chopped 4 sprigs mitsuba (Japanese parsley) and turn off the heat. Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into individual bowls. Gently transfer the simmered katsu and eggs on top of the steamed rice. Sprinkle the top with ichimi togarashi (Japanese chili pepper) for a spicy kick. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
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