Chicken Katsu is a beloved type of katsu (cutlet) widely enjoyed in Japan. Chicken is coated in panko breadcrumbs and fried, creating a crust that’s crisp and airy while remaining refreshingly light on the palate.
It is typically served with finely shredded cabbage, tangy-sweet tonkatsu sauce, a squeeze of lemon, and sometimes a touch of mustard. More than just a dinner entrée, it’s also enjoyed as a treat for guests or as part of a bento lunch. The charm lies in the contrast: a delicate, light coating paired with succulent, juicy chicken—fried yet never heavy.
In this recipe, we elevate chicken katsu to restaurant quality. Lean chicken breast, which can easily become dry, is first marinated with salt, sugar, and sake to keep it moist while enhancing its natural flavor. The batter is enriched with a subtle touch of grated Parmesan, adding depth, then coated in soft, fresh panko for a light and airy fry. The result is a crust that shatters delicately with each bite, releasing tender, juicy meat inside.
A golden piece of katsu offers an elegant balance: astonishingly crisp texture, succulent chicken, and layers of flavor. The sweet-sour richness of the special sauce lingers, a drop of lemon sharpens the profile, and the crisp cabbage refreshes the palate—inviting you to reach for another bite.
Even for first-timers, this recipe conveys the artistry of Japanese katsu—a refined dish you can create in your own kitchen.
Table of Contents
Tracing the journey of katsu: from schnitzel to chicken katsu curry
Chicken Katsu is classified in Japan as part of yōshoku—Western-inspired dishes reinterpreted to suit Japanese tastes. Like many yōshoku creations, chicken katsu takes a foreign-born cooking technique and firmly plants it at the heart of the Japanese dining table.
Its roots trace back to European cutlets such as cotoletta and schnitzel, introduced to Japan in the 19th century. While European cutlets are typically thin slices of meat pan-fried in a small amount of fat, the Japanese version evolved into a thicker cut of meat, deep-fried in generous oil and coated with coarse panko breadcrumbs. This gives chicken katsu its signature texture—crisp and airy with every bite.
Beyond chicken, Japan developed many variations: tonkatsu (pork cutlets), menchi katsu (ground-meat patties), and creative serving styles like katsudon (cutlet with egg over rice) and katsu curry (cutlet with Japanese curry). All highlight a defining feature of Japanese katsu culture: it is typically enjoyed with rice—sometimes as a set with miso soup and small sides, and other times layered over rice as in katsudon.
In recent years, katsu curry has gained popularity in Europe. In the UK especially, Chicken Katsu Curry has become a favorite, often adapted with coconut milk for a mild, creamy sauce—quite different from the classic Japanese style, which usually features pork katsu paired with a slightly spicier curry. These contrasts show how food evolves and adapts as it travels across borders.
Chicken katsu is a prime example: a dish nurtured in Japanese homes that has now become beloved worldwide.
In this recipe, we show you how to make chicken katsu at the quality you’d get at a restaurant in Japan: tender, marinated chicken breast coated in light, fresh panko that fries up ultra-crispy and delicate. The result is golden on the outside, juicy inside. Start with the classic combination of shredded cabbage, tangy sauce, and lemon, then try transforming it into homemade katsu curry for your next meal.
Paqupel’s curry recipe is here:
Japanese Curry Rice | Easy Homestyle with Curry Roux
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- Chicken breast – 1 piece (about 10.6 oz / 300 g)
(remove skin and excess fat, pat dry)
Brine (for seasoning)
- Cooking sake – 2 tbsp / 1 oz / 30 g
(may substitute with water, or use half sake & half water: 1 tbsp sake + 1 tbsp water) - Salt – ½ tsp / 0.09 oz / 2.5 g
- Sugar – ½ tsp / 0.09 oz / 2.5 g
Batter & Coating
- Egg – 1 large
- All-purpose flour – ⅓ cup / 1.6 oz / 45 g
- Grated Parmesan cheese – 2 tsp / 0.18 oz / 5 g
- Water – 1½ tbsp / 0.7 oz / 20 g
(if too thick, add 1–2 tsp / 5–10 g extra water to adjust) - Fresh panko breadcrumbs – about 1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g
(dried panko also works, but fresh panko makes a lighter, crispier crust)
- Frying oil – as needed
Sauce
- Chūnō sauce (semi-sweet Japanese brown sauce) – 3 tbsp / 1.8 oz / 50 g
- Ketchup – 3 tbsp / 1.8 oz / 50 g
To Serve
- Shredded cabbage, lemon wedges, Japanese mustard – as desired
Instructions
| 1 |
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Slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise, then cut diagonally across the grain into pieces of even thickness. |
| 2 |
 
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Poke the chicken several times with a fork and place in a resealable plastic bag. Add the salt, sugar, and cooking sake, rub in well, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Tip The sugar and salt help the meat retain moisture, while sake removes odor and enhances flavor and juiciness. |
| 3 |
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In a bowl, whisk together the egg, flour, Parmesan, and water until smooth with no lumps. The batter should be slightly thick. Tip This batter clings evenly to the chicken, resists peeling, and fries up crisp and light. The Parmesan adds richness, depth of flavor, and a beautiful golden color. |
| 4 |
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Pat the chicken lightly with paper towels to remove surface moisture. Dip into the batter, then coat thoroughly with panko breadcrumbs. |
| 5 |
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Heat frying oil to 170 °C / 340 °F. Tip You’re ready when small bubbles rise quietly from the tip of a wooden chopstick, or a pinch of panko floats up right away. |
| 6 |
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Place the coated chicken in the oil. Do not touch for the first 1½ minutes while the coating sets. Flip once and fry for about 1 more minute, then flip again and fry another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Adjust depending on the thickness. Fry until evenly golden brown. Tip Chicken breast cooks quickly—avoid over-frying. Aim for a golden to deep golden color. Tip Fry in small batches. Overcrowding lowers the oil temperature and can cause the coating to fall off. Before frying the next batch, skim out any crumbs from the oil to prevent bitterness or burnt flavors. |
| 7 |
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Remove and rest upright on a wire rack for 2–3 minutes. Tip Resting allows the residual heat to finish cooking the center and the juices to settle. |
| 8 |
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Serve with shredded cabbage, lemon wedges, and Japanese mustard if you like. For a quick homemade sauce, mix equal parts chūnō sauce and ketchup. The blend balances sweetness and tang, deepens umami, and creates a mild, crowd-pleasing flavor. Drizzle as much as you like over the cutlets before enjoying. |
Top Spots in Japan We Recommend — CURRY HOUSE CoCo ICHIBANYA (CoCo壱番屋)
If you’d like to try katsu curry in Japan but aren’t sure which flavor will suit you, we recommend visiting Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋).
CoCo Ichibanya is Japan’s No.1 curry chain, with by far the largest number of locations across the country. It serves the kind of curry that most Japanese people would consider the “standard” taste—straightforward, familiar, and comforting. Recently, it has also become a popular stop for many international travelers.
One of its biggest features is the level of customization. You can choose from countless toppings, starting with chicken katsu and pork katsu, and extending to vegetables, cheese, seafood, and more. You can also adjust the spice level from sweet and mild to very hot, with around 20 levels in total. If you don’t enjoy spicy food, the sweet curry is a safe choice. Among Japanese fans of CoCo Ichibanya, it’s common to see people ordering level 5 spice (“go-kara”), which is considered the benchmark for those who like it hot.
They also offer a vegetarian curry made without animal products, which may be another reason the chain is so appealing to overseas visitors.
When I was a student, I often enjoyed the sweet curry topped with eggplant and cheese—a combination I highly recommend. If you try katsu curry at CoCo Ichibanya, you’ll get a clear sense of what Japanese-style katsu curry is all about.
CURRY HOUSE CoCo ICHIBANYA (CoCo壱番屋)
Official Webpage