The crunchiest Japanese Chicken Katsu you’ll make. This is Japanese soul food – air fried chicken breast with a panko crumb that’s ready in 30 minutes, no deep frying required! Pair with homemade tonkatsu sauce for the ultimate combo.
Why We Love This
No deep frying, no mess. Just the crispiest and crunchiest chicken katsu slices you can think of! While tonkatsu is usually a pork cutlet, we love this with chicken – and we’ve usually got some in the fridge or freezer ready to go.
Aside from crumbing the chicken, the air fryer does most of the work so you can relax, or pop together a couple of side dishes – such as a Japanese potato salad or miso soup.
What is Chicken Katsu?
Chicken Katsu (チキンカツ), also known as tori katsu, is a Japanese crumbed and fried chicken cutlet served with tonkatsu sauce or over Japanese katsu curry. It’s popular cousin is tonkatsu aka the pork cutlet version.
Chicken Katsu is not just popular in Japan, you’ll also find it in restaurants in Australia, Hawaii and London!
Our version is cooked with an air fryer, rather than the traditional method of deep frying, which we find to be easier to cook at home and uses way less oil.
Love Japanese fried chicken recipes? Try chicken karaage or chicken nanban next!
What You’ll Need
- Chicken – Boneless chicken breasts work well, and are similar in thickness to pork tonkatsu cutlets. The air fryer helps to hold in the juice and not let it dry out. Sub with chicken thighs, pork loin or firm tofu!
- Panko Crumbs – This is what makes it a classic Japanese breaded fried cutlet. The crumb is much coarser than regular bread crumbs, giving you a crispier finish. Sub with regular bread crumbs if you needs.
- Flour & Cornstarch – The mix of all purpose flour and cornstarch is what helps add to the crispness of the chicken. Sub with potato starch.
- Cabbage – Napa cabbage has the best flavour for this dish. Finely chop or grate and serve alongside the chicken. Sub with lettuce or make it a Japanese wafu salad.
- Tonkatsu Sauce – The sauce that brings it all together! We highly encourage you to make your own tonkatsu sauce, or use Bull-Dog brand. Sub with barbecue, tomato, Worcestershire or try another Japanese sauce such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki or yakisoba. Or for something completely different, serve it with a batch of homemade kewpie mayo instead!
How to make Air Fried Chicken Katsu:
- Lay the chicken breasts between two layers of baking paper, and pound with a rolling pin to flatten. You want an even thickness.
- Get out three plates. Place the flour and cornstarch on the first plate and mix. Crack the egg onto the second plate and lightly beat. Pour the panko crumbs, 1 tbsp of oil and optional salt and pepper onto the third plate, roughly mixing together.
- Pick up a chicken breast and coat with the flour mix first, then dip into egg and finally, coat with the panko crumbs. Make sure all areas are covered well.
- Preheat your air fryer at 180°C / 360°F for 3 minutes. Add in your crumbed chicken, then drizzle another 1 tbsp of oil over the top.
- Cook for 10 minutes, then flip over. Oil this side with the final 1 tbsp of oil and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Crank the heat up to 200°C / 400°F and cook for a final 5 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking times may vary between brands, this was cooked in the Ninja Foodi.
- Slice and serve with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Big Knife – Use a big, chunky butcher’s knife for cutting the chicken katsu to achieve a nice even cut without pulling off the crumb.
FAQs
Chicken katsu, similar to tonkatsu, is usually served with shredded cabbage or wafu salad and topped with a tonkatsu sauce or Japanese curry. Try it with umami sauce!
Boneless chicken breast or thighs work best when air fried. If deep frying, chicken thighs are juicier and won’t dry out as much as chicken breast.
Chicken katsu is best eaten straight away while the crumb is at its crunchiest. If you have leftovers, reheat in the air-fryer for the crispiest results.
Variations
- Popcorn Chicken – Don’t like a whole big piece of meat? Turn it into popcorn chicken, just served with tonkatsu sauce!
- Katsu Curry – Make your own Japanese curry roux and and add on top of a bowl of curry udon or Japanese beef curry.
Make it a meal and serve it up with these popular Japanese dishes:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast boneless, around 500g / 1 pound
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp plain flour / all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour sub potato starch or flour
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil sub cooking oil spray
- 4 tbsp tonkatsu sauce homemade or Bull-Dog
- 2 cups napa cabbage shredded finely
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Lay the chicken breasts between two layers of baking paper, and pound with a rolling pin to flatten. You want an even thickness.2 chicken breast
- Get out three plates. Place the flour and cornstarch on the first plate and mix. Crack the egg onto the second plate and lightly beat. Pour the panko crumbs, 1 tbsp of oil and optional salt and pepper onto the third plate, roughly mixing together.3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 egg, 2 tbsp plain flour / all purpose flour, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, Salt and pepper, 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- Pick up a chicken breast and coat with the flour mix first, then dip into egg and finally, coat with the panko crumbs. Make sure all areas are covered well.
- Pre-heat your air fryer at 180°C / 360°F for 3 minutes. Add in your crumbed chicken, then drizzle another 1 tbsp of oil over the top.3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Cook for 10 minutes, then flip over. Oil this side with the final 1 tbsp of oil and cook for a further 10 minutes.3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Crank the heat up to 200°C / 400°F and cook for a final 5 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking times may vary between brands, this was cooked in the Ninja Foodi.
- Slice and serve with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce.4 tbsp tonkatsu sauce, 2 cups napa cabbage
Video
Recipe Notes
- Chicken – Sub with chicken thighs, pork loin or firm tofu.
- Panko Crumbs – Sub with regular bread crumbs if you needs.
- Cabbage – Sub with lettuce or make it a Japanese wafu salad.
- Tonkatsu Sauce – Sub with barbecue, tomato, Worcestershire or try another Japanese sauce such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki or yakisoba.
- Big Knife – Use a big, chunky butcher’s knife for cutting the chicken katsu to achieve a nice even cut without pulling off the crumb.
- Popcorn Chicken – Don’t like a whole big piece of meat? Turn it into popcorn chicken, just served with tonkatsu sauce!
- Katsu Curry – Make your own Japanese curry roux and and add on top of a bowl of curry udon.
Nutrition
2 Comments
Matej @ CookWeWill
02/08/2021 at 9:16 pmSimple recipe and the result looks just amazing, perfect for a busy day. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Wandercooks
03/08/2021 at 3:00 pmYou’re welcome, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂