This Chicken Katsu Don is made with crispy panko-fried chicken, eggs, and a delicious sauce and served over steamed rice for the perfect Japanese-style lunch or dinner!
Homemade comfort food is always a good idea, especially if it involves fried chicken! This Japanese style Chicken Katsu Don dish is loaded with umami flavors and panko-fried chicken!
It's a simple dish, served over a bowl of steamed rice - perfect for a busy day or as a weeknight dinner.
Jump to:
What is Katsu Don?
Katsu Don (or katsudon) is a popular recipe Japanese dish. It is typically made using deep-fried pork cutlet with an egg served over steamed rice. This Chicken Katsu recipe is a twist on the classic Katsu Don and is made with chicken instead of pork.
Ingredients and Variations
For the Panko fried chicken, you will need:
Chicken - This recipe works best with chicken breast. You can either have this sliced before frying (and coat each slice separately with batter) or use skinless, boneless chicken breast.
If using the whole breast, you will need to tenderize the meat by pounding the cutlet.
Breadcrumbs - Use panko bread crumbs for the ultimate crispy chicken!
Flour - All-purpose flour works well. You will need this for the batter.
Cornflour - Needed for the batter. Dissolve cornflour in some cold water before using.
Oil - Use neutral-flavoured vegetable oil such as canola oil. You will need enough oil to cover the surface of your frying pan/skillet and at least half of the chicken's thickness.
For the savory sauce or Katsu Don, you will need
Eggs - 2 medium-sized eggs for 2 servings. These can be either at room temperature or refrigerated.
Onion - You can use yellow, brown, or white onions.
Mirin - Mirin is a type of wine used as a glaze and to thicken the stock. It also adds an umami flavor. If mirin is not available, substitute with sake or rice vinegar.
Soy Sauce - Provides seasoning and flavor. Use low-sodium dark soy sauce if possible.
Dashi (stock) - This will be used as a stock and gives umami to the Katsu Don. Dashi stock may not be readily available everywhere, so if you can't get hold of it, you can substitute with water.
You will also need granulated sugar for the sauce and sesame seeds, chopped fresh parley, seaweed flakes, or green onions for garnishing.
How to Make Chicken Katsu Don
- Panko-fry the Chicken
Note: To save time, I suggest using chicken tenders or chicken strips for this recipe. You can also use chicken breast but this needs to be pounded and then sliced (before or after frying).
Stir the cornflour in cold water in a medium-sized bowl. Then, add flour and whisk until a smooth thick batter forms.
Place panko breadcrumbs in a separate plate/bowl.
Heat oil in a frying pan or skillet. You'll need to use enough oil to cover the surface of the pan and at least half the chicken in thickness. Bring the oil to a sizzle before adding the chicken.
Dip each chicken strip (or chicken cutlet) into the batter, then into the panko and coat well on all sides. Shake off excess and carefully place the chicken in hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil (onto a kitchen towel). Do the same for the remaining chicken. - Make the Katsu Don (Katsu Sauce)
Bring the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a simmer in a large skillet.
Add the sliced onion to the stock mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Lightly beat the eggs. Add panko fried cutlets in the middle of the saucepan and drizzle eggs around the chicken, on the outer part of the pan. Cook until the eggs are almost set - this will take anywhere between 45 seconds and 1 minute on medium heat. - Serve!
Serve this Chicken Katsudon over piping hot steamed rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, seaweed flakes, or chopped parsley.
Can I Make Chicken Katsu Don Ahead?
Unfortunately, Chicken Katsu Don is not an ideal make-ahead dish. Chicken Katsu Don is best served fresh on the day.
If you really need to, I would suggest making the panko-fried chicken ahead, which will keep for 2-3 days in a refrigerator (in an airtight container). Then, reheat the chicken and make the Katsu Don right before serving. This will save you some extra time (and mess) which is needed to fry the chicken.
Other Comfort Food Recipes
Chicken Katsu Don
Ingredients
Panko Fried Chicken
- 350 g chicken breast cut into strips
- 75 mL water cold
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 40 g AP flour (approx. 2-3 tbsp)
- 80 g panko breadcrumbs
- 120 mL vegetable oil (½ cup + extra) e.g., canola or sunflower oil *see notes
Katsu Don
- 2 medium-sized eggs lightly beaten
- 1 medium-sized onion sliced
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. mirin or sake
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 240 mL dashi stock 1 cup (optional, **see notes)
- sesame seeds optional
- chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
Panko Fried Chicken
- Slice chicken breast into thin strips. If using a whole chicken breast, slice it in half crosswise, pound it to ¼" thickness, and slice into strips. You can also use store-bought chicken strips for frying.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir cornflour in cold water until dissolved. Whisk in flour until a smooth and thick batter is formed. Place panko breadcrumbs in a separate bowl or plate.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan on high heat until sizzling (use enough oil to cover at least half of the chicken in thickness). You may need to fry the chicken in batches.
- Dip each chicken slice in the batter, then into the panko breadcrumbs, covering the chicken thoroughly and evenly. Carefully, place the chicken in sizzling oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
Katsu Don
- Place dashi stock (or water), soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Add chopped onion and cook until translucent (approx. 5-7 mins)
- Add panko fried chicken in the middle of the saucepan and drizzle lightly beaten eggs around chicken, on the outer part of the pan.
- Cook until eggs are almost set (this will take anywhere between 45 seconds and 1 minute on medium heat).
- Serve over hot steamed rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and/or chopped parsley.
Leave a Reply