Splendidly golden and crispy, this straightforward hen katsu is loaded with taste from a few secret substances. Drizzled with tonkatsu sauce, it’s the proper Japanese side-turned-main dish.

Simple Japanese Hen Katsu Recipe
Hen Katsu is a traditional Japanese dish ready with crispy deep-fried hen and pairs deliciously with tonkatsu sauce. With sesame seeds within the breading, this straightforward hen katsu is completely juicy and comes with a pop of coloration that units it other than most katsu.
Prepared in lower than half-hour, it’s stunning how a lot taste this easy recipe packs. With a little bit of dashi, garlic powder, and floor ginger within the eggs and breading station, this Japanese panko hen will steal all of the highlight. Don’t fear about it ever getting boring— you can also make it with pork and even add some warmth with Sriracha!
Dip it in Japanese mayo and serve it over fluffy rice for the very best katsu you’ve ever had. This fast recipe is proof that small kitchen cheats and a few substances can go a great distance in making your weekday meals lots yummier with none further effort.




What Is Katsu?
Japanese katsu refers to any deep-fried, breaded cutlet. It’s made with hen, pork, beef, and even fish. Katsu is often sliced and drizzled with numerous sauces and condiments like tonkatsu sauce or Japanese mayo. It’s usually served as a facet or a major dish.




Recipe Components
Don’t skip the panko! It’s what makes this katsu so crispy. Verify the recipe card on the backside of the publish for full ingredient quantities.
- Boneless, skinless hen breasts
- Eggs
- Dashi: Be at liberty to depart it out, nevertheless it provides wonderful depth.
- All-purpose flour: Cornstarch can even work.
- Floor ginger: Don’t use recent ginger.
- Garlic powder: No recent garlic.
- Plain panko: If it’s seasoned, be sure it’s not an Italian taste.
- Black sesame seeds: These add a pleasant pop of coloration, however white sesame seeds are additionally okay to make use of.
- Vegetable oil: Canola and corn oil are good substitutes. No olive oil as a result of its smoke level is decrease.
- Salt
- Tonkatsu sauce
- Japanese mayo: You should utilize full-fat mayo as an alternative.




Simple Variations
With these straightforward variations of hen katsu, you may create a number of dishes from the identical base recipe.
- Serve it over udon. Make your favourite udon recipe and place the sliced katsu on prime for an extra-filling meal.
- Make it spicy. Drizzle the katsu with Sriracha or add 2 1/2 teaspoons of shichimi togarashi chili powder into the panko to make it further spicy.
- Add miso. Add 2 tablespoons of miso paste to the whisked eggs and blend nicely. It provides saltiness and umami.
- Use pork. So long as the cutlets are the identical thickness, you may swap the hen for pork.
The right way to Make Hen Katsu
Making katsu is rather like making breaded or fried hen however with a Japanese twist. Verify the Ideas part for further steering and cheats.
For the Breading Station
- Put together the hen. Place the hen on a chopping board and canopy it with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound it till it’s 1/2″ thick. Discard the parchment paper and set the hen apart. Be certain all of your items are kind of the identical dimension and thickness.
- Whisk the eggs. Crack the eggs in a small bowl and add the dashi powder. Whisk till nicely mixed.
- Put together the flour. Add the flour, floor ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to a flattened plate. Combine till nicely mixed.
- Combine the panko. In a separate plate or bowl, whisk the panko, remaining garlic powder, and sesame seeds till nicely mixed.








For Frying the Katsu
- Warmth the oil. Add about 3 to 4 cups of vegetable oil to a pot for frying. Set it over medium warmth and wait till it reaches 350˚F.
- Dredge the hen. Coat the hen with flour and dredge it into the egg combination. Then place it within the panko combination. Even after totally coated, proceed urgent further panko all around the hen.
- Fry it. Gently decrease one nook of the hen into the oil. If it sizzles instantly, add a couple of hen items to the pot. Allow them to fry for a number of minutes, flipping midway via or till golden brown. Repeat for all of the hen.








- Cool and serve. Take away the hen from the oil and set it on a wire rack to chill. Let it relaxation for a couple of minutes earlier than slicing. Sprinkle with salt to style, minimize it into 3/4″ strips, and serve.
Ideas for Success
The following pointers will up your katsu recreation like a professional:
- Marinate the hen. Combine 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, and a couple of tablespoons of rice wine vinegar till nicely mixed. Pour the combination right into a bowl and place the hen inside. Cowl the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for six hours. Discard the marinade and start with the recipe.
- Purchase cutlets. Utilizing store-bought cutlets and even having your butcher slice and flatten the hen for you’ll prevent numerous prep time.
- Don’t overcook it. It’s necessary to take away the katsu from the oil as soon as it’s golden brown on all sides. In the event you overcook it, the hen shall be dry, not juicy.
- Let the oil relaxation. Give the oil a ten to twenty second resting time in between frying batches in order that the temperature stays fixed.




What to Serve With Japanese Panko Hen
My favourite technique to serve this hen katsu is over a mattress of Instantaneous Pot Jasmine Rice with a easy cucumber salad for a little bit of freshness. In the event you’re craving a extra take-out model meal, attempt it with my Shrimp Fried Rice or Simple Hen Fried Rice Recipe.
It’s additionally nice with a facet of my Pepper Steak Stir Fry Recipe, Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Bites, and Asian Hen Noodle Soup.




The right way to Retailer & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate any totally cooled leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days. Don’t retailer it longer than this so to scale back the chance of meals poisoning.
- To reheat it, preheat the oven to 425˚F and place the katsu in a baking tray. Let it warmth for 10 to fifteen minutes or till crispy once more.
- For one thing somewhat faster, pop the katsu into the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or till heat. Sadly, the microwave methodology gained’t yield crispy outcomes.




Can I Freeze This?
- Sure, however provided that it’s raw. When you coat it in panko, place the breaded hen on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Freeze it for two hours after which switch it into freezer-friendly baggage or containers.
- Freeze for as much as 3 months.
- Don’t thaw it earlier than cooking or the panko will soften. Warmth the oil as ordinary and punctiliously decrease the frozen cutlets into the pot, including 1 to 2 minutes of additional frying time as wanted till the katsu is golden brown.
Extra Asian-Impressed Recipes
ENJOY!
Place the hen on a chopping board and canopy it with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound it to 1/2-inch thickness. Discard the parchment paper and set the hen apart.
Crack the eggs in a small bowl and add the dashi powder. Whisk till nicely mixed.
Add the flour, floor ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to a shallow plate. Combine till nicely mixed.
In a separate plate or bowl, whisk the panko, remaining garlic powder, and sesame seeds till nicely mixed.
Add vegetable oil to a deep frying pan. Set it over medium warmth and wait till the temperature of the oil reaches 350˚F. Use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature.
Press the hen into the flour till it is fully coated on all sides. Subsequent, dredge it within the egg combination. Then place it within the panko combination. Even after totally coated, proceed urgent further panko all around the hen.
Add 2 cutlets of hen into the pot. Allow them to fry for five to six minutes, flipping midway via, or till golden brown and totally cooked. Repeat with the remainder of the hen.
Take away the hen from the oil and set it on a wire rack to chill. Let it relaxation for a couple of minutes earlier than slicing.
Sprinkle with salt to style after which slice it into 1/2-inch strips.
Drizzle with tonkatsu sauce, dip in Japanese mayo, and luxuriate in.
- Hen: You’ll need boneless skinless hen breasts, however for much less prep time, I recommend grabbing hen cutlets as an alternative.
- Dashi powder creates a savory umami taste. In the event you don’t have or can’t discover dashi powder, you should utilize a teaspoon of darkish soy sauce.
- Oil for Frying: Use vegetable oil, canola, or peanut oil. Don’t use olive oil as a result of it has a decrease smoke level.
- Don’t overcook the hen. When the hen’s inside temperature registers at 165˚F, take away it from the oil. In the event you overcook it, the hen shall be dry and never juicy.
Energy: 441 kcal | Carbohydrates: 88 g | Protein: 35 g | Fats: 16 g | Saturated Fats: 3 g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3 g | Trans Fats: 0.02 g | Ldl cholesterol: 192 mg | Sodium: 492 mg | Potassium: 544 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 0.3 g | Vitamin A: 170 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 85 mg | Iron: 3 mg | Web Carbs: 84 g
Dietary data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in response to the substances and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.