Air Fryer Chicken Katsu Curry

Air Fryer Chicken Katsu Curry

This air fryer chicken katsu curry contains crispy panko breaded chicken on a warm bed of white rice smothered in a rich creamy curry sauce packed with carrots and potatoes. This easy yet incredibly satisfying air fryer recipe will keep you coming back for seconds and thirds.

Course Lunch & Dinner Recipes

Cuisine Japanese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 1002kcal

Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

Chicken Katsu

1 lb chicken breast or chicken thigh boneless and skinless
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs whisked
1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs

Japanese Curry

2 oz Curry Roux 115 g
1 yellow onion thinly wedge cut
1 large russet potato large diced
1 carrot large diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup red apple grated (about 1 large apple)
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups chicken broth

To Serve

White rice

Instructions

Katsu Chicken

Prepare the chicken. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken until the thickness of the chicken is even. If you have a large chicken breast or thigh, slice the chicken in about 1/2 inch thick slices. Dry the chicken with a paper towel. Generously season with salt with pepper. Set aside.
Brown the panko crumbs. Add the panko crumbs into a frying pan on medium-low heat and gently toss until medium brown. Then transfer to a bowl or tray
Prepare the egg and flour bowls. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. In a separate bowl, add the flour.
Coat the chicken. First, dredge the chicken in flour and shake off the excess. Second, dip the chicken into the eggs and drip off the excess. Lastly, coat the chicken in the panko and remove any excess.
Cook the chicken. Preheat the air fryer to 330ºF and cook for 7 minutes. Then increase the heat to 380ºF and flip and cook for 4 minutes. The time might vary depending on how large your cuts are. You can test by slicing the chicken in half to see if it is still raw. If raw, cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Slice the chicken. Slice the chicken cutlet into 1-inch slices.

Japanese Curry.

Prepare the vegetables and apple. Peel and dice the potato and carrot into diced pieces about 1 inch thick. Soak the potato in water for about 10 min to remove excess starch. Peel and wedge cut the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Using a fine grater, grate the apple. Set aside.
Cook the onion and garlic. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil in the pot and saute the onion and garlic until browned translucent and fragrant.
Cook the carrot. When the onions are translucent, add the carrot and enough oil to coat the carrot for about 1/2 tbsp. Mix thoroughly. Cook on medium-high for about 2 minutes.
Cook the potato. Add the potato and enough oil to coat the potato for about 1/2 tbsp. Mix thoroughly. Cook on medium-high for about 2 minutes.
Add in the chicken stock, honey, and apple. Pour in the chicken stock, honey, and grated apple. Bring the pot to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer until the potatoes and carrots are soft about 15 minutes. Cover the pot with a to prevent the moisture from leaving.
Prepare curry roux. Turn off the heat, scoop about 1 ladle of the liquid and pour it into a separate saucepan. Break the curry roux and add it to this separate saucepan. Stir to dissolve.
Add the roux back into the first pot. Add the dissolved curry roux back into the original pot with the vegetables and mix to combine. Simmer on low for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally.

Notes

Dredge the chicken in the flour first. This is important so that the eggs and breadcrumbs have something to bind to and will not fall off.

Cut the carrot and potato into large pieces. It is important that the carrot and potato are cut into decently sized pieces about 1-inch squares. This prevents the carrot and potato from disintegrating too quickly.
Don't forget the apple and honey! These are the secret ingredients in Japanese curry that give it that subtle sweetness that pairs so nicely with the rich curry flavor.
Dissolve the curry roux in a separate saucepan. This extra step will guarantee that there are no large undissolved pieces of the curry roux in your curry.
Storage Instructions. Chicken Katsu is best served immediately for its optimal crunch factor. But you may also store the cooled chicken katsu separated from the curry in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The chicken katsu may lose its crunch but you can reheat it in the air fryer or oven to crisp it back up.

Nutrition