Chicken Katsudon – チキンカツ丼

Cook Eat World ↣ Asian ↣ Chicken Katsudon – チキンカツ丼

By Lee Jackson↣Published On: October 16th, 2019↣

Chicken Katsudon ( – チキンカツ丼) is a big bowl of love and comfort. Crunchy katsu (deep-fried chicken cutlet) topped with soft, fragrant Japanese style eggs over a bowl of fluffy rice. Learn how to make this much loved Japanese dish with my easy recipe.

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For those days when you just need something restorative in your tummy, this classic Japanese 'donburi' 丼, translated quite literally as 'bowl' is a healing, hearty fix to any hunger/hanger situation. Katsudon is just one in a long line of tasty donburi options. Crunchy cutlets of chicken or pork sit in a seasoned egg mixture and are lovingly placed over fluffy rice. It's a hearty, filling and absolutely soul-comforting bowl of heaven.

What is donburi?

Donburi is the Japanese classification that we in the English speaking world call rice bowl. Dishes served in an oversized Asian soup bowl on a bed of steamed rice. Dishes can range from fish & seafood to meats and vegetables. They're a fast-food for those on the go, and a filling hearty option to satisfy hunger at all stages. There are countless variations of don/donburi to enjoy, all served over rice, all across Japan. These are a few of my favourites.

Gyūdon - 牛丼 - Beef Bowl (beef simmered with onion in a sweet dashi broth)
Tentamadon - 天玉丼 - Delicious crunchy tempura fish or vegetables simmered in an egg dashi sauce
Oyakodon - 親子丼 - One of my personal favourites; chicken served with a sweet egg/dashi mix and fresh scallions
Tamagodon - 玉子丼 - Another favourite (because I'm obsessed with eggs) of dashi scrambled eggs over rice. (sometimes also called Tamago Soft-Scrambled Rice Bowl)
Unadon - 鰻丼 - Soy glazed eel fillets, charred over hot coals. A super tasty, humble and simple donburi to make at home.

Stuff you'll need for Katsudon

Making Katsudon is easy, but you'll need a few Japanese essentials first.

Chicken Breast
Panko Breadcrumbs (They give a wonderful crunch to the cutlet)
Canola oil (for frying)
Eggs
Mirin (a sweet Japanese cooking wine)
Hondashi mix (the key to the delicious authentic flavour - dried and powdered bonito fish)
Japanese sake
Soy Sauce
Onion

A step by step guide

Making this dish is easy and once you get the technique down you'll be making katsudon like a pro. Each serving is typically made individually, so you may need a few pans if you're cooking for more than one. My recipe makes two.

Bash the chicken breasts into thin cutlets
Set up a breading station of flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then coat each cutlet in that order.
Fry the cutlets until cooked and golden brown, then set aside.
Cook the onions in a small frying pan in a dashi mixture including sugar, soy, mirin and sake until they're soft.
Cut a chicken breast into thick pieces and lay it on top of the onions
Pour the eggs over and pop on a lid to steam for a minute or two.
Slide the eggs and chicken over a waiting bowl of rice.
Garnish and eat!

Get a donburi pan...

A special pan for making Donburi (Japanese Rice Bowls) with a vertical handle to make it easier to slide into the rice.

You can buy a special Donburi pan to get the job done in true Japanese fashion. They're the perfect size for an Asian bowl and have lids that help create a good amount of steam to cook the eggs. The vertical handles help slide the katsu and egg over the rice with ease. Buy a few (they're cheap) and make all your donburi in one go! It's great fun! A regular small frying pan will do the job too.

Tips, tricks & substitutes

Instead of chicken, you can also use think pork cutlets. You can also use delicious menchi katsu (minced meat). Using the same technique of pouring over the eggs, you can use all kinds of other meats or fish instead of fried cutlets. I'll often use thin slices of beef or pork marinated in soy and sesame oil. A quick flash fry and then they're topped over the onions as usual. I also like to use salmon cutlets fried until just cooked then top the onions and add the eggs. Delicious.