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Homemade Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls with spicy gingery chicken, steamed rice, delicious veggies, and all the best toppings, and our favorite spicy, sweet, and creamy mayo sauce. I top each bowl off with fresh avocado, pan-fried edamame, and a generous side of creamy mayo. Each bowl is colorful and full of flavor. A great family dinner any night of the week.
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Update from Texas! It’s Monday now, but by the time you read this, I’ll be on my way home. I’m excited to get back to family and my daily routines. I’ve loved all this travel, but I think we all know that I’m a homebody through and through!
If all goes planned, I’ll be home in plenty of time today to chill and get organized. I usually get in super late, but I should have some of the afternoon left, which will be a really nice change!
I obviously made this yummy bowl before leaving home and it’s already become a real favorite.
Ingredients
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Honey
- Grated ginger
- Chopped green onions
- Sesame seeds
- Chicken cutlets or boneless chicken breasts
- Panko bread crumbs
- Chili flakes
- Frozen shelled edamame
- Rice
- Cucumber, avocado, pickled ginger, and nori sheets
- Salt and Pepper
Spicy Mayo
- Olive oil mayo
- Sriracha
- Soy sauce or Tamari
- Honey
Mom and Asher love a nice rice bowl dinner. So I made chicken katsu for them and it was a huge hit!
Details
I started with the soy sauce marinade, it’s so simple. I mixed tamari (which is what I use, it’s gluten-free soy sauce), a bit of honey, ginger, and green onions. Then I let the chicken sit in the marinade a few minutes before cooking.
You won’t use all of the marinade, so reserve the rest for serving with your katsu bowls.
For the chicken, I made sure to keep it simple and easy. I used chicken cutlets, then simply breaded them in Panko and sesame seeds. Super simple, but when put together with the rest of the ingredients and served over rice…so delicious.
Pan-fry the chicken until crispy on both sides. Then toss some frozen edamame into the skillet with a little soy sauce. The edamame ends up becoming almost “fried” and is so delicious.
Most poke bowls have a spicy mayo on top, so I wanted to add that to these bowls too! It’s usually just mayo and sriracha mixed together, but I also added soy sauce and a small drizzle of honey to balance the sweet.
The only other “must-have” item here is rice. The rest are extra, but I really do recommend toppings!
My bowls almost always include cucumber, avocado, and pickled ginger. However, you can incorporate a variety of vegetables based on your preference. Mushrooms, scallions, carrots, and cabbage would also be great in this dish.
Really fun if you’re looking to switch up your chicken and rice bowls. Of course, over here, it’s all about the sauces, so those are a must. And the crispy chicken is extra delish too!
Looking for other rice bowls favorites?
Red’s Favorite Spicy Tuna Poke Bowls
Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice
30 Minute Pineapple Chicken with Coconut Rice
Weeknight Sesame Teriyaki Chicken with Ginger Rice
Lastly, if you make Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon, plus 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 4 chicken cutlets, or 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
- 1 cup Panko
- chili flakes
- 1 bag frozen shelled edamame
- 3-4 cups rice, cooked
- cucumber, avocado, pickled ginger, and nori sheets – for serving
Spicy Mayo
- 1/3 cup olive oil mayo
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, combine 2/3 cup tamari/soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, ginger, green onion, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, and chili flakes. 2. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour over 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce, save the rest for serving. Let the chicken sit 10 minutes. 3. Place the Panko and 3 tablespoons sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Dredge both sides of the chicken through the Panko, pressing to adhere by using your fist to pound the crumbs in. Place the chicken on a plate.4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. 5. Add the edamame to the skillet, cook until thawed, then add 2 tablespoons tamari/soy sauce. Cook another minute, then remove from the heat. 6. To make the Spicy Mayo, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.7. To assemble, slice the chicken into thin strips. Add the rice to bowls, top with cucumber, avocado, chicken, pickled ginger, green onions, and nori. Spoon over the spicy mayo and the reserved tamari/soy sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Wow! This was AMAZING! Not the katsu curry we are used to, but the flavours are still so authentically Japanese and the whole thing was super tasty. It was easy to make too. Next time we will make more of it! My fussy 11 year old had to be encouraged to try the sauces, but then she added more of them! An absolute winner!
Hey Meredith,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT
I just made this for dinner and ate it so fast! All of the flavors were so good and I love creamy avocado in a bowl. I usually have trouble getting any breading to stick but did a decent job this time. You definitely don’t need as much panko as the recipe says, probably more like half a cup. Going to steal the cucumber marinades mentioned in the comments for the next time. Loved this!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
So good, the only thing added in addition was some fresh mango. Such a burst of flavors going on! We have loved adding your recipes.
Hey Janet,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
So good!!! Super easy too, loved the flavors.
Hey Bridget,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Trying this tonight. Going to air fry instead. Cannot wait.
Hey Debbie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Another fantastic recipe. The entire family loved it and said we needed to have it again soon! I served with cucumbers marinated in seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Hey Charitie,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
This was such a great dinner! I marinated my chicken for just over an hour and it was so flavorful.
No issues with losing my panko breading, I just made sure to really press it on and got the pan nice and hot.
I didn’t have avocado, but topped with green onions, pickled ginger, the edamame, did a quick pickle on my cucumbers, lots of sriracha mayo and a little extra sauce. The honey in the sriracha mayo made it extra delicious.
My teenage son loved it. We will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hey Cassie,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx
It was truly delicious and something I would make on a weekly basis. I used an air fryer instead and came out nice and crispy. The panko crumbs stayed on and I topped some on the top of the chicken as well once in the air fryer.
Flavors were amazing!
Similar to others, I struggled to keep the panko on the chicken so instead we sprinkled the bits over the bowls.
Hey Emily,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! Sorry to hear about your panko! ☀️xx
Hey Ana,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx
I made this for dinner last night and it was sooo so good! Devoured it. Only thing I ran into (like some others it looks like) is how to keep the panko to stay on better!
Hey Annie,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx
I followed this recipe for the most part! I read a lot of comments that mentioned losing a lot of the panko during the cooking process, I compared a lot of traditional katsu recipes and went from there! I used thighs (just my preference) pounded out the chicken, before marinade and also did an egg wash/flour! I think those extra steps just ensured that the chicken would cook throughly and that the breadcrumbs would stick! It turned out sooo soo good! Will absolutely be making again
Hey Sarriah,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! ☀️xx
Love love loved this recipe! One of about 30 I’ve tried and will certainly make again. The entire family loved it! The nice thing about your recipes is that I can take bits and pieces and mix it up, still get the flavor and make a slightly different version. With leftover marinade and spicy mayo, I made a version with shrimp and sprinkled toasted panko crumbs on top to still get that “crunch” and texture from the breaded chicken version. Cut another avocado, cucumbers and added the leftover Edamame. (the edamame, oh my….!!!!) A Dinner winner in our house – you’re the best!
Hey Diane,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx
Sooo delicious. The next day leftovers might have been even better!
I’d say for me, I could’ve made only half of the sauce and panko mixture and them be sufficient. I feel like I wasted quite a bit from both of those. I also think it would’ve been easier for me to cut the chicken into smaller strips before breading, as the panko was burning before the chicken could cook through. That’s just my experience! But whew the flavor ?? especially the spicy Mayo.
Hey Elizabeth,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback. xxT
Incredible!! Was shoveling it in my mouth every step of the way! Already looking forward to enjoying my leftovers!
Hey Sarah,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
I made this for dinner the other night, and it was so good! The flavors worked so well together.
Hey Leigh,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
This was SO good!! The spicy Mayo really tied it together. The only problem I had was I lost a lot of Panko when cooking the chicken. I really pressed them in with my fist like it says too. Any recommendations for next time? The flavor was still excellent.
Yes, I lost a lot of panko too. I don’t have any solutions for keeping it on, but I did just scrape the panko out of the pan and add it to the bowls. Lol
Hey Sarah,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Sorry to hear about your panko, I would make sure your pan is super hot next time before adding the chicken so that the panko stays on. I hope this helps! xxT
You could always try dunking it in some egg first!