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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.
I had a hard time getting the panko to stick – any suggestions?
Hey Kylie,
Did you gently press it onto the chicken? What kind of pan did you use? I find a nice oily and hot skillet works best! Let me know how I can help! xx
I used the tamari and it was very salty… if I do it again I will us the low sodium soy sauce.
Hi Donna,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry this was salty for you! xx
Yes, yes, yes! Don’t ask questions! Just go make this. You won’t regret it. So so good!!!
Hey Meg,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
My husband and I loved this! Wish we had had pickled ginger to go with it because I think that would have really taken it over the top, but we added radishes and some other random veg we had and it was so tasty. Thanks Tieghan!!
Hey Rachel,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
DELICIOUS! 10/10
Hi Emily,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try!! xTieghan
Has anyone tried using their air fryer to cook the chicken? If so, how long? Did you spray some oil on the chicken first?
Hey Charity,
Sorry, I’ve not tried this, but I bet it would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I always cook my chicken katsu in the air fryer. It turns out really good and crispy. Yes, I spray PAM on my chicken to crisp it up more.
How long do you cook it in the air fryer?
Thanks for the tip Cristina!
Made this last night and it was SO delicious, thank you for sharing! Some of the panko mixture did fall off though – any tips?
Hey Kate,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed, we appreciate the feedback! I would just make sure you press it really well onto the chicken:) xTieghan
This sounds so good do you think I could substitute the chicken for a boneless pork chop?
Hey Amber,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
So delicious!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
This sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it. Which cookbook is this recipe from out of your series? Looking to get one of your books.
Hey Marla,
All of the recipes that you see on the blog are only on the blog:) The recipes that are in the cookbooks are exclusive to the books. I hope this makes sense! xx
This recipe was so easy to make, so flavorful, absolutely delicious. Even my picky daughter gobbled it all up. Definitely will be on rotation! Thanks for another fabulous recipe.
Hey Vanessa,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
This recipe is outstanding!! Definitely a keeper!
Hey Pam,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ☀️xxT
So so good! I elected to pound out the chicken instead of slicing which worked just as fine. Not usually a fan of sriracha but the mayo was the perfect topping, along with the quickly pickled cucumbers and avocado. Yum!! Everybody loved it. This was my first time even eating chicken katsu and I’m glad I tried it!! Would make again.
Hey Kristen,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit! xTieghan
Huge HBH fan and can say this was my first fail. Felt like I followed all the instructions and the chicken just did not turn out. I used large chicken breasts cut half horizontally, made the marinade and used Panko + seseme seeds. I was firm in pressing the breading into the chicken but it did not stay on at all. Chicken in my cast iron needed much more time than the instructions said. Ended up with a big mess in the pan and undercooked chicken. Any tips for what I could do differently would be much appreciated because I really wanted to love this!
This happened to me too! I ended up microwaving the chicken to finish cooking, so we did get dinner and I must say the flavors were spot on. I’m going to try baking the chicken next time.
Hey Allison,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues. It sounds like your chicken may have been too large. I like to use a pretty hot cast iron skillet with plenty of oil to prevent any sticking and to help quickly cook the chicken. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Maybe try using chicken cutlets from the store already packaged and use an egg wash prior to coating with panko and sesame seeds.
I’ve had the same issue before! It was a problem with both my cast iron and my ceramic pan. The coating would be burned but chicken still raw in the middle. I solved it by making sure my chicken was pounded to an even thickness, and then after frying 3-4 minutes on each side with the lid on, I turned off the heat *with the lid still on* and left it for another 10 or so minutes to cook in the residual heat. It worked perfectly and we got yummy crispy, moist chicken!
Thanks for sharing your tip Rachel!!
I was skeptical I could pull this recipe off, but it was amazing and everyone loved it! Even my super picky 14 year old! Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Hey Becky,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
Could you share the cumbersome salad recipe please. 🙂
Hi Ashley,
I just did a little rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx