Name: Easy Chicken Katsu Curry (Better Than Wagamama)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 onion; 2 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder; 1 teaspoon garam masala; 2 teaspoons curry powder; 60 grams plain flour; 400 ml coconut milk; 2 tablespoons tomato puree; 2 chicken breasts (large); 2 eggs; 100 grams panko breadcrumbs

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Chicken katsu curry is one of those dishes that feels like a proper treat. Crispy golden chicken, fluffy rice and a rich, gently spiced curry sauce poured over the top – it’s comfort food at its absolute best.

If you’ve ever eaten at Wagamama, you’ll know exactly the dish I mean. Their chicken katsu curry is legendary: crunchy panko-coated chicken served with a warming curry sauce that you almost want to drink straight from the bowl.

The good news is that homemade chicken katsu curry is surprisingly easy to make.

Once you know the trick, it becomes one of those easy chicken dinners you can pull together whenever the craving hits. The chicken cooks quickly because it’s flattened, the curry sauce comes together in one pan, and the whole meal can be on the table in around 40 minutes.

This version keeps everything simple while still delivering that restaurant-style flavour:

crispy panko chicken
rich Japanese-style curry sauce
simple ingredients you can find anywhere

It’s the kind of recipe that feels a little bit special… but is actually perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Close up of a whole breaded chicken breast with Katsu curry sauce on a bed of rice and peas, in a white bowl

What Makes Chicken Katsu Curry So Good?

Chicken katsu curry is a Japanese comfort food classic. It combines two elements that work brilliantly together:

Katsu chicken – a chicken breast coated in panko breadcrumbs and fried until golden and crisp.

Japanese curry sauce – a mild, savoury curry sauce that’s thick, slightly sweet and deeply comforting.

The contrast is what makes the dish so addictive. The crispy coating soaks up the curry sauce while still keeping its crunch, and the mild spices make it incredibly moreish.

In restaurants the sauce is often blended smooth, but at home you can keep it slightly rustic – which I actually prefer.

Why This Recipe Works

There are a few small tricks that make this easy chicken katsu curry recipe work every time.

Flatten the chicken first
Bashing the chicken breasts slightly means they cook evenly and quickly. It also gives you that perfect crispy coating without overcooking the meat.

Use panko breadcrumbs
Panko breadcrumbs are much lighter than standard breadcrumbs. They fry up beautifully crisp and stay crunchy even once the sauce is poured over.

Cook the sauce separately
Making the curry sauce in its own pan means you can control the thickness and flavour perfectly before serving.

Finish the chicken in the oven
This guarantees the chicken cooks through without burning the coating.

The result is crispy chicken with a deeply comforting curry sauce – exactly what you want from a katsu curry.

If you’re looking for easy chicken dinner ideas, this is one to add to your regular rotation.

It’s:

ready in around 40 minutes
made with simple pantry spices
incredibly satisfying
great for feeding the whole family

And once you’ve made it once, it becomes the kind of recipe you can cook almost from memory.

If you enjoy dishes like Chicken Balti, Thai Red Chicken Curry or Chicken Chow Mein, this katsu curry will fit straight into your weeknight meal plan.

The Ingredients

Vegetable oil – for the frying. You could also use butter.
Onion – use one medium/large white or yellow onion.
Garlic – use more if you’re a big garlic fan, up to 5 cloves.
Turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, curry powder – a killer mix to make a delicious katsu curry sauce.
Plain flour – to thicken the sauce.
Coconut milk – I’d recommend using full fat – it’s more flavourful (and better value, the reduced fat stuff is just watered down anyway).
Tomato puree – to give the sauce that colour and a rich, sweet flavour.
Chicken breast – try to find two that are as similar in size as possible – that way, they’ll cook in the same amount of time.
Eggs – to stick the breadcrumbs to the chicken.
Panko breadcrumbs – I recommend panko over any other type of breadcrumbs. They go super crisp.
Rice – a big pile of fluffy white rice is perfect.

Cooking the Katsu Curry

The hardest bit about this recipe is cooking the chicken, but follow these instructions and it’ll be great.

Chicken katsu curry process shot 1 - adding the spices to the onions

Finely chop the onion and add to a pan with half of the olive oil. Soften for a few minutes before adding the garlic and spices. Give everything a good stir.

Chicken katsu curry process shot 2 - adding coconut milk and tomato puree to the curry sauce

Add the flour, coconut milk and tomato puree. Stir again, then simmer gently for around 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Chicken katsu curry process shot - coating the chicken in flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs

For your chicken, start by putting the chicken breasts between sheets of baking parchment and bashing them with a rolling pin. Then, coat each one with flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs.

Chicken katsu curry process shot 4 - frying the chicken

Fry the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes on each side, then transfer to the oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Serve on a bed of rice and peas, drizzled with that curry sauce.