Have a Japanese night with air fryer chicken katsu that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It is a healthier take on deep-fried chicken katsu since it is cooked in an air fryer with little to no oil! Serve this with a bowl of rice and a side of Japanese curry or teriyaki sauce.
What Is Chicken Katsu?
One of the most famous Japanese dishes is katsu, also known as katsu don if it is with a bowl of rice. It is served with cutlets of meat, typically chicken or pork. The meat is coated with a layer of cornstarch and beaten eggs.
One thing that makes this different from other coated fried meat is the Japanese breadcrumbs. It gives the meat a flaky and crunchy exterior as you enjoy its tender, juicy center. The chicken cutlets are typically deep-fried for a golden brown look, but you can also get the same taste and texture with an air fryer.
In my chicken katsu recipe, you will need garlic, cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and black pepper powder to marinate the chicken. It is then coated with cornstarch, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs before cooking in the air fryer. Serve this with a bowl of hot rice and a sauce like tomato ketchup and teriyaki sauce.
Pair this dish with other Japanese dishes, such as the following:
- Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)
- Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Bowl)
- “Kichi Kichi style” Japanese omurice
- Japanese Chashu
- Yaki Udon (Udon Stir Fry)
Why Air Fryer Is Better For Fried Chicken Katsu
Let me convince you why air-frying the chicken katsu is much better than deep-frying. If you still don’t have an air fryer, you are missing out on many great advantages! From easy cleanup to convenience, here are several reasons why an air fryer is better for fried chicken katsu.
- Minimal cleanup: No more constant washing of pans and spatula! Using an air fryer requires minimal to no cleanup at all because the air fryer basket can be lined with parchment paper. After cooking, all you need to do is remove the parchment paper and you are back with a clean air fryer basket.
- Faster cooking time + no cooking by hand = More rest!: It fries faster than regular pan-frying since it uses a convection heating method. On top of that, you don’t have to keep watch all the time since the air fryer does the job already. All you need to do is flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time and you are done. Thus, giving you more time to rest and a quick and easy meal.
- Little to no oil: Are you conscious about your health? Air-frying is a clear winner since it does not require oil to fry the chicken. Sometimes, you can spray oil on the outside to give you a better golden brown color. Despite spraying oil, it is still way less oil than deep-frying the chicken.
- Versatile:Having an air fryer is surely worth the purchase since it is highly versatile. You can use it for various recipes, from deep-fried to stir-fried. Here are some recipes to try with an air fryer:
Recipe Tips And Recommendations
Want to know how to alter the ingredients? Don’t skip this part to learn more about ingredient tips and alternatives. I also share some ideas on how to serve chicken katsu with sauces and side dishes.
- Chicken: Use skinless boneless chicken breast. It should be flat to cook it evenly in the air fryer. If the chicken is uneven, you can flatten it with a meat tenderizer. Aside from chicken breasts, you can also use chicken thighs, which are juicier than breasts. If you want a vegetarian or vegan version, I recommend using firm tofu that is drained, frozen, and then thawed before frying.
- Marinade: The chicken is marinated with garlic slices, cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper powder, and black pepper powder for 10 minutes or more.
- Garlic: Add slices of garlic to give the chicken a hint of nutty and pungent flavor. If you don’t have garlic but want the garlicky flavors, replace 1 clove of garlic with 1/8 tsp of garlic powder or 1/4 tsp of granulated garlic. You can also use Crispy Fried Garlic as an alternative.
- Cooking wine: Cooking wine adds a slightly sweet and briny taste. Use any cooking wine, such as Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry, or alcohol-free wine. You can also use chicken broth, vegetable broth, and red wine vinegar.
- Light soy sauce: Light soy sauce adds an in-depth flavor with its umami and salty taste. You can use dark soy sauce as a substitute and adjust it to taste. Other types of soy sauce to use are tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavors. Use table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt.
- White pepper powder: White pepper is earthy with a subtle heat. You can swap white pepper powder with black pepper if needed.
- Black pepper powder: Black pepper powder is woody and piney, and hotter than white pepper. You can use pepper powder or freshly cracked peppers. Swap this with more white pepper powder if needed.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch makes the chicken extra crispy and golden brown. If you don’t have cornstarch, substitute it with the following:
- All-Purpose Flour (1:1 ratio)
- Arrowroot Powder (1:1 ratio)
- Tapioca Starch/Flour (1:1 ratio)
- Potato Starch (1:1 ratio)
- Rice Flour (1:1 ratio)
- Eggs: Eggs add an eggy taste and golden brown color to the chicken. It also helps make the breadcrumbs stick better to the chicken. If you are making a vegetarian or vegan version of this with tofu, you can make it eggless by using chickpea flour and water slurry (3 tablespoons of chickpea flour with 3 tablespoons of water + a pinch of black salt for an eggy taste).
- Bread crumbs: I recommend Japanese or Panko bread crumbs. These are made from crustless white bread, which is crispier, dryer, lighter, and flakier. It is less oil-absorbing than regular bread crumbs, giving you a crunchier chicken katsu.
- Oil (for spraying):Although spraying the exterior with oil is optional, I still recommend it for a better crunch and golden brown color. Go for oils with a high smoke point to heat better, such as avocado, peanut, canola, and corn oil.
- Serving sauce: You can eat the chicken katsu alone, but it is even better with a serving sauce or side dish. Here are some sauces and side dishes that pair well with chicken katsu:
- Tomato ketchup
- Teriyaki sauce: ¼ cup sake, ¼ cup mirin, ¼ cup soy sauce, ⅛ cup sugar, minced garlic, minced ginger, 3 tablespoons of water, and cornstarch slurry
- Katsu sauce: ¼ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of sugar, ½ tablespoon of sherry, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic
- Japanese curry with bell peppers, potatoes, and eggplants
- Steamed rice
- Optional toppings: Finish off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, chopped green onions, or Togarashi powder.
What You Need For Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
Prepare mixing bowls for marinating, dipping, and coating. You can use a meat tenderizer or the back of the knife to flatten the chicken. Plus, don’t forget to line the air fryer basket with parchment paper for minimal cleanup!
The ingredients to prepare are the following:
- 1 skinless boneless chicken breast
- 3 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of white pepper
- Black pepper powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 ½ cups of bread crumbs
- Oil (for spraying)
- Serving sauce: Tomato ketchup, katsu sauce, or teriyaki sauce
Instructions To Make Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
Marinate the chicken, coat it with eggs and bread crumbs, and cook in the air fryer. That’s all you need to remember when making this recipe. Watch the complete steps in my Instagram or TikTok tutorial video.
- Slice the chicken in half. Tenderize the chicken breast using the back of the knife or a meat tenderizer. The chicken should be flattened to cook evenly in the air fryer.
- Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes or more with garlic slices, cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and black pepper powder.
- Coat the marinated chicken with a layer of cornstarch.
- Beat the eggs and dip the chicken into the beaten eggs.
- Coat the chicken on both sides with bread crumbs.
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper, place the coated chicken, and spray with oil.
- Set the air fryer at 356°F and cook for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time to cook the other side.
- Serve with a drizzle of tomato ketchup, katsu sauce, or teriyaki sauce.
Air Fryer Chicken Katsu Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 skinless boneless chicken breast
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of white pepper
- Black pepper powder adjust to taste
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 ½ cups of bread crumbs
- Oil for spraying
Instructions
- Slice the chicken in half. Tenderize the chicken breast using the back of the knife or a meat tenderizer. The chicken should be flattened to cook evenly in the air fryer.
- Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes or more with garlic slices, cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and black pepper powder.
- Coat the marinated chicken with a layer of cornstarch.
- Beat the eggs and dip the chicken into the beaten eggs.
- Coat the chicken on both sides with bread crumbs.
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper, place the coated chicken, and spray with oil.
- Set the air fryer at 356°F and cook for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time to cook the other side.
- Serve with a drizzle of tomato ketchup, katsu sauce, or teriyaki sauce.
