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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.

Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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 
Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

Mom and Asher love a nice rice bowl dinner. So I made chicken katsu for them and it was a huge hit! 

Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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. 

Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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. 

Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com

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

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 924 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Spicy Mayo

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.
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Crispy Chicken Katsu Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com
This post was originally published on April 6, 2022
4.85 from 309 votes (118 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Hey Meredith,
      Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT

  2. 5 stars
    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!

  3. 5 stars
    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.

  4. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Hey Charitie,
      Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xx

  5. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Hey Cassie,
      Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx

  6. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 4 stars
      Flavors were amazing!

      Similar to others, I struggled to keep the panko on the chicken so instead we sprinkled the bits over the bowls.

      1. 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

    2. Hey Ana,
      Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx

  7. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Hey Annie,
      Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx

  8. 4 stars
    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

    1. 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

  9. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Hey Diane,
      Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx

  10. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Hey Elizabeth,
      I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback. xxT

  11. Incredible!! Was shoveling it in my mouth every step of the way! Already looking forward to enjoying my leftovers!

  12. 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.

    1. 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

    2. 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