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Lemon Chicken Katsu Bowls – sesame and panko breaded chicken pan fried and served over steamed rice with a yummy lemon garlic sauce. Each bowl is topped with crisp cucumber slices and fresh herbs. While the dish is simple, it’s packed with flavor—a meal that family and friends will enjoy any time of year, from spring to winter. Quick, easy, and delicious all around!
Often, it’s the simplest things that spark inspiration. For me, it’s rarely another recipe. Usually, it’s something unexpected—an herb that looks especially fresh, a beautiful piece of seasonal produce, or even a location, flower, or dish that catches my eye.
I find inspiration in the details, and that’s what keeps the creative process exciting.
Today’s recipe, for example, isn’t a traditional Asian-style Katsu. It’s very much its own thing, inspired by something as simple as a bowl of lemons I spotted while scrolling Pinterest for an upcoming shoot. I started brainstorming ways to use them and, somehow, this dish came together!
I wasn’t sure how it would turn out at first, but the end result was even better than expected.
This one is bright, buttery, garlicky, and peppery—flavors that are simple, familiar, and so well-loved.
Here are the details
Ingredients – for the sauce
- salted butter
- garlic
- cumin seeds – use these to your taste, and make sure to give them a light crush before adding to the butter
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- white wine or sake – this is optional
- broth – love to use chicken bone broth
- tamari or soy sauce
- cooked jasmine or basmati rice
- sliced cucumbers
- fresh green onions, basil, and/or cilantro
Ingredients – for the chicken katsu
- chicken cutlets
- panko breadcrumbs
- sesame seeds
- butter or olive oil
Special Tools
You will need a skillet with sides, and a skillet for pan frying the chicken.
Steps
Step 1: make the sauce
This is an easy lemon butter sauce. Start with butter, garlic, cumin seeds, and lemon zest. Cook until the butter is lightly browned and the garlic is golden in color.
To the butter, add the lemon, then you can add a splash of dry white wine or sake if desired. Next, add the chicken broth, then tamari or soy sauce. Season the sauce to your taste with salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
Now let the lemon sauce simmer while you make the katsu.
Step 2: make the katsu
Dredge the chicken cutlets through the Panko and sesame seeds. Now, get each cutlet crispy with some oil or butter.
Then season each with salt and thinly slice.
Step 3: serve
At this point in the recipe, you can divide the rice between bowls. I like to use a low pasta bowl. Put the chicken over the rice, then spoon over the lemony butter sauce. I like to serve each bowl with a good amount of sauce.
Add slices of cucumber, then any desired herbs. My favorites are green onions, fresh basil, and cilantro.
Additionally, I do think slices of avocado would be very yummy atop this bowl!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are some favorites:
Souper Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Noodle Casserole
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
Sheet Pan Sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki
Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup
Lastly, if you make this Lemon 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 or Facebook! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Chicken Katsu Bowls
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 528 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or sake (optional)
- 1 -2 cups broth (I like bone broth)
- 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
- salt and pepper
- chili flakes
- 3-4 cups steamed rice
- cucumber, green onions, basil, and cilantro, for serving
Chicken Katsu
- 6 chicken cutlets or tenders
- 1 cup Panko
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Instructions
- 1. In a skillet with sides, set over medium-high heat, add the butter, garlic, cumin, and lemon zest. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant and the garlic is golden. Add the lemon juice and wine (if using), cooking for 1 more minute. Pour in the broth, using more as desired. Add the tamari. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.2. Meanwhile, make the Katsu. Place the Panko and sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Season with salt. Dredge both sides of the chicken through the Panko, pressing to adhere. Place the chicken on a plate.3. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. 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 and season with salt. Slice into thin strips.4. Serve the chicken over bowls of rice. Spoon over the lemon sauce. Top as desired with slices of cucumber, green onions, basil, and cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on May 19, 2025
This was incredible! I am gluten free right now and this worked so well with the substitute of GF bread crumbs and coconut aminos instead of tamari.
Seriously one of my partners and my all time favorite meals now. I marinated the cucumbers in ponzu and also added carrots. So so good.
Hey Sam,
Fantastic! Thanks for trying this recipe, I’m so glad to hear you liked it!
I double the sauce and cook it down until it’s much thicker. I also don’t add any salt because the reduced chicken broth gets salty. Otherwise this is a great meal we make monthly!
Hey Cynthia,
Amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your notes!
Perfect recipe for summer/late summer. I accidentally added too much lemon so the sauce was extra punchy but I will be making this again soon.
Hi Cynthia! I am so glad you loved these chicken bowls! I bet that extra lemon in the sauce made it extra fresh and zingy! Thanks for giving the recipe a try 🙂 xT
Delicious!! I made this for dinner and the flavors are unmatched. I made it with coconut rice after reading the comments and it was amazing.
Thank you so much Teri! So glad you loved these katsu bowls! The coconut rice definitely pairs well with the chicken in this recipe! 🙂 xT
This was delicious. My family loved it. I loved the sesame seed, panko crust and the sauce is to die for.
Thank you Jennifer! Have a great day and keep on cooking yummy things! 🙂 xT
Super yum! I also mixed the rice with light coconut milk and we topped our bowls with fresh kale and onions from our garden sautéed in the chicken pan drippings. I squirted some fresh lemon juice in the kale while it was sautéing. We’ll add this dish to the rotation. Thank you!
Hey Shonda,
Happy Tuesday!! I’m so glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a lot for making it!
This was a great recipe! I served it tonight to 3 of my friends and they thought it was restaurant quality. 🙂 I paired it with an asian broccoli salad (side) and some garlic naan bread. Looking forward to the leftovers!
Hey Megan,
Fantastic! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
delicious!! served over pasta bc I didn’t have rice. another homerun, Tieghan!
Hey Kathi,
Happy Monday! Love to hear this dish turned out nicely for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xx
This was delicious! I made the rice with coconut milk, and added Thai basil, cilantro, cucumber, and scallions to the bowl. I’ll definitely make this again!
Hi Alayne,
Happy Sunday!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear it turned out well for you. xx
This was really good, a great light meal for spring and summer. I had no issues with the panko crust on the chicken, it came out crispy and delicious. It is not as thick of a crust as you would get with a dredge but it stayed on the chicken and was tasty! I didn’t have rice so I served it over pad thai noodles, it worked really well!
Hi Lynn,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
This dish is amazing and going to be a staple in our house. Super easy and quick.! There was some extra sauce and I used it the next day over rice. I also added some coconut milk while cooking the rice. It complimented the dish. Tiegan, your recipes are amazing!!
Thanks so much, Sarah:) Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have a nice Memorial Day!
Really greasy & mushy with mediocre flavor.
Hi Wendy,
Sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out well for you, thanks for giving it a try!
This recipe was a family hit (and we have one challenging to feed kid, and a kid that generally likes the opposite of everything so it means a lot to have a winner). Adding to our approved roster of meals!
Hi Juli,
Happy Friday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, I am so glad it turned out nicely for you! xx