This quick and easy air fryer chicken katsu is the perfect dish when you are craving some Japanese food. It’s a paired with an easy homemade tonkatsu sauce that’s perfect for any kind of protein.
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Chicken katsu is a wildly popular way to prepare chicken in Japan cuisine. It is the simplest dish, but somehow it is flavorful and makes for the perfect main protein for any meal.
Traditionally it is fried in a skillet, but it can easily be made in the air fryer as well! We all know if I can avoid frying anything, I’m going to take advantage of that. Minimal oil is used and minimal mess is made. If that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is.
Anyway, this air fryer chicken katsu can be served SO many different ways. I love mine with good ole rice and tonkatsu sauce (a Japanese bbq sauce). It’s also great in a sandwich with some fresh cabbage and Japanese mayo.
Recently I’ve been eating it with Japanese curry and it’s the best combination. Let’s also not forget that you can top your ramen with chicken katsu!
If you are going to have these air fryer chicken katsu you should also make my simple homemade tonkatsu sauce. Like I mentioned, it’s like a Japanese bbq sauce that pairs perfectly with proteins and veggies. I love mixing it with Japanese mayo whenever I make a chicken katsu sandwich. It’s the perfect sauce to bring everything together!
Here are a few tips to get the best air fryer chicken katsu:
- You can use chicken thighs or breasts. Just be sure to pound the meat so it’s even in thickness so it cooks evenly.
- Always, always, always season your protein whenever you are breading it. Seasoning the flour and breadcrumbs doesn’t sufficiently season the chicken. This goes for any kind of breading you do with protein.
- If you’re gluten free, there are gluten free panko bread crumbs out there. You can also replace the all purpose flour for things like cassava flour, cornstarch, potato starch, and etc.
- Speaking of flour, yes it’s important to dredge your chicken in flour before dredging it in the eggs and breadcrumbs. This is important because it gives something for the eggs to adhere to which means the breadcrumbs will stick to the chicken way better than if you skipped the flour dredging.
- If you are using chicken breast be sure to lightly spray or brush some oil before cooking. Chicken breast doesn’t release as much fat as chicken thighs. This will help brown the crust and ensure it’s super crispy.
- If you want to make this ahead of time, I recommend breading your chicken like normal, freezing it in a single layer, and then moving it to a ziplock bag or container. When you’re ready to make the air fryer chicken katsu, you can just throw it into the air fryer and cook it.
I hope you enjoy this super easy and super delicious air fryer chicken katsu with homemade tonkatsu sauce! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see.
Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
Ingredients
Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- 1 lb chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp kosher salt more to taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper more to taste
- ¾ cup all purpose flour or gluten free ap flour or cassava flour or cornstarch or potato starch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 - 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- avocado oil (optional)
Tonkatsu Sauce
- ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tsp coconut aminos or soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
Instructions
Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
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If using chicken breast, butterfly chicken breast and then pound meat so thickness is even. If using chicken thighs, pound meat until thickness is even.
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Season chicken with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
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Add flour, whisked eggs, and panko breadcrumbs in three different shallow bowls.
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First dredge the chicken in flour (shake off excess), then the eggs, and then panko bread crumbs. Be sure to really press the breadcrumbs into the chicken. Repeat until all the chicken is coated.
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Add the chicken to the air fryer basket (do not overcrowd, cook in batches if you need to). If you're using chicken breasts, lightly spray or brush some avocado oil on the chicken.
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Cook at 375F for 10 minutes and then turn up the air fryer to 400F for 2 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165F.
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Once cooked, remove from air fryer, season with a bit more kosher salt, and serve.
Tonkatsu Sauce
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Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined.
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Refrigerate until ready to use.
SIMILAR RECIPES:
Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich
Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Chicken Katsu Onigirazu (Paleo)
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