Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe (2024)

  • Japanese
  • Chicken Cutlets
  • Eggs
  • White Rice
  • Chicken Mains

This Japanese comfort food classic smothers fried cutlets with seasoned dashi and lightly cooked egg.

By

J. Kenji López-Alt

Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe (1)

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated May 17, 2023

Why It Works

  • The breading on leftover fried chicken or pork cutlets is great at absorbing flavorful liquids.
  • Steaming the eggs in broth keeps them nice and tender.

In the US, we're obsessed with keeping our crisply fried foods as crisp as possible. What's the point of frying a chicken cutlet or battering an onion ring if it's just gonna get soggy again, right?

Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe (2)

This is not the case in Japan, where there are tons of dishes that start with crisply frying food, only to then douse it in a soup or sauce that kills its crispness. Dishes likeagedash*tofu (tofu that's fried until crackling like an eggshell, then coated in dashi stock so it turns slippery and tender); ortempura udon(crisply fried tempura shrimp, served all soggy-like in udon broth); orchazuke(hot tea poured over crisply fried seafood and vegetables until they're limp and saturated).

I admit: The idea doesn't sound so great when you describe it like that, but these dishes all end up with really unique textures and flavors. Frying drives off excess moisture from batters and breadings, which leaves behind plenty of open spaces to absorb flavorful liquids. Mexicanchiles rellenos use a similar concept. Not sold? Well, an easy way to dip your feet into the world of fried-then-soaked foods iskatsudon, a dish made with leftoverchickenkatsuor porktonkatsusimmered with eggs in a soy-dashi broth, then served over a bowl of rice.

There's no easy way to reheat katsu so it comes out crisp and juicy, so what harm can it do to give this version, which embraces the sogginess of leftovers, a shot?

Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe (3)

The process for making it is almost identical to that ofoyakodon, a similar rice bowl topped with simmered fresh chicken and egg.

You start by combining dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a shallow pan and bringing it to a simmer. Traditionally, you'd use a specialized pan called adonburipan, which has a lid with a hole in the center to allow steam to escape, but any small skillet will do.

Once the broth is at a simmer, add your katsu (leftover or otherwise), sliced into chopstick-sized pieces, and simmer it until it's warmed through. If you like, you can also add a thinly sliced onion to the broth before adding the katsu. Finally, drizzle the whole thing with a couple beaten eggs—I like to beat scallions in with my eggs—cover it, and let it steam just until the egg is cooked through. This takes just about a minute for very loose eggs (the way I like it), or a couple of minutes for medium eggs.

Once the eggs are set the way you like them, just slide the whole thing out on top of a bowl of rice. The sweet-and-savory broth soaks into the rice, while the eggs and totally-soggy-but-delicious katsu steam away on top. For my money, there's no better way to reheat and serve leftover chicken or pork cutlets.

Embrace the sogginess, and let the flavor wash over you.

April 2017

Recipe Details

Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe

Active3 mins

Total5 mins

Serves1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (80ml)dashi, or 1/3 cup (80ml) water mixed with 3/4 teaspoon Hondashi

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml)sake

  • 2 teaspoons (8g) sugar

  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) mirin

  • 4 ounces thinly sliced yellow onion (115g; about 1/2 medium onion), optional

  • 1 leftover Japanesefried chicken or pork cutlet, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

  • Steamed white or brown rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Combine dashi, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and mirin in a small saucepan or donburi pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. If using onion, add to broth and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Add sliced fried cutlet and let simmer for 1 minute. Meanwhile, beat together eggs and scallions in a small bowl. Pour egg mixture on top of cutlet and around broth. Cover and cook until eggs are as set as you'd like them, about 1 minute for very soft or 2 minutes for medium. Slide broth, egg, and chicken out on top of a bowl of rice. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

    Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe (4)

Read More

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1317Calories
50g Fat
117g Carbs
90g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories1317
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 50g64%
Saturated Fat 10g51%
Cholesterol 704mg235%
Sodium 1928mg84%
Total Carbohydrate 117g43%
Dietary Fiber 6g21%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 90g
Vitamin C 11mg53%
Calcium 228mg18%
Iron 9mg49%
Potassium 1383mg29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Katsudon (Japanese Chicken or Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is katsudon sauce made of? ›

Combine dashi, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and mirin in a small saucepan or donburi pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. If using onion, add to broth and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.

What does katsudon mean in Japanese? ›

Katsudon (Japanese: カツ丼) is a popular Japanese food, a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg, vegetables, and condiments. Katsudon. The dish takes its name from the Japanese words tonkatsu (for pork cutlet) and donburi (for rice bowl dish).

What is the difference between katsudon and pork katsu? ›

What is the difference between Katsu and Katsu Don? Katsu is pork or chicken covered with flour and put in an egg, then covered with bread crumbs and fried in oil. Katsudon is a rice bowl made with cutlets.

What is the difference between pork katsu and cutlet? ›

Only two things distinguish it. First, katsu must be made with panko crumbs (as opposed to European-style breaded cutlets, where panko may occasionally be called for but is not a requirement). And second, it must be served with katsu sauce.

What does katsudon sauce taste like? ›

It's sweet and tangy with an umami undertone that packs a flavorful punch. You'll usually find it served with pork tonkatsu, a popular dish of breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet with cabbage and rice. It's also commonly served on katsu sando, which is a sandwich with a piece of pork tonkatsu as the filling.

What is Japanese sauce made of? ›

Teriyaki sauce is made using a combination of soy sauce, mirin (a sweet cooking sake), and sugar. While it can be made with just soy sauce and sugar, the addition of mirin adds a beautiful luster to the sauce and mimics that restaurant quality feel. It's sweet, tangy, and a little sticky.

What does the word katsu mean in English? ›

Meaning of katsu in English

a Japanese dish consisting of a piece of meat, usually chicken, or vegetable, covered in bread crumbs, fried, then usually cut into strips and eaten with a sauce: One of my favorite dishes growing up, chicken katsu is basically the Japanese version of fried chicken.

What does katsu translate to in English? ›

Katsu (カツ) is a shortened form of katsuretsu (カツレツ), the Japanese transliteration of the English word "cutlet".

What is a fun fact about katsudon? ›

A little fun fact... It is a tradition for Japanese students to eat Katsudon before taking an entrance exam! Katsu means “to win.” A winwin dish indeed!

Why is katsu chicken pink? ›

Chemical changes occur during cooking. Oven gases in a heated gas or electric oven react chemically with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to give it a pink tinge. Often meat of younger birds shows the most pink because their thinner skins permit oven gases to reach the flesh.

What cut of pork is best for katsu? ›

Pork – There are two cuts of meat we typically use for this dish: pork loin (ロース rōsu) or tenderloin/fillet (ヒレ hire). Both cuts are fairly lean, but pork loin has a layer of fat that gives the Tonkatsu an extra tender bite when cooked properly.

Is pork katsudon healthy? ›

What is Katsudon? Katsudon is a delicious, though it must be said, not especially healthy food.

Is chicken or pork cutlet better? ›

Out of the three, chicken is the healthiest, because it is a lean protein source that doesn't contain saturated fat – the bad kind of fat that raises blood cholesterol. But the pork comes in at a fast second. But keep in mind that the cut of the meat and trimming away excess fat and skin makes all the difference.

Why are my pork cutlets tough? ›

Because pork chops are such a lean cut, they are relatively quick-cooking and prone to overcooking. When they're cooked for even a few minutes too long, whether it's in the oven or on the stovetop or grill, they're quick to dry out, and — you guessed it — become tough, chewy, and less than appealing.

What is a Japanese cutlet called? ›

Tonkatsu—the breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet so popular with the masses—was originally one of many Japanese twists on Western recipes imported to Japan, in this case France's côtelette de veau.

What does tonkatsu sauce contain? ›

Tonkatsu sauce mainly consists of vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery. It also includes more than 10 kinds of spices along with soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.

What is katsu coating made of? ›

Katsu, a popular Japanese comfort food of breaded cutlets, is commonly made with chicken or pork. For this chicken version, boneless chicken breasts are pounded thin, dredged in flour, egg and panko, then fried until golden brown for an irresistible crispy crust that yields to — and protects — juicy meat inside.

Is tonkatsu sauce like brown sauce? ›

It is a thick (viscosity over 2.0 pascal-second, per JAS Standard) Japanese Worcestershire-type sauce. It is similar to a brown sauce (British Isles), and can include a fish sauce, tomatoes, prunes, dates, apples, lemon juice, carrots, onions, and celery among its ingredients.

Is tonkatsu sauce and katsu sauce the same? ›

Tonkatsu sauce, or katsu sauce for short, is a popular Japanese condiment that's typically served with tonkatsu, chicken katsu, and any other fried cutlet. It's a thick, brown sauce that tastes savory, slightly tangy, and sweet, most closely resembling a Japanese-style barbecue sauce.

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