Katsu Burgers

Crispy Chicken Katsu Burgers are delicious! Golden Panko breadcrumb-coated chicken breasts, soft burger buns, and creamy katsu sauce make for a cool variation on a family favourite. 

We love Katsu Curry. My son especially loves katsu sauce. He’ll have it on the side of everything!

We also love chicken burgers, especially homemade crispy chicken burgers with Panko breadcrumbs. Since using the air fryer, we’ve eaten a lot of crispy chicken burgers and wraps!

One of my favourite things about burgers is their versatility. You can add all sorts to a burger. From simple cheese to something more extreme like Mac and cheese, they taste great on a burger. 

Chicken burgers, if anything, are even more versatile. Chicken goes with everything!

Of course, we already know katsu chicken is delicious, but what if you add a burger bun? That’s only going to make it better!

Why I Love Katsu Curry Burgers

Chicken Katsu Burgers are brilliant because:

• You add the katsu sauce separately, so if you have someone (like my daughter) who isn’t as keen or prefers to dip, you can serve them a bit on the side instead of drizzling it on the burger. 
• I make my katsu burgers in the air fryer, but you can also shallow fry or bake your Panko chicken breasts. 
• Homemade katsu sauce is perfect!
• They’re a little bit different and a fantastic family dinner. 
• This is an easy katsu burgers recipe.

Ingredients For Katsu Curry Burgers

For my katsu sauce, I use:

Cooking Oil

Onion 

Carrots 

Garlic Puree – You can use cloves of fresh garlic if you prefer. 

Salt and Pepper – I use sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Curry Powder

Plain Flour

Coconut Milk – Use full-fat, low fat will separate. I would add water, too, if I were making a curry, but you want a thicker sauce for burgers. 

Honey 

Soy Sauce 

Bay Leaf

Garam Masala

For the crispy chicken burgers, I use:

Cooking Oil – this is just to grease the tray; any kind is fine. 

Chicken Breasts 

Plain Flour

Egg

Dijon Mustard – English mustard is ok, too. 

Panko Breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Burger Rolls – I like tiger bread rolls, but any you like are fine. 

Salad and Sauces of your choice

You’ll Also Need

I’ve included instructions for air frying, baking and shallow frying your crispy chicken in the recipe card below. 

What you need precisely will depend on the cooking method you use. To start, though, you need:

Chopping board and a sharp knife. 

Large saucepan

Whisk

Blender –  I use a stick blender.

I recommend a food thermometer. 

How to Make Katsu Curry Burgers – Step-by-Step Instructions

The recipe card below includes instructions for air-frying, shallow-frying, and baking your chicken. I will describe how to air-fry because that’s what I usually do. 

First, make the katsu curry sauce!

Step One

Pour the oil into a large saucepan and warm over medium heat.

Step Two

Add the onions, carrots and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Step Three

Stir in the flour, curry powder, salt, and pepper. It will form a paste. 

Step Four

Add the coconut milk a bit at a time, stirring each splash in before adding more, making sure there are no lumps of flour.

It will stay thick until you’ve added most of the milk, don’t worry. 

Step Five

Add the honey, soy sauce, bay leaf and garam masala.

Step Six

Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat if necessary.

Step Seven

Cook on a low simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has reduced. It will thicken further when blended, so don’t worry if it’s still more watery than you’d like. 

Step Eight

Remove from the heat.

Step Nine

Leave to cool for a few minutes.

Step Ten 

Fish out the bay leaf.

Step Eleven

Carefully blend until smooth. I use a stick blender and mix it in the pan. 

If it’s still too runny, simmer for longer. 

Then, prepare and cook the chicken!

Step Twelve

When butterflied, your chicken should be around 1cm thick. If needed, wrap it in baking paper or cling film and roll out or bash until thinner. 

If you prefer, you don’t have to butterfly the breasts at all. You could just bash them flat. I’d do this if they were on the smaller side to start with. 

Step Thirteen

Place the flour in a wide, shallow bowl. I use my pasta bowls. You just want something big enough to lay the breasts down without bending or folding. 

Step Fourteen 

Whisk the egg and dijon in another bowl. If your eggs are small, you might need two to coat all of the chickens. 

Step Fifteen

Mix the Panko breadcrumbs with paprika, salt and pepper in a third bowl. 

Step Sixteen

Dip the chicken breasts, one at a time, in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs, turning and ensuring both sides are covered in each ingredient.

You can try doing this with different hands, but I tend to get messy and wash my hands when I’m done. 

Make sure you wash your hands really well after handling the chicken at every stage. 

Step Seventeen

Rub the crisper tray of your air fryer basket with oil, or use a spritzer bottle if you have one. Don’t use cooking spray. 

Step Eighteen

Preheat the air fryer to 180 degrees C at set for 16 minutes.

Step Nineteen

Place the chicken on the crisper tray and air fry for 8 minutes.

Step Twenty

Carefully flip over and fry for another 8 minutes.

Step Twenty-One

Repeat if you only have space for two chicken breasts at a time. 

Make sure the chicken breasts are fully cooked before serving. 

Step Twenty-Two

Serve on bread rolls, drizzled with katsu sauce and topped with salad and sauces of your choice. 

Serving Suggestions

You can serve your katsu chicken burgers with anything you’d usually serve a burger with. 

I like homemade wedges and coleslaw, but fries, Mac and cheese, salad, and even waffles would be great, too. 

Variations

There’s plenty that you can do differently. 

Additions to Your Burger

I left these fairly plain, but you can add salad, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, pickles, and all your favourite burger additions. I just wanted the katsu sauce to be the main flavour. 

Use Store-Bought Katsu Sauce

If you don’t want to make your katsu sauce, buy store-bought sauce and drizzle it over your chicken. 

You could even buy store-bought crispy chicken breast fillets or chicken burgers. 

Make Katsu Mayo

Not everyone wants a sauce on their burgers. You might prefer to mix a little katsu sauce with some mayo for a thicker, creamier spread. 

Leftovers

This is quite a large portion of katsu sauce. I like to have enough to dip my chips or wedges in. 

But if you have too much, you can reheat it another time for chicken curry or just dip some chicken nuggets in. 

Reheat in a pan on the hob for a few minutes or in the microwave. 

Storage 

Pour leftover katsu sauce into an airtight tub or bottle. Leave to cool, seal and place in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to two months. 

If you freeze, thaw thoroughly in the freezer before reheating. 

FAQ

Other Recipes 

If you like this recipe for chicken katsu burgers, you might also want to try:

• Air Fryer Chicken Katsu Curry
• Chicken Tikka Wraps
• Crispy Chicken Wraps
• Crispy Chicken Burgers
• Peri Peri Chicken Wraps

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