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Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside – and the best part is that this Air Fryer Chicken Katsu is just as good as the deep-fried version! No need to fry in oil when you can make this in the air fryer in 30 minutes!
Watch the Air Fryer Chicken Katsu Recipe Video!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- chicken breast – 1/2 lb each, seasoned with salt & pepper to taste. It is crucial that your chicken is flattened to ½” – you want the chicken to cook evenly across and allow the panko to crisp up without burning. If you don’t have a meat mallet or tenderizer, use a heavy bottomed pan to flatten it!
- panko breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs are drier and flakier than regular breadcrumbs, so they absorb less oil and creates a light & crunchier crust. This is a key ingredient in making Chicken Katsu, whether frying or in the air fryer.
- neutral cooking oil spray – I used avocado oil cooking spray (avocado oil is my go-to neutral cooking oil)! You can use another cooking oil spray, as long as it is NOT olive oil. I don’t recommend using olive oil spray for this dish, due to the flavor profile and low burning point.
Want to make the fried version? Try my Chicken Katsu or Pork Katsu recipes!
Recipe Instructions
1. Season the Chicken
The first step in making Air Fryer Chicken Katsu is pounding the chicken breast fillets into 1/2″ thick pieces. You want to ensure a thin cutlet so that the chicken will be cooked through in the air fryer in the same time the panko breadcrumbs become crispy! Next, season with kosher salt and black pepper and let rest while you make the wet batter. Make sure all the pieces are cut to similar sizes so they cook evenly.
2. Coat the Chicken in Wet Batter and Panko
Next, mix together eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to form a wet batter. Add 1-2 tbsp of water at a time until you get a consistency slightly looser than pancake batter. Dredge your chicken then immediately coat in panko breadcrumbs.
Transfer the dredged chicken to a tray lined with 2 cups of panko breadcrumbs. Evenly coat the chicken and use your hands to pack in the panko breadcrumbs so they stick to the chicken well.
3. Air Fry the Chicken
Lay the chicken into the air fryer basket and give the top side a spray of neutral oil spray (enough to cover any dry spots from the panko breadcrumbs). Then air fry at 350F for 10 minutes. Give the chicken a flip, and spray the other side well, and air fry again at 350F for 4-6 minutes until the Air Fryer Chicken Katsu is crispy!
Serve immediately with rice and picked vegetables and homemade Tonkatsu sauce – you can even use it in Chicken Katsu Curry!
Recipe Tips and Storage
- Dry Brining – This is my KEY tip for quick but juicy chicken! Season the chicken with salt & pepper before cooking to allow the salt absorb into the meat. This “dry brine” will result in crispy skin and juicy meat. I’ll season the chicken and let it rest while I make the wet batter.
- Pound the Chicken – Do not skip pounding the chicken breast fillets into 1/2″ thick pieces. You want to ensure a thin cutlet so that the chicken will be cooked through in the air fryer in the same time the panko breadcrumbs become crispy!
- Pack in the Panko – You want the panko breadcrumbs to really stick, as this is the crunchy texture you want! You need to really pack in the breadcrumbs when coating the chicken. After coating the chicken, let it REST for 10-15 minutes before cooking.
- Storage – Store any leftover Air Fryer Chicken Katsu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The chicken will lose its crispiness as it sits in the refrigerator. I like to quickly reheat it in the air fryer to try to restore some of the crispiness.
If you love cooking in the air fryer, make sure to try Air Fryer Chicken Wings (the #1 recipe on my website), Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, and extra crispy Air Fryer Tofu!
If you tried this Air Fryer Chicken Katsu or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
Ingredients
- 4 pieces chicken breast , 1/2 lb each, seasoned with salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup water, as needed to loosen wet batter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- neutral oil spray
Instructions
- Pound chicken breast to 1/2" thick filets and season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside to dry brine while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- In a large wide bowl, mix together eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until the consistency is slightly thinner than pancake batter (add 1-2 tbsp of water at a time until consistency is achieved).
- In a separate tray, add panko breadcrumbs and set next to the wet batter.
- Dip chicken breast in the egg mixture and let excess drip off. Immediately coat with panko and press the panko breadcrumbs into the filet to stick making sure to leave no dry spots.
- Place into air fryer basket and lightly spray the top with a neutral oil spray (canola or avocado oil). Air fry at 350F for 10 minutes or until golden. Lightly spray the top again, flip, and spray the bottom side and continue cooking at 350F for 4-6 minutes or until the crust is golden and internal temp reads 165F.
- Serve with rice, katsu sauce, pickled ginger and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this with gluten free flour and gluten free panko without adjusting the time and seasonings. Tastes aaaamazing!
I adapted this recipe for pork katsu and it worked so well!
Perfectly seasoned.
This recipe turned out great! Super crispy and juicy chicken, and easy to do in the air fryer.
I try a lot of recipes I find online. Some are hits, but they are hard to come by. This recipe is one I make again and again because of how consistently great it comes out. I love a healthier recipe, so was really interested in this one, to see if I could get a crispy chicken in the air fryer without a lot of oil. Spoiler alert: I did! This recipe is easy to follow and the results are delicious. My whole family enjoys when I make it, even the pickiest of kids. Do yourself a favor and try it, you won’t regret it!
This by far was super easy & super yummy! I made the Tonkatsu sauce -hoi man, was super onolicious!!! I think the best part was adding the flour,egg & spices together, great shortcut!
here’s the recipe I make for the sauce- super easy as well 🙂
Tonkatsu Sauce
▢4½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
▢2 Tbsp sugar (optional)
▢5 Tbsp ketchup
▢2 Tbsp oyster sauce (use Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce for vegetarian or if you‘re allergic to shellfish)
Superb! Absolutely delicious. I tweaked the recipe a bit just added some paprika, onion and garlic powder to the dry chicken marinade. This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious! The chicken is super crunchy yet not dry! I was amazed. Awesome recipe! Many thanks!
I used seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, because that is all I had on hand. I seasoned the chicken with pepper only and let the chicken sit for 30 mins after dredging it and packing the breadcrumbs. It was so juicy and the crust was perfection.
Solid recipe. The chicken came out very crispy
Made this last night, first Katsu ever, it was perfect and delicious! I didn’t see a sauce recipe on your site, did I miss it?
Thanks, Tami! I used a store bought one here – I’ll have to develop a recipe for the sauce soon!
I’m a huge fan of L&L Hawaiian bbq, especially their chicken katsu. The location on Maui (in Lahaina) gave me their basic recipe as I’m in Michigan and the closest location is in Nevada. Here is their Katsu sauce recipe.
L&L Hawaiian Bbq KATSU SAUCE
1⁄2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 cup sugar (recommend 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 white
2 1⁄2 cups water
1⁄3 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 -3 dashes Tabasco sauce. (I use Frank’s)
1-2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with
1⁄2 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer on low heat. Tip: to thicken sauce, put a bit of the sauce in a cup and add additional corn starch, if needed. Return to pan and stir.
I love that they gave you the recipe! Going to try this out ASAP – thanks for sharing! 🙂