# Japanese Katsudon with Chicken and Egg

> The egg in katsudon is poured **in two goes**: two thirds first, covered for a minute, then the remaining third and off the heat immediately. That gives a set layer underneath and a creamy, barely-set layer on top — and that is the definition of a good katsudon.

**Japanese Cuisine · 40 min · 2 servings · 720 kcal per serving**

Katsudon is a donburi — food served over rice in a single bowl. A crisp chicken cutlet simmered in a sweet-savoury sauce with onion and egg, served over hot rice. An everyday Japanese lunch made in 15 minutes if the katsu is ready.

## Ingredients


### The katsu
- 2 — chicken breasts, flattened
- 0.5 cup — flour
- 1 — egg, beaten
- 1.5 cups — panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp — salt and pepper

### Sauce
- 0.75 cup — dashi stock (or chicken stock)
- 3 tbsp — soy sauce
- 2 tbsp — mirin (or 1 tbsp sugar + 1 tbsp rice vinegar)
- 1 tbsp — sugar

### The rest
- 1 — onion, thinly sliced
- 3 — eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups — cooked hot Japanese rice

### To serve
- 2 — spring onions

### For frying
- 2 cups — oil

## Method

1. **Prepare the chicken** — Pound the breasts to an even 1.5 cm thickness and season with salt and pepper.
2. **Coat** — Flour → egg → panko. Press the panko on gently so it adheres.
3. **Fry** — Oil at 175°C, fry each piece for 5 minutes (two and a half a side) until golden. Drain on a rack and slice.
4. **The sauce** — In a small pan, heat the dashi, soy, mirin and sugar with the sliced onion and simmer 4 minutes until the onion softens.
5. **Katsu into the sauce** — Lay the sliced katsu over the onion in the sauce.
6. **Egg in two goes** — Beat the eggs lightly (leave streaks of white visible) and pour **two thirds** around the katsu, then cover for a minute. Pour in the last third, turn off the heat immediately and cover for 30 seconds.
7. **Serve** — Slide the whole thing over a bowl of hot rice in one movement and scatter the spring onion.

## Tips

- Egg in two goes — the thing that turns an ordinary dish into a Japanese one.
- Beat the eggs very lightly and leave streaks of white — that gives the marbled texture.
- Panko is not ordinary breadcrumbs — the flakes are larger and lighter and give an entirely different crunch.
- The rice must be hot — it heats the dish from below and finishes the egg.

## FAQ

### What is dashi stock?
A Japanese stock made from bonito flakes and kombu seaweed, with a deep umami taste. Substitute: a light chicken stock, made closer by adding a teaspoon of light soy.

### What can replace mirin?
A tablespoon of sugar with a tablespoon of rice vinegar, or a tablespoon of apple juice with a pinch of sugar. Mirin is sweet with a light acidity.

### Can I use beef?
Yes — with a beef cutlet it becomes 'gyukatsudon'. Exactly the same method.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/japanese-cuisine/japanese-katsudon-with-chicken-and-egg
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-30