• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Khin's Kitchen logo
  • All Recipes
  • Popular
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe my Newsletter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Popular
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe my Newsletter
×
Home » Recipes » Japanese

Japanese Chicken Curry

Published: Jun 11, 2020 · Modified: Jul 22, 2024 · by Khin · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

Simple Japanese chicken curry recipe with bags of flavour. It makes a great go-to mid-week meal for the whole family. Tender boneless chicken, carrots, and potatoes cooked in umami Japanese curry sauce. 

A white bowl containing, rice, chicken, carrots, potatoes and Japanese curry sauce.

Japanese people love curry dishes and it's a go-to meal for most Japanese families, since many decades ago. This chicken curry with rice is one of the popular versions of Japanese curry rice (Kare Raisu, カレーライス) dishes. Gyudon ( Japanese Beef and Rice Bowl ) and Japanese Katsu Curry recipes are my favourite kare raisu variations and you must try them if you love curry & rice!

Jump to:
  • What is Japanese chicken curry
  • Ingredients & Substitutes
  • How to make Japanese Chicken Curry from Scratch
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Fantastic Curry Recipes:
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

What is Japanese chicken curry

This curry is adapted from Western-style chicken stew but cooked in its Japanese-style curry sauce and served on top of rice. The sweetness of the slow-cooked chicken, onions, vegetables and curry powder is what makes this dish so rich and tasteful. 

Unlike most Asian curries, it is less spicy and has more thickness in the sauce.  The colour is usually brown, more like golden brown, and sweet and savoury in taste. It is also called Japanese golden curry.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Labelled ingredients on the white table.

Protein - I am using boneless chicken breast in this recipe. You can also use boneless chicken thigh, meat, beef, lamb, minced meat, fish fillets, seafood, or tofu (bean curd). With tofu, you can prepare a delicious vegetarian Japanese curry. 

Vegetables - Brown onions, potatoes, and carrots are mainly added to this dish. You can also add green peas, celery, sweet potato, or a choice of stew vegetables. It is important to cut the potatoes and carrots into similar sizes and shapes as shown in the photo instructions. 

Japanese curry sauce - To make this flavorful Japanese gravy, you will need curry powder, chilli powder, salt, sugar, all-purpose flour (plain flour), and chicken bouillon. All these ingredients are pantry-staple and you don’t need a trip to Asian grocery!

Detailed measurements and printable recipes are available on the recipe card down below.

How to make Japanese Chicken Curry from Scratch

In this recipe, I am showing you how to prepare the curry from scratch so that you can prepare it even when you don’t have the Japanese curry cubes ready or can’t find them at your local store.

Four image collage showing how to prepare for the curry.
  1. Cut the chicken into medium pieces. Cut potato and carrot into medium-sized cubes.
  2. Heat the pan and add butter and oil, then add the chopped onions and saute until the onions are softened and slightly brown.
  3. Follow with the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes until the chicken colour changes. Then add the grated ginger and stir well.
  4. Next, add the potatoes and carrots, then add the curry powder, chilli powder, salt, pepper, and sugar. 
Four image collage showing how to cook the curry with chicken.
  1. Follow with the plain flour, stir and cook until the flour colour turns brown.
  2. Add water and chicken bouillon, and stir well.
  3. Close the lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes stir occasionally until the vegetables are tender. ( Add a bit more water if needed. )
  4. Make a taste test and adjust the salt to taste.
Large white cast ion pot containing curry sauce with chicken, carrots, and potatoes.

Can I Use Japanese Curry Roux/Cube?

I use Japanese curry roux ( curry blocks ) on the days I am in a rush because I can skip a few cooking steps and cut down the ingredient list. I do love both homemade and store-bought ones for different reasons. 

If you are using the store-bought curry mix, follow the packet instructions as the cooking method can be varied according to the curry brand you use. I’ve written details on how to use Japanese curry cubes in my previous Prawn Katsu with Curry and Rice and my new Easy Japanese Beef Curry recipes. 

There are a few famous brands like S&B Golden Curry, Java Curry, Kokumaro Curry, Yutaka Curry, etc.  You can choose mild, or hot according to your taste. 

Whether you use store-bought curry mix or homemade curry sauce, it is still an easy-to-cook dish! 

Favourite Serving Ideas

Serving together with rice is the signature of this dish – like they are inseparable! I love to have it with Japanese rice, Thai Jasmine rice, or regular long-grain rice. Feel free to enjoy with your favourite rice, brown rice, purple rice, wild rice, or cauliflower rice to fit your diet. 

I’ve also tried it with noodles and it was delicious! Cook a choice of egg noodles, wheat noodles, or udon. Place it in a bowl and top with the curry chicken on top. Japanese Curry Udon with Chicken is my favourite comfort noodle soup!

Shredded vegetables, Japanese ginger pickles, and pickled daikon can be served as sides too.

A white ceramic bowl containing rice with chicken curry and vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Japanese curry and katsu curry?

Japanese curry and katsu curry are similar in curry sauce flavour but the preparation and cooking process are different. Japanese curry is a thick slow-cooked meat and vegetables, while katsu curry is a panko-coated fried chicken cutlet served with curry sauce. 

Can I use bone-in chicken?

You can use bone-in chicken pieces as the curry will be more rich and flavourful because all the sweetness from the bones will go into the curry sauce. But you might want to increase the cooking time if you are using bone-in chicken pieces. Bone-in chicken takes longer to cook than boneless chicken thigh and breast. 

Is Japanese curry spicy? Can you make it spicy?

Japanese curry is a mild flavour curry but the spiceiness can be adjusted to personal preferences. You can make it spicy by adding extra crushed chillies, hot chilli powder or fresh chillies in the curry sauce. Or sprinkle some chilli oil or Japanese shichimi powder over the curry rice bowl for a kick of heat. 

More Fantastic Curry Recipes:

  • Thai Red Curry Chicken (Superfast restaurant-style Red Curry with store-bought paste)
  • Chinese Chicken Curry (Must try Chinese curry)
  • Chinese Beef Curry (UK Favourite Chinese Style Beef Curry)
  • Chicken Madras (British-Indian style red curry perfect with naan)
  • Japanese Katsu Curry (Mild curry with panko-coated crispy chicken)
  • Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala (Perfect with basmati rice)
  • Satay Chicken Curry (Grilled chicken in Malaysian-style peanut sauce )

Stay updated on our new recipes

We are on social media Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ( New recipe video every week ) , and Pinterest ( Pin your favourite recipes ). If you've tried this recipe, please share your comment or post on social media and tag me. I would love to see your creations and feedback.

📖 Recipe

Chicken curry with potatoes, carrots, and brown curry sauce with rice on the side, in a white serving bowl.

Japanese chicken curry

A quick and simple Japanese chicken curry recipe with bags of flavor. This delicious Japanese curry made with simple and pantry-friendly ingredients and perfect for family dinner.
5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: japanese cuisine
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Khin

Ingredients

  • 400 grams Chicken breast Boneless chicken thigh or breast, ( About 0.88lbs ), cut bite size cubes
  • 1-2 Potato Cut medium-size chunks
  • 1-2 Carrot  Cut medium-size chunks
  • 1 tsp Grated ginger Or ginger paste
  • 1 Onion Large onion, cut thin slices
  • 5-6 tbsp All purpose flour Plain flour
  • 2-3 tbsp Butter Unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp Curry powder Japanese curry powder or Indian curry powder
  • 1 tsp Chilli powder Or Paprika powder
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt 
  • ½ tsp Black pepper
  • 1 Chicken bouillon Chicken stock cube or powder ( about 5 grams)
  • 1 litre Water About 4 cups
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken into bite-size cubes. Cut the potato and carrot into medium chunks.
  • Heat the heavy bottom pot or pan over medium heat. Add butter and once the butter is melted, add the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and slightly brown.
  • Then add the chicken pieces, grated ginger, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Next, add the potatoes and carrots. Follow by the the curry powder, chilli powder, salt, sugar, and black pepper.
  • Then add the plain flour and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Add water and chicken bouillon. Stir everything well.
  • Close the lid and simmer with low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables are tender. ( Stir occasionally and add more water if needed. )
  • Make a taste test and adjust salt to taste. Serve with steamed Japanese rice or jasmine rice.

Notes

  • What type of curry powder to use? You can use Japanese brand curry powder like S&B curry powder or Indian curry powder like Madras curry powder.
  • Curry powder includes turmeric in it and is yellowish-brown in colour. It's a blend of Indian spices; cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon, mustard seeds, etc. 
  • Can I use garam masala instead of curry powder? If you are adding 2 tbsp garam masala, add 1 tsp of turmeric powder for 4 servings recipe. 
  • You can adjust the serving size by tapping and sliding the potion size on this recipe card. 

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1072mg | Potassium: 751mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2932IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @KhinsKitchen or tag #KhinsKitchen!
« Vegan Japchae ( Korean Glass Noodles Stir-Fry )
Korean spicy beef »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jazz says

    July 19, 2022 at 12:05 am

    Hi khin. I'm wanting to make this for tonight. But want to triple the recipe. Does that mean I triple everything like the amount of oil,butter,sugar,salt& flour as well? Thank you

    Reply
    • Khin says

      July 23, 2022 at 11:14 pm

      Hi Jazz, you can triple all of the ingredients. Hope you enjoy this recipe.

      Reply
  2. Mary Hoyt says

    April 06, 2022 at 10:33 pm

    5 stars
    I made this for dinner tonight. It was very easy to make and tasted good. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Khin says

      April 08, 2022 at 9:19 pm

      You are most welcome Mary 😊. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

      Reply
  3. Jennifer Kim says

    January 21, 2022 at 2:42 am

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe using a vegan Japanese curry powder I bought on Amazon. This recipe was so good! We already had breaded plant-based chicken so we used that instead of the tofu one in this recipe. Everyone in the family was able to eat it since it wasn't spicy like other vegan curry recipes I've tried. Thank you so much for this recipe! This will be added to our biweekly menu plan!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      January 21, 2022 at 11:56 am

      Thank you so much for sharing Jennifer. I am really happy that you enjoyed it. Happy cooking 🙂

      Reply
  4. Barry says

    January 16, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    5 stars
    I usually use S & B Golden Curry for my Japanese curry stew, but I was out when I got a craving for curry this morning. Khin's recipe was the only one I could find that I could make with the ingredients I had on hand. It was almost as simple as using the store-bought S & B, and every bit as yummy! Thanks so much for sharing, Khin! I'm going to have to check out some of your other recipes now! 🙂

    Reply
    • Khin says

      January 16, 2022 at 11:43 pm

      So glad that you enjoyed this curry recipe, Barry! Thank you so much for trying out and sharing lovely feedback.

      Reply
  5. Deena says

    October 23, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    My family enjoyed this curry sauce better than the packaged blocks!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      October 25, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      So pleased that you enjoyed this recipe, Deena. Thank you so much for taking time and sharing lovely feedback.

      Reply
  6. suzanne says

    April 20, 2021 at 5:12 am

    5 stars
    This was fast and excellent. It came together much quicker then some of the other curry styles I've tried. Thank you!

    Reply
5 from 16 votes (12 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar


Image of Khinskitchen

Hi, I'm Khin! This blog is all about my family home cooking recipes. I want to share how to make delicious meals from simplest method with step-by-step cooking videos.

More about me →

Popular Posts

  • Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style
  • A white bowl containing pasta and chicken with tomatoes sauce and sprinkle with cheese and parsley.
    Spicy Chicken Pasta
  • crispy salt and chilli chicken
    Crispy Salt and Chilli Chicken
  • A white bowl containing stir fried noodles, stir fried vegetables and king prawns on the white tea towel.
    King Prawn Chow Mein
  • crispy shredded chicken
    Crispy Shredded Chicken
  • sweet chilli beef
    Crispy Chilli Beef (with Sweet Chilli)

Asian Take-out

  • a plate full of chinese chicken curry and white rice with wooden spoon at the side.
    Chinese Chicken Curry
  • crispy shredded beef
    Crispy Shredded Beef Recipe
  • A plate filled with salt and pepper chips with small bowl of crushed chilli and spring onions to garnish.
    Chinese Salt and Pepper Chips
  • Salt and pepper chicken
    Salt and Pepper Chicken
  • A white bowl containing, Chinese fried rice with eggs, Char siu, prawns, peas, carrots, spring onions.
    Special Fried Rice
  • A white bowl containing, crispy coated chicken with dried chillies and spring onions.
    Mongolian Chicken
  • A grey plate containing spicy fried chips topped with sliced chilli and coriander.
    Masala Chips
  • A white plate containing, spicy fried chicken strips, topped with spring onion and sliced chillies.
    Crispy Honey Chilli Chicken

Recent Recipes

  • A white plate containing Chinese-style whole steamed fish with ginger, chilli, and scallions.
    Easy Chinese Steamed Fish
  • spicy chicken stir fry topped with plain rice with wooden cutlery on the side and lime wedges and sesame seeds to garnish at the side.
    Firecracker Chicken
  • A white bowl containing chow mein with chicken.
    Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
  • A clear glass jar containing glossy sweet chilli sauce.
    Sweet Chilli Sauce

Footer

↑ back to top

  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

  • Sign Up! for recipe newsletter

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 TRENDY MEDIA CREATION LTD

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.