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.
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
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
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.
- Cut the chicken into medium pieces. Cut potato and carrot into medium-sized cubes.
- Heat the pan and add butter and oil, then add the chopped onions and saute until the onions are softened and slightly brown.
- Follow with the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes until the chicken colour changes. Then add the grated ginger and stir well.
- Next, add the potatoes and carrots, then add the curry powder, chilli powder, salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Follow with the plain flour, stir and cook until the flour colour turns brown.
- Add water and chicken bouillon, and stir well.
- Close the lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes stir occasionally until the vegetables are tender. ( Add a bit more water if needed. )
- Make a taste test and adjust the salt to taste.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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
Japanese chicken curry
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
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.
Jazz says
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
Khin says
Hi Jazz, you can triple all of the ingredients. Hope you enjoy this recipe.
Mary Hoyt says
I made this for dinner tonight. It was very easy to make and tasted good. Thanks for the recipe.
Khin says
You are most welcome Mary 😊. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Jennifer Kim says
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!
Khin says
Thank you so much for sharing Jennifer. I am really happy that you enjoyed it. Happy cooking 🙂
Barry says
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! 🙂
Khin says
So glad that you enjoyed this curry recipe, Barry! Thank you so much for trying out and sharing lovely feedback.
Deena says
My family enjoyed this curry sauce better than the packaged blocks!
Khin says
So pleased that you enjoyed this recipe, Deena. Thank you so much for taking time and sharing lovely feedback.
suzanne says
This was fast and excellent. It came together much quicker then some of the other curry styles I've tried. Thank you!