Just like my teriyaki steak sushi burger, these chicken katsu sushi burgers are a creative and incredibly delicious marriage of two distinct Japanese dishes! As you guys may have noticed, we’ve been eating our fair share of sushi at home these days. Sushi rolls of course, and then sushi rice bowls, and most of all these fantastic Sushi Burgers! I have previously shared my Teriyaki Steak Sushi Burger recipe on this blog before (I updated some of those pictures the other day too), and today I’m sharing the chicken version, Chicken Katsu Sushi Burger!
What is chicken katsu?
Originating from Japan, it’s deep fried, flattened and breaded (usually panko) chicken cutlets, usually made with chicken thighs. So it’s Japanese-style fried chicken, and it’s served with Tonkatsu sauce, which is a sweet and spicy fruit-based sauce that you can easily find in Asian stores. You can also check out my recipe for shrimp katsu here. And let me also say that this recipe is inspired by the Japanese chicken katsu. I’ve put my own spin on it, so it’s not the authentic Japanese dish. And besides I’m using a homemade cheats tonkatsu sauce. The idea was to marry two popular Japanese dishes in a unique and inventive way and of course have something amazing come out of it! 🙂 The first time I had chicken katsu was in New Zealand. There used to be a small Japanese restaurant in the Christchurch square, tucked away in a small alley. It was an open, cafe-like setting with just a few chairs, and the chef made everything on a grill, out in the open for everyone to see. I had a selection of Japanese dishes that I loved eating from there, like Okonomiyaki, Katsu (typically it’s pork katsu, but you can also get chicken katsu like the one I’ve made here), Katsudon (or in my case Oyakodon), Yakitori, Karaage and so much more! Katsudon is a pork cutlet with rice, but when served with chicken instead, it’s called Oyakodon, and it was and still is one of my absolute favorites! It’s chicken katsu, cooked with stock, spring onions and an egg, served over rice. What’s not to love? Being a huge anime fan, I’ve seen Katsudon make an appearance on these shows! Recently I was watching “The Devil is a part-timer” (thank you Netflix), where Katsudon is a recurring theme and I couldn’t figure out the significance of it and why it was always showing up in police stations while the cops were interrogating suspects. And then I found out that “Katsu” means victory and it’s a way of wishing or hoping for good luck or victory for kids – and mothers would make katsu for their kids on special occasions or just before an exam. And as for the cops, apparently offering a bowl of katsudon to their suspects, makes them feel nostalgic and breaks their resistance and makes them fess up. 🙂 Who knew!
How to make chicken katsu sushi burger
So it’s my own memories of Chicken Kastu and the amazing flavors of Oyakodon (Katsudon) that inspired this Chicken Katsu Sushi Burger! These are breaded and fried chicken breast cutlets (you can use thighs as well), topped with a slightly spicy tomato ketchup (it’s a rough, cheats version of the original Tonkatsu), an insanely delicious spring onion omelet (seriously, you guys should try it just on it’s own if you can!), all encased in seasoned sushi rice “buns”. Can’t imagine how chicken and sushi could be more flavorful than this together. I know I went into detail about how to make sushi rice buns in my Teriyaki Steak Sushi Burger, but I’ll go through it quickly so you don’t have to click through – unless you want to, I do HIGHLY recommend it! 🙂 You can either use ring molds to create the rice buns (I used egg rings), or just use your hands. I have used both methods, and prefer using the mold. Whichever technique you use, make sure that the surfaces are wet – this will ensure that the sushi rice will not stick to the rings or your hands.
Recipe variations
Instead of chicken breast, use flattened, boneless chicken thigh pieces. Or flattened pork cutlet (which is the traditional katsudon). I made the omelet in the same egg rings that I used to make sushi burgers. Alternatively, you can make a thinner omelet and fold it up to the size you want. Tonkatsu sauce should be available in your local Asian grocery store, so use that if you can get your hands on it. My recipe here tastes similar to tonkatsu, but the base is not fruity (although you could argue that tomato is technically a fruit 🙂 ). I spiced it up a little with some crushed chilli (red pepper) flakes for that extra kick. If you don’t feel like making this Chicken Katsu Sushi burger (or any sushi burger) – that’s OK! I made this same meal as a sushi bowl for my husband to take to work the very next day (see these teriyaki shrimp rice bowls, lemongrass chicken rice bowls, and even these tuna poke bowls for inspiration). Check out my archive of East Asian recipes for more ideas. Just layer the rice at the bottom and top it with a juicy omelet and Chicken Katsu cooked together. He made sure that I added some cheats Tonkatsu and Furikake too!
Recipe notes
Here I show you how to make sushi rice buns, and tips to make sure you get perfect sushi buns, like using wet utensils, and an egg ring mold. Also, egg ring molds are not only for eggs! You can use them to form rice buns, and even omelets and gluten free crumpets. I also share some info here about a few distinct Japanese recipes – Katsu, Katsudon, Oyakodon and of course Sushi. If you don’t feel like making the Sushi rice buns – no worries! You can EASILY transform this into a sushi rice bowl instead! Want to make mini sushi burgers as starter recipes or for tapas style parties? Use a smaller ring mold, or just make sushi rice balls and gently flatten them!
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