Gordon Ramsay’s katsu curry recipe is panko-breaded chicken fried until golden, sliced over rice, and drowned in a smooth curry sauce made from onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and chicken stock blended until silky. There is no official katsu recipe from Ramsay, but this follows his breading method and the classic Japanese-British katsu sauce that Wagamama made famous.
I spent years buying jar katsu sauce because I assumed the homemade version needed specialist ingredients, and now it is one of the most requested from my curry recipes. When I finally saw it was just onions, a carrot, curry powder, and stock, I was annoyed at myself for wasting money on jars that taste nothing like the real thing.
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What Is Katsu Curry?
Katsu is a Japanese word for cutlet. The curry part is a smooth, mild, slightly sweet sauce that originated in Japan but became a British takeaway favourite thanks to chains like Wagamama and Itsu.
The sauce has more in common with gravy than Indian curry. It is thick, smooth, and mild, which is why it works so well poured over crispy fried chicken without making the coating soggy.
Katsu Curry Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp medium curry powder
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 400ml (1.75 cups) chicken stock
- 100ml (0.4 cups) coconut milk
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- Sea salt, to taste
Chicken Katsu Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 100g (3.5 oz) panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Steamed rice, to serve
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Katsu Curry
- Start the Sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, cook for 8-10 minutes until soft and starting to colour.
- Add Aromatics and Spices: Add the garlic and ginger, stir for 1 minute. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and flour, stir for another 2 minutes until the flour is cooked out.
- Add Liquid: Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and honey. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Blend Smooth: Pour the sauce through a sieve into a clean pan, pressing the solids through with the back of a spoon. Or blend with a stick blender until completely smooth. Keep warm.
- Prepare the Chicken: Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 thin fillets. Place between cling film (plastic wrap) and bash flat with a rolling pin to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bread the Chicken: Set up three dishes: flour, beaten egg, panko breadcrumbs. Dip each fillet in flour, then egg, then press firmly into the panko until fully coated.
- Fry the Katsu: Heat 2cm of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.
- Serve: Slice the katsu into strips. Place on a bed of steamed rice and pour the warm curry sauce alongside or over the top.
How to Make Katsu Curry Sauce From Scratch
The sauce is the easy part: cook onion and carrot until soft, add curry powder and flour, pour in stock and coconut milk, simmer 20 minutes, then sieve it smooth. That is genuinely all there is to it.
The sieving step is what gives the sauce that Wagamama texture, glossy and pourable, not chunky. I skipped it once and the sauce was fine but it looked like regular curry, not katsu.
Can You Bake Katsu Instead of Frying?
Yes. Spray the breaded chicken with oil and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, though the coating will not be as crispy as fried.
I bake it when I cannot be bothered with the frying pan cleanup. It is about 80% as good, which is enough for a Wednesday night.
What to Serve With Katsu Curry
Steamed white rice and a shredded cabbage salad with sesame dressing. That is the classic pairing and it does not need anything else.
If you want to make it a bigger meal, a chicken biryani uses similar flavours from a completely different angle. A vegetable curry works as a lighter side.
Keeping Katsu Curry
The sauce keeps in the fridge for 4 days and freezes for a month. Make a big batch and freeze in portions for quick midweek katsu nights.
The fried chicken does not store well because the panko goes soft. Fry it fresh each time and just reheat the sauce.
FAQs
- Is this an official Gordon Ramsay recipe? No. I could not find a published katsu curry from Ramsay. The breading follows his standard method for fried chicken, and the sauce is the traditional Japanese-British katsu sauce used in restaurants like Wagamama.
- Can I use pork instead of chicken? Yes. Use boneless pork loin, bashed thin. Pork katsu is actually more traditional in Japan than chicken. Fry for the same time.
- Why do I need to sieve the sauce? Sieving removes the onion and carrot lumps, giving you that smooth, glossy texture that makes katsu sauce look and feel different from regular curry. A stick blender works too.
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Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Total Fat: 22g
- Protein: 36g
- Total Carbohydrate: 35g
Gordon Ramsay Katsu Curry Recipe
4
servings15
minutes35
minutes50
minutesGordon Ramsay’s katsu curry recipe is panko-breaded chicken fried until golden, sliced over rice, and drowned in a smooth curry sauce made from onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and chicken stock blended until silky. There is no official katsu recipe from Ramsay, but this follows his breading method and the classic Japanese-British katsu sauce that Wagamama made famous.
I spent years buying jar katsu sauce because I assumed the real thing needed specialist ingredients. When I finally looked at what goes into it, onions, a carrot, curry powder, and stock, I was genuinely annoyed at myself for wasting money. The homemade sauce takes 20 minutes and tastes like a completely different thing to the jar.
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp medium curry powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
400ml (1.75 cups) chicken stock
100ml (0.4 cups) coconut milk
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
Sea salt, to taste
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 eggs, beaten
100g (3.5 oz) panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Steamed rice, to serve
Directions
- Start the Sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, cook for 8-10 minutes until soft and starting to colour.
- Add Aromatics and Spices: Add the garlic and ginger, stir for 1 minute. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and flour, stir for another 2 minutes until the flour is cooked out.
- Add Liquid: Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and honey. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Blend Smooth: Pour the sauce through a sieve into a clean pan, pressing the solids through with the back of a spoon. Or blend with a stick blender until completely smooth. Keep warm.
- Prepare the Chicken: Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 thin fillets. Place between cling film (plastic wrap) and bash flat with a rolling pin to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bread the Chicken: Set up three dishes: flour, beaten egg, panko breadcrumbs. Dip each fillet in flour, then egg, then press firmly into the panko until fully coated.
- Fry the Katsu: Heat 2cm of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.
- Serve: Slice the katsu into strips. Place on a bed of steamed rice and pour the warm curry sauce alongside or over the top.
