Ultimate Japanese Curry with Chicken | Curry Rice from Scratch
Today we’re making Japanese curry with chicken. From scratch. And, we’ll do it in less than 45 minutes! If you’ve never had Japanese curry before, it’s slightly spicy and slightly sweet with plenty of flavor to satisfy any curry lover. All you need to make this a complete meal is a side of rice!
Japanese Curry Rice (カレーライス)
If you love curry, you may very well also enjoy the katsu curry variation, which pairs crispy fried cutlets with a rich, spiced sauce for a beloved Japanese comfort food.
What to put in the curry?
Classic Japanese curry rice ingredients include: carrots, onions and potatoes. For the meat, you can use whatever you like, but chicken, beef and pork are probably the most common. As for other ingredients, there are many variations you can try—like a tomato curry variation for something a bit different. For more, see our guide on traditional Japanese festival foods.
What to eat with curry?
White rice is the classic accompaniment for curry. However, I sometimes substitute with brown rice. Want more protein? Throw on chicken katsu or tonkatsu (fried cutlets), or consider serving your curry with a side of our umeboshi rice dish for a unique twist. For more, see our guide on celebratory rice dish.
PS Today’s episode (#11) is the season finale, so I’m going to be taking a little break.
Make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel if you haven’t yet, I’ll continue to publish one video each Wednesday!
Print For more, see our guide on traditional rice-based side.
Japanese Curry with Chicken 🐓 | (Curry rice from scratch)
Today we’re making Japanese curry with chicken. From scratch. And, we’ll do it in less than 45 minutes! If you’ve never had Japanese curry before, it’s slightly spicy and slightly sweet with plenty of flavor to satisfy any curry lover. All you need to make this a complete meal is a side of rice!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Scale
curry ingredients
- 1 large Onion (chopped)
- 3–4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp garlic
- 1 Tbsp Ginger
- 3–4 pieces chicken thighs (1lb roughly)
- 1.25 cups potatoes chopped
- 2 whole carrots (peeled, sliced 1/4 thick)
- 1 Tbsp sugar ((optional))
- 6 cups water
- 2 whole tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 tsp chicken broth powder/bouillon (i use better than bouillon)
- 2 bay leaves
curry roux
- 6 Tbsps flour
- 6 Tbsps butter
- 5 Tbsps curry powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black or white pepper (to taste)
- fukujinzuke (for serving)
- green onions (for serving)
- rakkyo (for serving)
Instructions
For the curry base
- Chop all vegetables and grate the garlic and ginger. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
- Heat 3-4 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven and sauté the onion. When the onion turns translucent, add the ginger and garlic and cook for 10 seconds before adding in the chicken. Cook chicken and allow to brown slightly.
- Meanwhile, microwave potatoes and carrots 4-6 minutes until cooked through (easily pierce with a chopstick).
- Add sugar, water, tomatoes, cooked potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves to the pot and bring to a simmer.
For the roux
- Using a small-medium pan on medium heat, add the butter and melt.
- After butter has melted, add flour and cook until the flour has turned a light brown. Stir and adjust flame to avoid burning.
- After the color has changed (dark tan), add in curry powder and stir for a few seconds and turn off heat.
- Take a few ladles of hot liquid from the pot and add to the pan to dissolve the roux.
Assembly
- Add the roux to the pot and mix to dissolve completely. Taste and add salt and fresh cracked pepper or white pepper to taste.
- Simmer for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve with fukujinzuke, rakkyo and or chopped green onions.
