Japanese Chicken Curry (Pan Method – Upgraded)
- Servings
- 2
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
🧾 Ingredients
- 300g chicken chunks
- 1–2 onions (sliced)
- 2 potatoes (chunks)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- small piece ginger (minced)
- ~50g Japanese curry roux (~2 blocks of Golden Curry, quarter of a 198g pack)
- 1 tbsp oil
- ~500 ml water (adjust as needed)
- 1–2 tsp soy sauce
Optional (recommended):
- 1 carrot (chunks)
- 1 tsp butter (finish)
- 1–2 tbsp grated apple OR 1 tsp sugar/honey
- A handful of cabbage (roughly chopped, added in last 5 min of simmer)
🍚 Rice
Cook rice separately in rice cooker.
🔥 Instructions
1. Brown chicken
- Heat oil in pan on high flame
- Add chicken chunks, brown quickly on all sides (don’t cook through)
- Remove chicken and set aside
2. Caramelize onions (key step)
- Lower heat to medium-low
- Add onions
- Cook 15–20 minutes
- Stir occasionally until golden/light brown
3. Add aromatics
- Add garlic + ginger
- Cook ~30 seconds
4. Add vegetables + chicken
- Add potatoes (+ carrot if using)
- Return chicken to pan
- Stir 1–2 minutes
5. Simmer
- Add water (just enough to barely cover)
- Bring to boil, then lower heat
- Simmer 20–25 min until potatoes are soft and partially breaking down (this helps thicken the curry)
6. Add curry roux
- Turn heat low or off
- Break in curry blocks
- Stir until fully dissolved
7. Final simmer
- Simmer gently 5–10 min until thick
- Stir occasionally
8. Finish
- Add soy sauce
- Add grated apple OR small sugar (balance)
- Add butter (optional but recommended)
9. Rest (important)
- Turn off heat
- Let sit 10–15 minutes
🍽️ Serve
- Rice on plate
- Curry on the side or on top
⚠️ Key Tips
- Proper onion browning = depth
- Light chicken browning = flavor
- Don’t add too much water
- Add curry roux after simmering (not before)
- Resting improves taste and thickness
👍 Result
- Thick, glossy curry
- Balanced sweet/savory flavor
- Restaurant-style depth