How to Make Japanese Chicken Curry
Master rich Japanese chicken curry featuring tender chicken thighs, caramelized onions, and chunky root vegetables simmered in a savory, aromatic gravy over rice.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Chef's knife
- ✓ Cutting board
- ✓ Large Dutch oven or heavy pot
- ✓ Wooden spoon
- ✓ Soup ladle
- ✓ Vegetable peeler
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1.5-inch pieces)
- ✓ 1 package (7.8 oz) Japanese curry roux blocks
- ✓ 2 large yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- ✓ 2 medium carrots (cut into rangiri rolling chunks)
- ✓ 2 medium russet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1.5-inch cubes)
- ✓ 3.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
- ✓ 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Use dedicated cutting boards and knives for raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination.
- • Turn the stove heat completely off before adding curry roux blocks to prevent hot splattering and bottom scorching.
- • Ensure chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Prep Aromatics, Meat, and Root Vegetables
Peel the onions, carrots, and potatoes. Slice the onions thinly from root to tip, cut the carrots using the rolling rangiri technique into angled chunks, and cut the potatoes into uniform 1.5-inch cubes, soaking them briefly in cold water to remove excess surface starch. Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and slice into bite-sized 1.5-inch pieces, patting dry with paper towels.
- • Carrots and potatoes are uniform in size to ensure even cooking.
- • Diced chicken pieces are patted dry and free of surface moisture.
- • Cutting potatoes too small, which causes them to disintegrate completely during simmering.
Caramelize the Onions
Place a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pot over medium heat and add one tablespoon of neutral cooking oil. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes until they soften significantly and turn a deep golden-brown. If the onions begin to stick or burn, add a tablespoon of water to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
- • Onions reduce down significantly in volume and develop a rich amber-brown hue.
- • Sweet, caramelized aroma emerges without blackened edges.
- • Rushing the heat to high, which chars the onions rather than developing deep caramelized sweetness.
Brown the Chicken
Push the caramelized onions to the outer perimeter of the pot and add the chicken thigh pieces directly to the hot center. Sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until a light golden crust forms, then flip and brown the other side for another 2 minutes. Stir the chicken together with the caramelized onions to combine the rendered flavors.
- • Chicken exterior turns opaque with light golden-brown searing on both sides.
- • Meat releases browned fond onto the bottom of the pot.
- • Overcrowding and stirring constantly, which causes the chicken to steam instead of sear.
Simmer the Vegetables and Broth
Add the prepared carrot chunks and drained potato cubes to the pot, stirring to coat with the pan juices for 1 minute. Pour in 3.5 cups of broth or water, bringing the liquid to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Skim off any excess scum or foam from the surface using a ladle, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- • Carrots and potatoes can be easily pierced through the center with a fork.
- • Broth is clear of cloudy foam after skimming.
- • Boiling vigorously instead of simmering gently, which breaks apart tender potato chunks.
Dissolve the Curry Roux Blocks
Turn the stove heat completely off to stop the simmering liquid from bubbling. Place the curry roux blocks directly into a soup ladle, submerge the ladle partially into the hot broth, and use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to stir and dissolve the roux within the ladle before dispersing it into the pot. Repeat until all roux blocks are fully liquefied and integrated without any solid lumps.
- • No solid chunks or clumps of roux remain on the bottom of the pot or ladle.
- • Liquid transforms into a uniform, smooth, dark spiced broth.
- • Dropping whole roux blocks directly into boiling liquid, which leaves stubborn, un-dissolved flour clumps.
Thicken and Rest the Curry
Turn the heat back on to low and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring gently and scraping the bottom of the pot constantly to prevent scorching. Once the sauce thickens into a glossy, velvety consistency, remove the pot from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving over hot steamed short-grain rice.
- • Gravy coats the back of a spoon thickly and runs off slowly.
- • The curry surface turns glossy with visible steam rising gently.
- • Leaving the thickened curry unattended on heat, causing the flour in the roux to burn on the pot floor.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Mykoreandic — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Japanese curry roux blocks (S&B/Golden Curry)? Equal parts butter and flour browned into a roux with curry powder and garam masala
- No Dutch oven? Any heavy-bottomed stockpot or deep stainless steel sauté pan
- No Dashi broth? Low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable stock, or plain water