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Japanese Chicken Curry Rice

Name: Japanese Chicken Curry Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 450 g chicken thigh, cubed; 1 onion, sliced; 2 carrots, chunks; 2 potatoes, chunks; 1 tbsp oil; 1 tbsp flour; 2 tbsp curry powder; 600 ml stock; 1 tbsp honey; 1 apple, grated; Curry roux block; Steamed rice

A roux block is the secret to the glossy, mild Japanese curry; stir it in off the heat so it thickens without catching..

By Dana Reyes

Published 23 Sep 2026 · Tested 2 times · 0 comments

Japanese Chicken Curry Rice — Spoon it over rice with the sauce pooled at the edge of the plate.

15 min

Prep time

30 min

Cook time

Serves

4.7

NEW

The comfort curry every home cook grows up on

A roux block is the secret to the glossy, mild Japanese curry; stir it in off the heat so it thickens without catching.

Grate an apple or a little honey into the base for the signature sweetness that sets it apart from Indian curry.

We tested thigh and breast. Thigh stays juicier through the simmer, so that is the call.

Instructions

About 45 min from start to finish

Brown the chicken; set aside. Soften the onion, then add carrot and potato.

Stir in the flour and curry powder 1 minute; add stock, honey and apple.

Return the chicken and simmer 20 minutes until the veg is tender.

Off the heat, stir in the roux block until glossy.

Serve over rice.

Testing notes & substitutions

Three rounds of testing turned up three things worth knowing before you start cooking.

No roux block

Extra curry powder and a knob of butter thickens it, just less silky.

More veg

Add green beans or peas at the end for colour.

Questions we get a lot

Prep ahead?

The base freezes; add the roux after reheating.

Too sweet?

Ease the honey and apple; the curry should be savoury-first.

Dana Reyes

Dana has cooked professionally for eleven years and has been testing recipes for Hearth & Thyme since 2019. She writes about weeknight cooking, slow breads, and the small techniques that quietly change a dish. Every recipe she publishes is cooked at least twice, in an ordinary home oven.