Chicken Katsu

Prep Time:

20-30 Minutes

Cook Time:

30 Minutes

Total Time:

1 Hour

Course:

Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine:

Asian, Japanese

Serves:

6 Servings

Dietary Information:

Dairy-free, Meat

About the Recipe

Chicken katsu is an all time favourite. It's simple, easy and delicious and also something that most people tend to love! This dish is served most often with potato salad, rice and miso soup.

Deep fried chicken is always a good choice.

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
Soy sauce
Salt
Pepper
4 tbsp all-purpose flour (no need to measure, just estimate)
2 eggs
175g packet panko (no need to measure, just estimate)
Vegetable oil (about 1/2 a bottle for deep frying)

Equipment

1 large pan (for deep-frying)
1 large bowl
1 medium bowl
2 small bowls
Tongs or long chopsticks
Paper towels (to soak the oil after frying)

Preparation

Step 1

Cut 3 chicken breasts diagonally to about 1/2 an inch thick and place in a small bowl.

Step 2

Add a splash of soy sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper to the chicken. Mix.

Step 3

Prepare a small bowl of all purpose flour, a small bowl of 2 eggs (beaten) and a large bowl of panko.

Tip: only add a small amount of flour and a moderate amount of panko first. Add later if you need more. This is to reduce waste.

Step 4

Dip the marinaded chicken in the flour, brushing off the excess, then dip into the eggs, making sure the chicken is fully covered. Finally, generously dip the chicken in the panko.

Tip: you don't want a lot of flour on your chicken! Just enough to cover it in a thin layer. You do want to make sure your eggs fully cover the chicken just so the panko sticks to it. Otherwise you will get just flour fried chicken!

Step 5

Fill a pan over medium high heat with vegetable oil. The amount of oil must be enough to cover slightly more than half the width of the chicken. Most likely about 1/2 an inch of oil in the pan.

No worries if you realise you've added too little oil. Just add some more if needed.

Note: over time the oil may become too hot and start burning the chicken. Turn the heat down if necessary.

Note: the oil level will go down as you fry the chicken. Add more if needed to prevent the chicken from burning.

Step 6

Wait until the oil is hot enough (if you put a small piece of panko in the oil it should sizzle), then deep fry the chicken pieces until the bottom turns a nice brown colour. Turn the chicken around with your tongs or long chopsticks and do the same on the other side.

Step 7

Place the fried chicken on a plate covered with a paper towel.

The paper towel is to soak up the excess oil.

Step 8

Serve and enjoy!

Katsu goes best with “Tonkatsu sauce”. The most popular brand for it is “Bulldog”.

Meal Prep Factor

Can I keep...

1) the uncooked prepared chicken katsu overnight?

YES! You can keep it covered in the fridge for 12 hours or, if you want to be super prepared, place the uncooked chicken katsu in a ziploc bag and store in the freezer for a maximum of 1 week. Just remove the katsu from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw 12 hours before you plan to cook it. Then follow the steps above to cook.

2) the cooked chicken katsu overnight?

YES! You may keep the chicken katsu in a container for 2-3 days in the fridge. To reheat, either place in the microwave (be aware, the air between the chicken and the crumbs may cause the chicken to 'burst') or re-fry in a pan. You can also keep cooked chicken katsu in a bag in the freezer for about 1 month. Just remove it from the freezer when you plan to eat it and microwave.