Crunchy perfectly fried chicken with a traditional style Tonkatsu sauce, this Japanese dish is sure to be a hit with the whole family!
The ingredients themselves are pretty basic, it’s the execution that makes this meal such a hit. It’s not too hard, just follow the steps closely and don’t skip any ingredients. Look at that crunch!
Asian, Italian, and Mexican food are on a constant rotation in our house and if someone ever made me pick one, I really don’t think I could! My husband is of Japanese / Hawaiian decent on his father’s side and if he had his way, we would eat chicken and rice 5 times a week or more. He is regularly bringing home leftover take out from Chinese and Japanese restaurants from his lunch meetings and I swear our fridge looks like the walk in at Chinese restaurant ha-ha.
Anyway, you get my point. We are fans. So, when creating this I wanted to really keep it simple. Focus on getting the fillet size perfect so when it cooks, I can achieve the perfect even golden-brown crust with juicy tender inside. By cutting the breast in half lengthwise and then using a meat mallet to even out the thickness to about 1/2-inch thickness, we get the perfect frying size.
TIP* A common mistake made when frying chicken is to lay them on paper towels from the pan to soak up the oil. By doing this you are going to ruin the perfect crunch and create a steamed soggy mess. After the chicken is ready to be pulled from the pan have a wire cooking rack sitting on parchment paper. This way the oil can drip down while cooling evenly and perfectly! Trust me on this.
Here are some sides I like to serve with this dish. Or some simple jasmine rice is always a good idea.
Green salad with soy-chile dressing
Ok lets get started!
Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 cups panko breading
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 green onions, sliced
Tonkatsu sauce
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 5 tsp worschshire sauce
- 3 tsp oyster or fish sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Cut breasts in half lengthwise. Now between parchment paper or plastic wrap beat those boobies with meat mallet (flat side) The goal is to achieve a even and consistent thickness so try not to break open the skin. Smack those suckers down to about 1/2 inch thick.Lay the breasts out on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Next step is in 3 shallow dredging bowls, fill one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with the panko breadcrumbs
- Dip each breast in the flour and coat both sides, shake off excess.Now dip into the egg and coat both sides.Lastly into the panko breadcrumbs and press down to be sure they adhere to the breasts. Flip and repeat.
- Wrap with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 20 minutes or until ready to cook.
- Fill a cast iron or large skillet with about 3 inches of oil and set to medium heat.
- Carefully place as many breasts as you can fit into the oil and let them begin to cook. Do not flip until a good golden brown crust has formed on one side. Repeat flipping until cooked through and golden. Thermometer should read 165°
- Rest on a wire rack and cook the remaining pieces.
- In a small bowl whisk together the ketchup, worcestershire , oyster sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
- After all the chicken is cooked, slice against the grain, plate and pour the sauce on top.
- I like to garnish with sliced green onions, serve with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried noodles.
- ENJOY!
