
Yields:
2 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Cal/Serv:
1415
Created in Japan but loved worldwide, chicken katsu is a simple breaded and fried chicken cutlet dish, served with the signature sweet katsu sauce. The chicken breasts are pounded thin before being coated in panko and fried, resulting in extra-crispy, golden pieces of chicken that maintain a moist interior. Drizzling the chicken in the simple-to-make, homemade katsu sauce adds a sweet and tangy burst of flavor to every bite; serve alongside simple sides, and you've got a dream comfort food dinner on your hands. Here's everything you need to know:
What is katsu?
A Japanese dish, katsu is a dish of fried and crispy cutlets that are coated with panko, and often served with the signature katsu sauce. While chicken katsu is a very popular example of this dish, there are plenty of other variations (traditional and creative). Some of our favorites? Our tofu katsu curry, shrimp katsu burgers, and Southern fried catfish katsu.
How to make chicken katsu sauce:
While you can buy a bottle of katsu sauce from the grocery store in a pinch, we prefer to make it homemade when we get the chance. All you need are a few staple ingredients to create this staple sauce: ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rice wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard—that's it! The ratio of ingredients we included creates our own perfect katsu sauce, but feel free to experiment with amounts to create your own.
If you have any leftovers or want to make extra (we highly recommend), store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Serving ideas for chicken katsu:
Katsu is traditionally served with white rice and shaved green cabbage, but if you're looking to serve it alongside something more substantial, a side of homemade miso soup, seaweed salad, or Japanese curry would all be great options.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
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Ingredients
For Chicken Katsu
- 2
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup
all-purpose flour
- 2
large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups
panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
For katsu sauce:
- 1/2 cup
ketchup
- 1 1/2 Tbsp.
soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp.
Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp.
rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp.
Dijon mustard
Directions
- Step 1Cut each breast in half, so that there are 4 cutlets. Place one cutlet between two pieces of plastic wrap on a cutting board and gently flatten to a ¼" thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Step 2Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and place in refrigerator. Optional: let chicken chill for 1 hour, uncovered, in refrigerator.
- Step 3Make katsu sauce: in a medium bowl, whisk to combine sauce ingredients.
- Step 4Place flour, eggs, and Panko in three shallow bowls, and whisk eggs thoroughly with 1 tablespoon water. Dredge one cutlet first in flour, then egg, then in Panko. Press Panko onto any spots that are not coated and transfer to a clean plate. Repeat until all cutlets are breaded.
- Step 5Heat 1/4" vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking (350° on an instant-read thermometer) lower 2 cutlets gently into the hot oil, laying them down away from you to avoid splashing. Occasionally gently shake and swirl the pan so hot oil rolls over the top of the cutlets as they fry. Cook until underside is golden, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more. Transfer fried cutlets to a paper-towel lined plate and season immediately with salt. Repeat with remaining cutlets, adding more oil to skillet if necessary.
- Step 6Cut fried cutlets into strips crosswise and serve with katsu sauce.
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