Chicken Katsu

Chicken katsu is a wonderful Japanese panko fried chicken cutlet. These extra crispy chicken pieces are a family favorite, plus they freeze and reheat well. Serve them like chicken tenders, with rice or make a delicious chicken katsu sandwich.

I love introducing new foods to my kids. Sometimes it’s a bit of the exotic and sometimes it’s a little familiar. When they were little, it was challenging to get them to try new foods.

But now that they are young adults, I’m thrilled to see them so adventurous and open to new flavors and cultures on their dinner plate. As Middle Child explained, now that he has to cook for himself he can’t afford to be picky!

With everything I have cooked for them, they do have favorite meals. And this chicken katsu is seriously one of the top requested recipes I make.

Why this recipe is so awesome

I have been making this version of chicken katsu for almost 10 years now. When I first prepared it, my kids were little and called this dish “Japanese chicken tenders.” Well, I admit that is how I described it to them and it stuck.

Traditionally, chicken cutlets (or chicken katsu) is prepared by slicing the chicken breast in half and pounding it thin. I do this for my pork Milanese. But I have found a better and easier way to make your own chicken cutlets.

By slicing the chicken breasts on an angle (a technique known as sogigiri), you are creating a larger surface area and exposing more of the chicken fibers. As you bread the cutlets with the flour-egg-panko combination, you will press the panko into the chicken, spreading the chicken fibers and making it more thin and flat.

The result? Smaller yet thin and tender cutlets. And you don’t need special equipment or pounding your chicken until flat and even.

My family enjoys this dish like American style chicken tenders and dip their bites into ketchup or ranch dressing. I prefer using a spicy mayo. You can also go traditional and serve it with store-bought or homemade Tonkatsu sauce.

This dish is truly a family favorite and it reheats very well. Usually leftover breaded chicken cutlets tend to have the breading slide off the chicken. But because I cut the chicken at an angle, the flour-egg-panko mix has more hooks in the chicken fibers to adhere to.

What does this mean? The breading does NOT fall off.

And an even better benefit? The chicken breast remains tender and moist.

Ingredients needed

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• Boneless chicken breast: This dish uses any size boneless chicken breast. If you use tenders, you can skip the slicing. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but they tend to have more fat.
• All purpose flour: Flour is used to make the glue in the breading for your chicken. Regular flour works just fine.
• Egg: This is the glue to help the panko crumbs stick.
• Panko bread crumbs: Panko crumbs are Japanese bread crumbs and are more coarse and larger than regular bread crumbs. You can find them as plain or seasoned and can use either versions.
• Oil: Oil is used to pan fry the chicken cutlets. You can use canola or any other vegetable oil. You can also use extra virgin olive oil. Yes you can fry with olive oil.
• Salt and pepper: The only seasoning used on the chicken is simple salt and pepper.

Tools to Use

• Chef’s Knife
• Cutting board
• Mixing bowls

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Step-by-step directions

1. Using a sharp chefs knife, trim off excess fat from chicken. Starting at one end of the breast, begin cutting slices at a 45-degree angle. Depending on the size of the breast, you will be able to cut 4-7 small cutlets.

2. Once all the chicken breasts are sliced, season both sides with salt and pepper.

3. You will need 3 shallow bowls. One will hold the flour, one will hold the eggs (whisked) and the third will hold the panko crumbs.

3. With each chicken cutlet, start by coating completely with flour. Then dip the chicken in the egg. Finish by pressing the chicken piece into the panko crumbs.

Be sure to press the panko firmly into both sides of the chicken cutlet. You will see that as you press, the chicken will spread and even out in thickness. Use a fork to transfer the pieces from bowl to bowl. This keeps you from developing fat flour finger tips as you work.

4. Place the breaded chicken on a large baking sheet. Continue breading the remainder pieces of chicken until they are all done.

As you can see below, the chicken pieces spread out considerable once breaded.

5. Add oil to a large frying pan and warm over medium heat, about 350F. You know the oil is hot enough when you add a few panko crumbs to the oil and it bubbles and browns.

Add 3-4 chicken cutlets to the hot oil, making sure you do not crowd the pan. The oil should go up the sides of the chicken and may not completely cover it. This is fine. You could deep fry your cutlets, but it is not necessary.

After a few minutes, you will notice the sides started to turn golden. At this time flip the chicken over and brown the other side. Because the cutlets are thin, they do not require long frying times. The chicken is cooked through when the crust is golden on both sides.

6. Continue frying the chicken cutlets until they are done. Add more oil as needed. Once done, place the fried chicken cutlets on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet for the oil to drain.

If you are preparing a large batch of chicken katsu, you will need to clean the oil so the breadcrumbs don’t burn and turn your oil dark. I usually stop cooking and then pour the hot oil thru a fine sieve to remove the browned bits of bread crumbs.

You can now transfer the oil back to the pan, adding more if needed, and finish frying the chicken.

Expert tips and FAQs

When I make this chicken katsu for my family, I am usually making extra large quantities. Like 3 to 5 pounds of chicken! My kids fight over the leftovers and they get eaten quickly.

When I am frying up the cutlets, I keep the chicken warm by transferring them to another large baking sheet and storing them in a warm oven. The chicken stays crunchy and warm for when you are ready to serve.

Because the chicken and crust are crispy and sticks to the cutlet, you can make this earlier in the day or even up to one day before serving. You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

You could reheat the katsu chicken in the microwave, but to keep the cutlet crunchy, I recommend reheating in a toaster oven or conventional oven. You can use the toast function or bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

There are a number of different ways to serve your crispy chicken. As I explained before, my kids enjoy it like American chicken tenders and dip it in ketchup or ranch dressing. I like dipping it in spicy mayo.

You can also go traditional and serve it with some Tonkatsu sauce, sticky rice, coleslaw and Furikake seasoning. Or make a chicken katsu sandwich using your favorite bread.

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Yield: serves 4

Chicken Katsu

Print

Chicken katsu is a wonderful Japanese panko fried chicken cutlet. These extra crispy chicken pieces are a family favorite, plus they freeze and reheat well. Serve them like chicken tenders, with rice or make a delicious chicken katsu sandwich.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2-3 large eggs
• 7 oz (3 cups) panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Oil for frying (about 1-2 cups)

Instructions

1. Using a sharp chefs knife, trim off excess fat from chicken. Starting at one end of the breast, begin cutting slices at a 45-degree angle. Depending on the size of the breast, you will be able to cut 4-7 small cutlets.
2. Once all the chicken breasts are sliced, season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. You will need 3 shallow bowls. One will hold the flour, one will hold the eggs (whisked) and the third will hold the panko crumbs.
4. With each chicken cutlet, start by coating completely with flour. Then dip the chicken in the egg. Finish by pressing the chicken piece into the panko crumbs. Be sure to press the panko firmly into both sides of the chicken cutlet. You will see that as you press, the chicken will spread and even out in thickness.
5. Place the breaded chicken on a large baking sheet. Continue breading the remainder pieces of chicken until they are all done.
6. Add ½ to 1-inch of oil to a large frying pan and warm over medium heat, about 350F. You know the oil is hot enough when you add a few panko crumbs to the oil and it bubbles and browns.
7. Add 3-4 chicken cutlets to the hot oil, making sure you do not crowd the pan. The oil should go up the sides of the chicken and may not completely cover it. This is fine. You could deep fry your cutlets, but it is not necessary.
8. After a few minutes, you will notice the sides started to turn golden. At this time flip the chicken over and brown the other side. Because the cutlets are thin, they do not require long frying times. The chicken is cooked through when the crust is golden on both sides.
9. Continue frying the chicken cutlets until they are done. Add more oil as needed. Once done, place the fried chicken cutlets on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet for the oil to drain.
10. If you are preparing a large batch of chicken katsu, you will need to clean the oil so the breadcrumbs don’t burn and turn your oil dark. I usually stop cooking and then pour the hot oil thru a fine sieve to remove the browned bits of bread crumbs.
11. You can now transfer the oil back to the pan, adding more if needed, and finish frying the chicken

Notes

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. Reheat leftovers in a toaster oven or conventional oven. Once thawed, place on a baking sheet and reheat at 350F (180C) for 10–15 minutes. If frozen, reheat for 20-30 minutes.

Use a fork or chopsticks to transfer the pieces from bowl to bowl. This keeps you from developing fat flour finger tips as you work.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

3 pieces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 769Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 332mgSodium: 899mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 85g

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