Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce

Name: Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 4 tbsp ketchup; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp mirin or 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp Dijon or Japanese mustard, optional; 4 (about 1½ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 breasts, about 650 g; 7 g (1¼ tsp) fine sea salt; freshly ground white or black pepper; 50 g (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 100 g (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs; 1 l (1 qt) neutral oil, for frying; 200 g (2½ cups) white cabbage, very finely shredded and soaked in iced water; short-grain rice, Perfect Rice; 1 lemon, wedges

Panko-crusted chicken, shredded cabbage and a fruity, tangy sauce

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 40 min
Level: Easy

Katsu is Japan's take on the European cutlet: chicken coated in large, airy panko crumbs and fried until crisp and light, served sliced over rice with a mound of finely shredded cabbage and a dark, fruity sauce. Thicker than Chicken Schnitzel and crumbed the same way but with panko, it needs a moderate frying temperature to cook through. For the pork original, see Tonkatsu.

Ingredients

Sauce

4 tbspketchup
2 tbspWorcestershire sauce
1 tbspsoy sauce
1 tbspmirin or 1 tsp sugar
1 tspDijon or Japanese mustardoptional

Chicken

4boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 breasts (about 1½ lb)about 650 g
7 gfine sea salt (1¼ tsp)
freshly ground white or black pepper
50 gall-purpose flour (⅓ cup)
2eggsbeaten
100 gpanko breadcrumbs (2 cups)
1 lneutral oil (1 qt)for frying

To serve

200 gwhite cabbage (2½ cups)very finely shredded and soaked in iced water
short-grain ricePerfect Rice
1lemonwedges

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten, egg, soy, fish, mustard, sulphites
Origin: Japan

Method

Stir the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Pound the chicken to an even 1.5 cm thickness (butterfly breasts first and halve them). Season with salt and pepper.
Dredge in flour, dip in egg, then press firmly into the panko so it coats thickly. Rest on a rack 5 minutes while the oil heats. 5 min
Heat 3 cm oil in a wide, deep pot (the oil should come no more than one-third of the way up) to 170°C (340°F).
Fry 2 pieces at a time, turning once, until deep golden and crisp, 5–7 minutes in total. The thickest part must reach 74°C (165°F). 12 min
Drain on a rack for 2 minutes, standing them on edge so the bottom doesn't steam. Slice into 2 cm strips with a sharp knife, pressing straight down. 2 min
Drain and dry the cabbage. Serve the katsu on rice with a mound of cabbage, a drizzle of sauce and lemon.

Why it works

Panko is made from crustless bread (traditionally baked by passing an electric current through the dough) that is coarsely flaked, so its large, jagged crumbs absorb less oil and stay crisper than fine breadcrumbs. A moderate 170°C (340°F) gives the thicker cutlet time to cook through before the crust darkens. Soaking shredded cabbage in iced water makes it crisp and sweet, a cool counterpoint to the fried meat.

Common mistakes

Frying too hot, which browns the crumbs before the center is cooked.
Resting the katsu flat on paper; the bottom goes soggy. Use a rack.
Sawing when you slice — it tears the crust off. Press straight down with a sharp knife.

Variations

Katsu curry: Serve sliced over rice with the sauce from Japanese Vegetable Curry (Kare Raisu).
Katsu sando: Put sliced katsu between two slices of soft white bread spread with mayonnaise and the sauce, with cabbage; trim the crusts.

Make ahead and storage

Crumbed, uncooked cutlets can be frozen on a tray, then bagged, for 1 month; fry from frozen at 160°C (320°F) for 8–10 minutes, until 74°C (165°F) in the center.

Notes

Bulldog tonkatsu sauce is sold in Asian shops if you don't want to make your own. Mustard only if you add it to the sauce.