Chicken Katsu

This delicious chicken katsu recipe is juicy, tender chicken, with a crispy panko breadcrumb coating, served with crunchy cabbage, and tasty tonkotsu sauce. A super quick, easy, and delicious meal!

Chicken katsu is a delicious alternative to the more traditional Japanese favorite, Tonkatsu (crispy coated pork cutlet). I made this delicious chicken katsu recipe after I saw a recipe for it on Serious Eats that sounded amazing. I paired this Japanese-style crispy chicken cutlet with lightly seasoned finely shredded green cabbage, lemon wedges, garlic rice, and Asian cucumber salad, and homemade tonkatsu dipping sauce. My family loved the entire meal and we finished every last bite of everything! This meal will most definitely be on our menu regular rotation from now on.

How to Make Chicken Katsu

Prepare the chicken breasts by cutting them into cutlets. Starting at the thick end of the breast, with a long, sharp knife, carefully slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise into two even pieces, keeping the knife blade parallel to the surface of the cutting board.

Place the cutlets, one at a time, in a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag and pound gently to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat pounder.

Season both sides of the chicken cutlets well with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder, to taste. Place uncovered into the refrigerator for 1-4 hours. Side Note: Don’t skip this step! It really does make the chicken so much juicier!

Make a breading assembly line with three separate shallow bowls. First, pour the flour in a bowl then season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste; mix well.  Next, combine the panko crumbs in a shallow bowl and season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste; mix well. Finally, whisk together the eggs seasoned with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste in the third bowl; whisk until very well combined.

Dredge the chicken by dipping each cutlet (using a fork) first into the flour mixture, next coat it in the egg mixture, then press the cutlets firmly into the panko mixture  on both sides until evenly coated. Place in one layer on a plate lined with parchment paper, separating the layers of cutlets by parchment paper, as needed. Place the coated cutlets uncovered into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Side Note: Don’t skip this step, it helps the coating really adhere to the chicken. 

Cook the chicken cutlets by heating 2 tablespoons of oil in cast iron skillet(s) or large nonstick skillet(s) over medium-high heat until hot. Place the coated chicken cutlets directly into the HOT skillet and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown, making sure to cook the chicken in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan.

Carefully flip the chicken over to cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown  then remove to a wire cooling rack. Finish the process with the remaining chicken.  Side Note: Wipe out the skillet(s) between batches THEN add the more oil to the skillet(s) before cooking the remaining chicken.

Slice the chicken katsu into thin strips and serve immediately with lightly seasoned shredded cabbage (with fresh lemon juice or rice vinegar, to taste), lemon wedges, garlic rice, Asian cucumber salad, and tonkatsu sauce.