Chicken Katsu
Servings 4
Equipment
- Large Cast Iron Skillet or Large Nonstick Skillet
- Meat Pounder
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Chicken Katsu:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- 1 cup flour
- 2 large eggs, well whisked
- 1½ cups panko bread crumbs
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided, more as needed
For Serving:
- Green scallions, sliced thinly
- Green cabbage, finely shredded **Season with a bit of rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken breasts by cutting them into cutlets. Starting at the thick end of the breast, with a long, sharp knife to 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 into a bowl and season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and garlic powder to taste, and 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, and whisk until very well combined.
- Dredge the chicken by dipping each cutlet (using a fork) first into the flour mixture, next coating it in the egg mixture, then pressing 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 in 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 a cast-iron skillet or a large nonstick skillet 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 and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Place on a wire cooling rack. Finish the process with the remaining chicken. Side Note: Wipe out the skillet(s) between batches, THEN add more oil to the skillet(s) before cooking the remaining chicken.
- Slice the chicken katsu into thin strips and top with green scallions, and serve with lightly seasoned shredded cabbage (dressed with fresh lemon juice or rice vinegar, to taste), lemon wedges, garlic rice, Asian cucumber salad, and tonkatsu sauce.