← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 2 skinless chicken breasts (about 500 g)
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 2 Eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp water
• 120 g Panko breadcrumbs
• 750 ml neutral oil, for deep-frying
• ¼ green cabbage, very finely shredded and soaked in iced water
• 4 tbsp Tonkatsu sauce
• ½ Lemon, cut into wedges
• 4 bowls of hot cooked Japanese rice (optional)

Method

1. Slice each breast in half horizontally, or butterfly it, then press or pound it to an even 1.5 cm thickness so it cooks evenly. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set out three shallow dishes with the flour, the beaten egg and the panko. Coat each piece in flour (shake off the excess), then egg, then press it firmly into the panko on both sides. Let the coated pieces rest for 5 min so the crust sets.
3. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170°C (340°F); a few panko crumbs should sizzle and float straight away.
4. Fry 2 pieces at a time for 5–6 min, turning once, until deep golden and cooked through to 75°C (165°F) in the thickest part.
5. Drain on a wire rack (not paper, which steams the bottom) for 2 min, then slice into strips.
6. Serve with a tall pile of drained cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, lemon and rice.

Tips

• For extra-tender meat, coat the chicken in 2 tbsp shio koji or a little mayonnaise for 30 minutes before breading.
• Leftover katsu makes perfect katsu sando or chicken katsudon.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Chopstick Chronicles Japanese Cooking 101