Chicken Katsu

The kids and I love Chicken Katsu!  It’s like an oversized excellent quality crispy chicken nugget. Crunchy, addicting, and ammmmazzzzing!  When seasoned and cooked properly, the panko bread crumbs produce a delicate crispy breaded crust and keep the chicken meat juicy and moist.  The katsu sauce is also super flavorful and gives the chicken katsu a sweet and zesty kick that compliments the chicken very well.

I’ve tasted dozens of chicken katsu from many Japanese and Hawaiian restaurants.  Probably even gained a bunch of weight from it too.  I like them all but prefer the Hawaiian style a little bit better because it usually comes with a side of creamy Hawaiian mac salad and tons of the Aloha vibes that I love.

This recipe is great for a weeknight meal or can even be multiplied to cook for parties. It is definitely kid-friendly and a crowd favorite.  When cooking chicken katsu, I think it’s important to at least season the chicken before making it go through the dredging process to properly season the meat to bring out all the flavors and keep your taste buds happy. 

Ingredients:

Chicken Katsu Ingredients:
1 pound of chicken thighs, pounded
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs. lightly whisked
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Vegetable Oil for frying

Katsu Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Steps:

Make Katsu Sauce – In a small bowl, whisk ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sugar, garlic powder, and crushed black pepper until combined. Set aside.

Season Chicken – Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.

Create Dredging Station – Create an assembly line with 3 plates. Add all-purpose flour to the first plate, eggs to the second plate, and panko bread crumbs in the third plate.

Dredge Chicken – Dredge chicken thighs in a layer of flour, dip in a layer of egg, and finally coat with a layer panko bread crumbs. Set aside.

Fry Chicken – Heat skillet on medium-medium-high heat and add enough oil to cover half the katsu. Fry each side of the chicken katsu for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.  Slice and serve with rice, salad, and a side of Katsu sauce.

Tips:

• Pound the chicken thighs to uniform pieces for more even cooking.
• Tonkatsu, made with pork loin, is an excellent choice if you want pork instead.
• The longer you let the katsu sauce meld and get happy together, the better the sauce will get.
• Pay attention to how hot the pan gets while frying. If the chicken is browning too fast, lower the heat down to medium and begin flipping every 30 seconds or so for even frying.