When it comes to cooking, there are few elements more versatile than a crispy chicken cutlet. Most cuisines have their own version of this staple, Italy has chicken milanese, Germany has schnitzel, Mexico has milanese de pollo and Japan has katsu chicken.
Katsu chicken is very popular in Japan and similar dishes can be found all over Asia. It is often paired with warm rice or served over curry. It is thin, super crispy and can be enjoy in endless ways.
Let’s get started…
Aside from the chicken, panko is the star of the show here. Panko is much lighter and more flaky than regular breadcrumbs, so it takes less of it to fully coat the chicken and it also soaks up less oil during the frying process. While there are plenty of great uses for traditional breadcrumbs, panko is the best choice for creating katsu chickens light and crispy texture.
Begin by preparing your 3 coating stations. This is the easiest way to prepare chicken for frying, especially if you are cooking for a large group.
In a shallow dish, whisk a large egg with a tablespoon of milk and season with salt and black pepper. In a second shallow dish, add 1/3 cup of all purpose flour and season with salt and black pepper. In a third shallow dish, combine 2/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
Now that your coatings are prepared, slice a large boneless skinless chicken breast in half lengthwise. If you have a particularly thick piece of chicken, you may be able to get 3 thin sliced portions out of it.
Once the chicken is thinly sliced, place it between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound the chicken evenly thin with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper (I also add garlic powder!) and then start the coating process…
Step #1. Lightly coat the chicken in the seasoned flour.
Step #2. Dip the flour coated chicken in the whisked egg and let any excess fall off.
Step #3. Transfer the flour and egg coated chicken into the seasoned panko and press panko over the entire surface to ensure that each piece of chicken is completely coated.
Step #4. Set the fully coated chicken onto a plate and set aside while you prepare the oil.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add about a half of an inch of a neutral oil into the skillet. Allow the oil to warm up enough that it will instantly begin to sizzle when you drop a little piece of panko in. If you drop your panko in and nothing happens, the oil is not warm enough.
Carefully place the coated chicken into the oil leaving a little bit of space between each piece and fry the chicken until the underside is golden brown and crisp. Flip the chicken and cook on the other side until the chicken is crisp on both sides and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Note: Keep an eye on the temperature of your oil. If you are using a thermometer, the oil shouldn’t get much higher than 350 degrees. If you are eye balling it, lower the temperature a bit if the chicken is getting too dark before it is cooked through or if the bits that fall to the bottom of the pan begin to burn. The chicken should be cooked through after about 4-5 minutes per side.
Once the chicken is fried to perfection, transfer it onto a cooling rack and give it a lightly sprinkle of salt while it is still hot. A cooling rack is one of my favorite kitchen tools, because it helps keep both sides of the chicken super crisp as it cools down after frying. When you lay freshly fried chicken onto a plate, the heat from the chicken gets trapped under the chicken creating steam that makes the bottom layer of breading soggy.
Before serving your crispy katsu chicken, use a sharp knife to slice it into bite sized strips and then add it to a big bowl of warm rice, some curry or a bowl of crunchy greens.
The way that the panko fries up is one of my favorite textures. It is so crispy, but it is also really light… its just perfect.
Traditionally, katsu chicken is drizzled with katsu sauce, which is a delicious asian inspired sauce made with soy, ketsup, worcestershire, garlic and ginger, but it pairs well with so many sauces! I love it with Japanese BBQ sauce, bibimbap sauce and teriyaki sauce.
Katsu chicken is also the perfect protein to pair with curry. There is something so wonderful about the way that the crispy breading soaks up a thick, warm curry sauce.
However you decide to enjoy your katsu chicken, one thing is for sure, that you are going to love the light and crunchy the breading is on this crispy katsu chicken…
Crispy Katsu Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, halved and pounded thin
- 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 2/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- your favorite asian barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Thinly slice your boneless skinless chicken breast in half lengthwise, place between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound the pieces evenly thin
- Generously season the chicken with salt and black pepper
- Add 1/3 cup of all purpose flour into a shallow bowl and season with salt and black pepper
- Whisk a large egg with a tablespoon of milk in a second shallow dish and season with salt and black pepper
- Combine 2/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper in a third shallow bowl
- Lightly coat the chicken in the seasoned flour and then dip it into the whisked egg and allow any excess egg to fall off
- Transfer the flour and egg coated chicken into the panko mix , ensure that both sides are generously coated and set aside for now
- Add 1/2 inch of oil into a large shallow skillet placed over medium heat and allow it to warm for a few minutes
- Carefully place the coated chicken into the oil and cook until the bottom side is golden brown and crisp (about 4-5 minutes)
- Flip the chicken and continue to fry until both sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees (reduce the heat if your chicken begins to brown too quickly)
- When the chicken is cooked through, transfer it onto a cooling rack and sprinkle with salt
- Slice into bite sized pieces and enjoy over rice, curry or greens along with your favorite asian barbecue style sauce
