Chicken katsu with tonkatsu sauce

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs for darker meat)
• 50 g plain flour, seasoned with a pinch of salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100 g panko breadcrumbs (not regular breadcrumbs — the large, irregular texture is what gives katsu its characteristic crunch)
• sunflower oil or vegetable oil, for shallow frying

For the tonkatsu sauce

• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp mirin (or a pinch of sugar)
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

To serve

• 300 g short-grain white rice, cooked
• ¼ white cabbage, very finely shredded
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• soy sauce, for drizzling

Method

1. Pound the chicken to even thickness. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of cling film or in a large freezer bag. Use a rolling pin or a meat mallet to pound to an even thickness — about 1.5 cm. This ensures the chicken cooks evenly and the breading doesn’t detach. Season lightly with salt.
2. Set up the three-stage dredging. Put the seasoned flour in one wide bowl, the beaten eggs in a second, and the panko in a third. Work with one piece of chicken at a time.
3. Coat thoroughly. Dust the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg, letting any excess drip off. Finally, press firmly into the panko, coating all surfaces. For extra crunch, repeat the egg-and-panko steps — this second coat gives the characteristic extra-crackly layer.
4. Make the tonkatsu sauce. Whisk together the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mirin, and mustard (if using). Taste — it should be savoury, slightly sweet, and tangy. Adjust to your preference. Set aside.
5. Fry in stages. Heat 1 cm of oil in a wide, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. The oil is ready when a panko crumb sizzles immediately on contact. Fry the chicken 4–5 minutes per side — do not move it while it’s cooking. The breading should be deep golden and crisp. Flip only once.
6. Check doneness. The chicken is done when it reaches 75 °C at the thickest point. If it’s browning too quickly before the inside is cooked, reduce the heat slightly.
7. Rest and slice. Transfer to a wire rack or kitchen paper for 2 minutes. This lets the crust set and the juices redistribute. Slice each piece widthways into strips — about 1.5 cm wide.
8. Serve. Plate the rice and cabbage. Lay the sliced katsu over the top. Drizzle with tonkatsu sauce, add lemon wedges on the side, and serve immediately.

Tips

• Panko is non-negotiable. Regular breadcrumbs are too dense and fine — they don’t give the same light, shatteringly crisp crust. Find panko in most large supermarkets now, usually in the World Foods aisle or with the international ingredients.
• Don’t skip the second egg-and-panko coat. The double-dredge is what separates katsu from standard crumbed chicken. It takes 30 seconds extra and makes a meaningful difference to the final crust.
• A probe thermometer is the single most useful piece of equipment here. Chicken at 75 °C is perfectly safe and still juicy; at 80 °C+ it starts to tighten and dry out.
• Rest the chicken after frying — not on a plate where steam will make the crust soggy. A wire rack is essential.
• Tonkatsu sauce is specific. It’s sweeter and more complex than ketchup alone. The Worcestershire and soy give it depth; the mirin adds sweetness. A pinch of mustard rounds it out. Don’t substitute with just ketchup — the result will be flat and one-dimensional.