katsu.

“torikatsu”

鶏カツ

Simple, yet easy to love, these are crispy fried cutlets served with a sweet and savory katsu sauce and a creamy cabbage slaw. The dish was founded in the late 1800s by the restaurant "Rengatai" in Tokyo. Originally crafted to imitate the classic French dish Côtelette de veau, it was adapted to suit the Japanese palate. Traditionally, this dish is made with pork ("tonkatsu"), although almost any kind of meat can be used. It can also be enjoyed alongside curry or served between two slices of white bread as a katsu sando.

Ingredients:

katsu:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

  • 60g (1 cup) panko

  • 30g cornstarch.

  • 30g rice flour, or all-purpose flour.

  • 2 eggs.

  • kosher salt.

  • black pepper.

  • frying oil, (canola, peanut, grapeseed, vegetable, etc.)

katsu sauce:

  • 40g (3 tbsp) ketchup.

  • 12g (1 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce.

  • 20g (1 1/2 tbsp) oyster sauce.

  • 13g (1 tbsp) brown sugar.

  • 16g (1 tbsp) mirin.

cabbage slaw:

  • 1/2 head of napa cabbage, sliced very thin.

  • 32g (2 tbsp) kewpie mayo.

  • 4g (1 tsp) sugar.

  • 15g (1 tbsp) rice vinegar.

  • 4g (1 tsp) sesame oil.

  • kosher salt.

Equipment:

  • deep cast iron skillet/sauté pan.

  • mixing bowls.

Execution:

  1. coleslaw.

  • Toss together cabbage and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Place the cabbage over a colander and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

  • Remove cabbage from colander, squeeze out any additional water and press between two paper towels to remove any additional moisture.

  • Make dressing; whisk together kewpie mayo, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and season to taste with salt.

  • Add dressing to the cabbage and set aside in the fridge.

2. season, bread, fry.

  • Place the chicken in-between two layers of plastic wrap and pound the meat until it is about 1/4” thick. (Recommended: Butterfly your chicken breasts first and pound them to an even thickness.)

  • Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Let sit in your fridge for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

  • Set up your breading station; whisk together rice flour and cornstarch in a bowl, in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs with a splash of water, add bread crumbs to the third bowl.

    (Optionally: Preferably, you can pulse your bread crumbs in a food processor about 8-10 times. This will result in a crispier final product.)

  • Fill a cast iron skillet about 1” up with oil, heat to 350F.

  • Bread the chicken; first place the chicken into the flour mixture, make sure every bit of chicken is coated in flour, shake off any excess, place into the egg mixture, shake off any excess egg and place into the panko, press the chicken into the breadcrumbs to make sure the chicken is thoroughly coated.

  • Lay the chicken into the oil and let fry for 3-5 minutes of until browned, flip and continue to fry for an additional 2-3 minutes. Once fully cooked through and golden remove from the oil onto a wire rack, season with salt.

3. katsu sauce.

  • Add ingredients to a bowl and whisk together, adjust proportions to taste.