Chicken Katsu with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

Plate of chicken katsu, rice, shredded cabbage, lemon wedges, and dipping sauce.

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Katsu with Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce

One of my dream meals: this chicken katsu recipe with homemade tonkatsu sauce! Served with thinly sliced cabbage salad and fluffy white rice!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings:

Author: Lindsey Baruch

Ingredients

For The Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts pounded down evenly
1 cup potato starch
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable or canola oil for frying

For The Cabbage Slaw

1/2 medium green cabbage thinly sliced
2 sprigs sliced green onions
1/3 cup mayo
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tonkatsu Sauce

1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds grinded
1 garlic clove minced

Instructions

Brine your chicken (optional). Brine your chicken overnight by placing it in a closed container or bag filled with water, salt, and pepper to taste. I love the extra flavor and tenderness of brining the night before, or two days before, it really makes all the difference!
Pound your chicken. When you're ready to assemble, remove from the wet brine and pat dry. If you are using skinless chicken breasts, start by beating your chicken and season with salt and pepper. I like to place the chicken in a plastic bag and pound with a tenderizer/mallot or heavy pan to make the chicken thin.
Prep your slaw and katsu sauce. Before you start breading your chicken, make your cabbage slaw and prepare your Tonkatsu sauce by mixing ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Set aside.
To make your cabbage salad, thinly slice cabbage and toss with green cabbage, green onions, mayo (preferably Kewpie Japanese mayo), dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste. You can also just serve this as raw cabbage and omit making the cabbage salad.
Prep your frying station. Next, get your frying station ready by making a plate or shallow bowls of potato starch, a plate of panko breadcrumbs and a bowl of beaten eggs.
In a deep pot or skillet, heat up vegetable or canola oil (or any neutral oil of choice) Once it’s hot, start to dredge your chicken in potato flour, then the eggs, then the panko, deep fry until evenly cooked and crispy, and golden brown (about 15-20 minutes), until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Assemble, slice and serve. Remove the katsu from the oil on a plate lined with paper towels to shake off any excess oil and let rest for 5 minutes, slice into thin slices/strips and serve with your tonkatsu sauce to dip with your chicken and cabbage slaw.

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