Chicken Katsu

You can pan fry them or bake them in the oven. The latter is easier and healthier, but I like the taste of the former more, and once you get the hang of it, it's not too much effort to do. I prefer chicken breasts since I like white meat, but in theory you can use thighs.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 chicken breasts (1 lb?). Usually one Costco-size pouch is what I do.
• 3/4ths to 1/ cup of panko, as needed
• 1-2 eggs as needed, beaten
• 1/2 to 1 cup of flour, as needed
• frying oil

Steps

1. Heat a shallow pan with oil, about 1/5th to a 1 inch thick, depending on your preference. A lot of sources say to add a lot of oil or even deep fry, but I like the simplicity of shallow frying. Keep the oil on medium low.
2. Fillet the chicken breasts: cut into the center, about 1/4th to 1/2 an inch in, then "butterfly" cut through each side so that the breast is widened out. Divide each piece where there's less connection. I usually get 2 or 4 pieces of chicken out of each breast, depending on if I want thinner or wider strips.
3. Pound each strip enough so it's thin and even in its thickness, but keeps its integrity. This step is to ensure the chicken is cooked evenly and quickly while it's being fried (or baked).
4. Salt each side of each chicken strip. I usually salt the sides that are currently exposed, if I am stacking the strips to save space; then continue salting and flipping the strips as I get through each strip while cooking and their other sides become exposed.
5. Pour flour onto a lipped plate, wide enough for strips to be patted onto it.
6. Pour beaten egg onto a lipped plate, similar size as the flour one.
7. Pour panko breading onto a lipped plate, similar size. Optionally add spices such as paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
8. Fry each chicken strip individually as follows:
9. (Salt if needed) and pat each side of the chicken in the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
10. Dredge each side of the floured chicken into the beaten egg. Shake off any excess egg.
11. Bread each side of the dredged chicken in the panko. Gently shake off any excess panko.
12. Fry on each side for about 2 minutes.
13. Let the chicken rest on a wire rack. Continue frying the other strips.
14. Refill flour, egg, and panko stations as needed.
15. Check the oil isn't too hot and burning the breading. Adjust the oil temperature as needed. Add oil as needed. Don't add too many strips to the oil so as to lower the temperature or crowd the pan too much.

Serve with rice, coleslaw, Japanese curry, Japanese mayo, and/or Japanese tonkatsu sauce. Keep leftovers and reheat in the oven at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit.