Katsu Sauce – Katsu is a dish made of fried, breaded meat cutlets. There are different types of katsu. The most popular one is tonkatsu, which is a katsu made of pork cutlet. Another type of katsu is chicken katsu, which uses chicken cutlet instead of pork. Chicken katsu is paired with katsu sauce, delicious dipping that complements the delicious dish.
Chicken katsu is a simple dish and is easy to make. However, it is a bit tricky to get the perfect crispy yet juicy golden brown katsu. No need to worry. Here we have a recipe that you will help you make delicious, crispy, and juicy chicken katsu.
About Chicken Katsu
The sauce
Katsu sauce (Japanese: So-su) is the dipping sauce for chicken katsu dishes. It is basically a Japanese version of Worcestershire sauce only thicker and slowly cooked with fruits and vegetables. The sauce has a sweet, tangy, and complex taste, which is why it is a perfect pair for the deep-fried katsu.
For our chicken katsu recipe here, we will use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, mirin, sugar, and ketchup. You can buy katsu sauce at nearby Japanese stores but since it is very easy to make and you probably have the ingredients to make it already, it is better to make a homemade one.
- Can I bake instead of deep-fry?
Chicken katsu can be baked for sure. We don’t recommend it, however. Baking will not yield the same result as deep frying. The chicken cutlets will not be crispy as you would when they are deep-fried. Not to mention the cutlets will be drier as well.
- How long can I keep it?
Chicken katsu can last as long as two to three days if you put it inside an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to make the katsu crispy again, reheat it inside the oven.
- Can I freeze it?
Yes, you can. Again, you need to put the katsu inside an airtight container if you wish to freeze it. When you want to serve the frozen katsu, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, place the katsu on a baking sheet, and put the sheet inside the oven. Let the katsu reheat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Calories
The chicken katsu in this recipe contains 383 calories.
- Other dishes to serve with chicken katsu
Chicken katsu is a Japanese dish. Thus, it is best served in a Japanese style: served with steamed rice, shrimp gyoza, miso soup, or garlic butter edamame.
Tips to Get the Perfect Crispiness and Juiciness
- Salting
Salting the chicken meat can help to make it juicier and plumper. And all it takes is to salt the meat and rest it for three to four hours prior to breading and deep-frying. That doesn’t mean unsalted chicken meat that is immediately cooked is bad, of course. It is just that salted chicken meat results in juicier and plumper katsu.
- Frying
Frying chicken katsu is a straightforward process. You just deep-fry the chicken meat for a while and take it out once it turns golden brown in color. What is important here is the temperature. You need to make sure that the chicken meat is deep-fried at the right temperature.
If the oil temperature is too hot, the meat will burn before it is done. If it is too cold, the meat will overcook as the panko will take too long to crisp. These are why the right temperature is necessary.
So, how hot should the oil temperature be? The ideal temperature is around 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius). To make it easier, use a deep-fry thermometer so you can monitor the temperature and adjust as needed.
- Flipping
How many times should you flip the chicken cutlets? Many recommend to flip only once. The fact is, if you flip the cutlets multiple times, you can get more evenly browned results. The key to flipping the cutlets is to let the cutlets cook on a side first until their breading is set properly, allowing you to flip without the crumbs scraping off.
This should take about one minute and a half. Then, flip the cutlets and let them cook for another minute and a half. After that, you can flip the cutlets multiple times until they turn perfectly golden brown in color.
Chicken Katsu Sauce Recipe
Course: Main course
Cuisine: Chicken katsu
Keyword: Chicken katsu sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 383
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Japanese panko
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 dashes black pepper
- 10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Oil for deep frying
Katsu Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- First, take the chicken breast and slice it horizontally and make two large slices.
- Cut each of the large slices into two smaller pieces with similar size. Season these pieces with black pepper and salt to taste. Leave it for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the katsu sauce by mixing all the ingredients. Stir the ingredients and make sure they mix well.
- Pour the cooking oil into a pot and heat it up. The best temperature for deep-frying katsu is around 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius).
- Return to the chicken pieces. Take one piece and dip it into the beaten egg. Then, coat it with the panko or bread crumbs. The panko should stick to the chicken. Remove the excess panko by shaking off the chicken.
- Dip it into the beaten egg again and coat again with the panko. Make sure that the panko layer is thick enough and the chicken piece is evenly coated.
- Repeat step 4 and 5 for the other pieces.
- Check the pot. If the oil is fully heated, you can put the chicken pieces into it and deep fry them. When you drop the pieces, do it gently.
- Deep fry the chicken pieces. Wait until they become golden brown in color.
- Prepare a plate and line it with paper towels.
- When the chicken pieces turn golden brown, move them to the plate and let them dry.
- Cut the pieces into strips.
Serve the chicken katsu with katsu sauce and steamed rice.