Name: Authentic Chicken Katsu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 Chicken thighs (boneless); Salt; Pepper; Neutral oil (for frying); Sliced green onions (for garnish); 1 Egg (beaten in a bowl); 2 tablespoons wheat flour (In a deep plate); 1 Deep plate of panko breadcrumbs; 1 tablespoon ketchup; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoons of sugar

Chicken katsu or Tori katsu is a Japanese dish made of breaded and fried chicken. Tori means chicken, and katsu is an abbreviation of the English word cutlet, derived from the French côtelette. It’s one of the most consumed dishes in Japan, not only easy to make but extremely delicious. Once you taste it, you’ll adopt it.

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katsu curry on wooden background — It’s the star of the famous katsu curry

Like many other popular dishes in Japan (think of ramen, tempura, soba, etc.), there are torikatsu restaurants that exclusively serve this juicy chicken cutlet as a specialty. And no complete torikatsu plate is without a mound of freshly grated cabbage and a good drizzle of homemade bulldog sauce.

Tonkatsu pork — A beautiful plate of pork tonkatsu, the cousin of tori katsu

A bit of history…

Before tori katsu exploded in popularity as a chicken dish in the early 20th century, it was primarily made with beef.

When the recipe first appeared around the 1870s, it was already considered a Yoshoku meal (that is, a Japanese dish inspired by Western cuisine). It was only a few decades later that beef was replaced by chicken or pork, becoming the beloved food we enjoy today.

Beef tonkatsu in Japan — Beef katsu in Japan

It’s said that Tori katsu is inspired by the French dish, veal cutlet, which is essentially a breaded veal escalope pan-fried in butter. A Tokyo restaurant called Rengatei 煉瓦亭 (still open today!) took this concept and made some modifications to please the Japanese palate, and in 1899, katsu made its debut.

katsudon on wooden background — Use it in a delicious katsudon

Tips for Successful Chicken Katsu

It’s optional but gives a much better final result: basically, 10 minutes before, lightly moisten the panko breadcrumbs using a spray bottle. The panko breadcrumbs after cooking will be much more compact and pretty.

Of course, it should be accompanied by the famous chicken katsu sauce, you can find ready-made ones in Asian grocery stores but I’m giving you the recipe here too. It’s very simple to make

My beef yaki udon, another iconic Japanese dish

If you have a mallet, pound it! By doing this, the meat will be super tender and more likely to keep its shape