Katsu Chicken Curry
This is a two-part dish: a crispy panko-breaded chicken cutlet served with a thick, savory Japanese-style curry. The process involves making the curry first, letting it simmer while you fry the chicken. The key to the curry's flavor is building a proper base by cooking down the aromatics and blooming the spices before adding any liquid.
Ingredients
Curry Sauce
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 small yellow onions sliced thin
- 1/2 a large Honeycrisp apple peeled and grated
- 6 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 2 1/4 Tbsp Curry Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 1/2 inches ginger grated
- 4-5 garlic cloves grated or minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3/4 tsp Paprika
- 5 cups water
- Salt to taste
Chicken Katsu
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable or Canola oil for frying
Method
- Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Sauté onions until golden, add grated apple and cook 2 minutes.
- Add flour, cook 2 minutes while stirring to make roux.
- Stir in curry powder, garam masala, bouillon, garlic, and ginger until fragrant.
- Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, sugar, and peppers. Whisk until smooth.
- Simmer sauce 20 minutes, skimming foam. Adjust salt to taste.
- Pound chicken breasts to even thickness, season with salt and pepper.
- Set up dredging station: flour, beaten eggs, panko breadcrumbs.
- Dredge chicken in flour, egg, then panko.
- Heat oil to 350°F in large skillet.
- Fry chicken 4-6 minutes per side until golden and internal temp reaches 165°F.
- Slice chicken and serve over rice with curry sauce.
Notes
For smoother sauce, blend with immersion blender.
Work in batches when frying to avoid overcrowding.
Work in batches when frying to avoid overcrowding.