Chicken Katsu

Prep Salad

1. slice green cabbages into thin slices (like for cole slaw) or just buy a package of cole slaw mix.

Make Sauce (choose one of the two below - or do both!)

1. Korean style Brown Sauce - in a frying pan, melt butter on medium low heat. When butter has melted, add flour and stir the butter and flour constantly with a wooden spoon or wisk in for even cooking. In 2-3 minutes, you will have a light roux that puffs up slightly. Then, add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, sugar, soy sauce and water. Keep stiring and let it cook 1-2 minutes more until everything is evenly mixed. Turn off heat. But remember to warm up the sauce again at time of serving.
2. Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce - Mix ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, honey, vinegar and black pepper. You can also just purchase the Bull Dog Tonkatsu sauce. I think mine taste better but it's up to you.

Prep Chicken

1. Choose one of 2 ways to make a thin slice of chicken breast.
2. You can slice each chicken breast, side ways into 2-3 thinner slices like so.
3. OR Place the chicken breast between plastic wraps and then pound it with a rolling pin or a heavy frying pan or pot.
4. Season thinned chicken breasts with salt and black pepper on both sides. Set aside.

Make Bread Crumbs (if you want to)

1. Tear up old milk bread, white bread or even multigrain bread in a blender and blend it until they become crumbs. Leave them bigger than store bought Panko bread crumbs for best crispy and fluffly coating. I used my week old milk bread rolls that I had in the fridge. SKIP if using store bought Panko bread crumbs.

Heat Oil

1. In a medium size, heavy bottom pot (or fryer or deep frying pan), add vegetable oil. It's best to have the oil be at least 1.5 to 2 inch deep. Turn heat to medium or medium low if you need more time to prepare the chicken. Heat until you reach 340 - 350℉ (170 - 175℃). If you don't have a thermometer, throw in couple salt granules and they should make a loud popping sound if ready.

Coat Chicken

1. In 3 separate shallow bowls or trays (I love these) add flour, whipped eggs and bread crumbs in each. Line them up side by side so you can coat the chicken. Have these ready right next to your fryer.
2. Coat chicken with flour. Shake off excess flour but make sure chicken is evenly coated.Put floured chicken in egg wash. Coat with egg and then move it over to the bread crumb bowl and coat wiht bread crumbs. Lay them out on a plate. You can pre-coat the chickens altogether and then fry it but I like to do it right before you put it in to oil. If you let it sit, it's just not the same.

FRY

1. Prepare a colander or bowl and lined with paper towel next to the fryer, to put the fried chicken katsu in.
2. When oil is hot enough, add the coated chicken from above into hot oil. Only add about 2-3 chicken cutlet pieces at a time to a medium sized pot. Everytime you add a new piece, it lowers the oil temperature significantly so if you add too many at the same time, the temperature may get too low and the chicken katsu will absorb too much oil which wil make it soggy and not crispy.
3. Once added to hot oil, cook chicken for about 2 min on each side (turn over after 2 min) for a total of 4-5 min until it's nicely browned. But, if it gets browned too quickly (like in just 1 min or so) then lower the temperature or even turn it off for 10-20 seconds until it cools down to the right temperature. You can always cut open a piece to make sure it's fully cooked.
4. When chicken katsu is browned, remove from oil and let stand in the paper towel lined bowl or colander. Try to lay down the pieces on the side so all the oil drips away and doesn't collect in the center of the chicken as chicken cutlets tend to kind of curve up or down in the center.
5. Serve with Rice, Cabbage Slaw and sauce on the side or pour a warmed up Korean style brown sauce on top for a yummy meal! Don't forget the pickled yellow radish - Danmuji. It's also great with some Kkakdugi.