Restaurant katsu curry is a weekend job. This one is not. The sauce is a simple roux with curry powder and grated apple for sweetness, and it simmers while you fry the chicken. The apple sounds odd and is completely essential.
Everything you need
- 3 chicken breasts, butterflied and flattened
- 1½ cups (90 g) panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup (62 g) plain flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 apple, grated
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup neutral oil for frying
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
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Melt the butter in a saucepan and soften the onion over medium heat for 8 minutes until sweet and translucent. Stir in the grated apple and the curry powder and cook for another minute.
For this step
- 1 onion
- 1 apple
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
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Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the flour, stir it in, then pour in the stock a little at a time, whisking until smooth. Simmer gently for 15 minutes while you do the chicken.
For this step
- 3 chicken breasts
- ½ cup (62 g) plain flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
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Set up three plates: the rest of the flour, the beaten egg, and the panko. Season the chicken, then take each piece through flour, egg and panko, pressing the crumbs on firmly.
For this step
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1½ cups (90 g) panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup (62 g) plain flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
-
Heat the oil in a frying pan until a crumb sizzles on contact. Fry the chicken for 4 minutes a side until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on paper.
For this step
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup neutral oil for frying
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Slice the katsu thickly, lay it over rice and pour the sauce alongside so the crust stays crunchy.
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Worth knowing
- Flattening the chicken to an even thickness is what stops the outside burning before the middle cooks.
- The sauce thickens as it sits. Loosen it with a splash of stock if it goes claggy.
Nutrition: estimated from typical ingredient values, not laboratory tested. Check the labels on what you actually buy.
Cooking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.