Chicken katsu is one of the most popular Hawaii local eats. Tender chicken cutlets are coated with crispy panko and crunchy furikake and fried to perfectly crisp. But the star of the show is the sweet and savory katsu sauce to drizzle all over the chicken and rice!
Hawaiian Style Chicken Katsu
Growing up in Hawaii, I ate my fair share of chicken katsu, cucumber kimchi with two scoops of white rice. There is nothing better than a perfectly fried chicken katsu with the sweet and savory sauce all perched on top of steamy hot white rice.
Chicken Katsu is notably a Japanese dish and because Hawaii is a melting pot of cultures, there is a lot of Japanese influence in Hawaii cooking, chicken katsu being one of the more popular dishes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- There are layers of flavor in every single bite of the dredging station for the fried chicken.
- The whisked eggs has a few dashes of soy sauce and hot sauce.
- The panko coating has crunchy furikake, which has sesame seeds and dried seaweed.
- This is a great recipe to serve on the weekday!
- Katsu is a family favorite!
Chicken Katsu Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: Take the time to pound the chicken so it's not thick and becomes an even thickness. This will tenderize the chicken as well.
- Seasoned Flour: For added flavor, add garlic powder, salt and pepper to the flour. This is the first step in dredging the chicken.
- Eggs: The next part in dredging is whisking a few eggs in another bowl.
- Hot Sauce: Added to the whisked eggs for a bit of a kick. I like using something pungent such as Tabasco or Sriracha.
- Soy Sauce: A few dashes of soy sauce or tamari is added to the egg mixture for another layer of flavor.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: These are crisp Japanese breadcrumbs and my personal favorite when frying anything, such as eggplant parmesan, which gives a nice crispy and crunchy coating.
- Furikake: A rice seasoning that often has sesame seeds and nori mixed in, though there are all sorts of different flavor variations. I love using furikake to season white rice or sprinkle some on top of poke nachos.
- Vegetable Oil: A neutral cooking oil that can handle higher heat such as canola oil, grapeseed oil or avocado oil for frying the chicken katsu.
Katsu Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup: The base of katsu, stick to the classics brands as Heinz.
- Soy Sauce or Tamari: Adds a bit of saltiness and umami.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This adds more savoriness to the katsu sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Katsu sauce is typically sweet and savory and a little brown sugar gives the perfect balance.
- Garlic Powder: Optional but adds another great savory layer to the katsu sauce.
How to Make Chicken Katsu
- Make the chicken katsu. Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally and place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound each cutlet to an even thickness.
- Create a dredging station by laying out 3 wide bowls.
- First bowl, whisk flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Second bowl, whisk the eggs, San J Tamari and hot sauce.
- Third bowl, whisk the panko breadcrumbs and furikake.
- Dredge each chicken cutlet into the flour mixture, then egg mixture then panko mixture, making sure all sides are coated evenly.
- Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat and pour in oil to come up about ½ an inch. Once oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place 2 chicken cutlets into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both slides, about 4-5 minutes per side. You may have to do this in batches.
- Once chicken cutlets are done, cut chicken on a bias and garnish with more furikake and chives. Serve katsu with cooked white rice, kimchi and katsu sauce.
- For the katsu sauce, whisk ketchup, soy sauce, worsteshire, brown sugar and garlic together and drizzle over katsu or serve alongside.
Baked Chicken Katsu
Instead of frying the chicken, you can bake it instead.
Use the same dredging and place th4e chicken cutlets on a wire rack that is placed on a baking sheet.
Spray chicken with olive oil cooking spray and bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp and cooked through.
Serving Suggestions
- Hawaiian style chicken katsu is typically served with white rice (this is the perfect time to use a rice cooker) and macaroni salad.
- Serve katsu with rice in a bowl with cucumber kimchi on the side.
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Hawaiian Style Chicken Katsu with Furikake
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Hawaiian chicken katsu is one of the most popular Hawaii local eats. Chicken cutlets are coated with panko and furikake and fried to perfectly crisp and served with a sweet and savory katsu sauce.
Equipment
Rice Cooker
skillet
Ingredients
Chicken Katsu
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt’
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Few dashes of hot sauce
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Furikake + more for garnish
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
- Chives or green onions chopped for garnish
Katsu Sauce
- ¼ cup Ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For Serving
- 2 cups Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- For the chicken katsu, cut the chicken breast in half horizontally and place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound each cutlet to an even thickness.
- Create a dredging station by laying out 3 wide bowls.
- First bowl, whisk flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Second bowl, whisk the eggs, soy sauce and hot sauce.
- Third bowl, whisk the panko breadcrumbs and furikake.
- Dredge each chicken cutlet into the flour mixture, then egg mixture then panko mixture, making sure all sides are coated evenly.
- Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat and pour in oil to come up about ½ an inch. Once oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place 2 chicken cutlets into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both slides, about 4-5 minutes per side. You may have to do this in batches.
- Once chicken cutlets are done, cut chicken on a bias and garnish with more furikake and chives. Serve katsu with cooked white rice, kimchi and katsu sauce.
- For the katsu sauce, whisk all the ingredients together and drizzle over katsu or serve alongside.
Video
Notes
To bake chicken katsu, use the same dredging and bake at place on a wire rack on a baking sheet, then bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until cooked through and crisp.
Both the chicken and katsu sauce can be made ahead of time, but keep seperate until ready to serve. The sauce cna make the breading soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 27gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 1917mgPotassium: 481mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 313IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 6mg
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