Chicken Katsu Curry By @coxys_kitchen
Crispy breaded chicken, served with silky smooth Japanese curry sauce, most commonly known as ‘Chicken Katsu Curry,’ is one of the most popular Japanese dishes all over the world – and it’s easy to understand why.
This Japanese staple can easily be adapted to your taste, by simply adjusting the mild to medium spiced curry sauce, or swapping the chicken for pork, known as tonkatsu and the original version of this dish – or even tofu, if you’re vegan or vegetarian.
Sadly, food marketers have fooled the British population into believing that ‘Katsu’ is the sauce. The word katsu is simply the Japanese word for ‘cutlet’ and the sauce; an adaption of an Indian curry sauce, adapted to suit the Japanese palate.
Chicken Katsu Curry is a great dish to scale up or down – make it for yourself, your family or even for a relaxed dinner party with the sauce-covered katsu served on a large platter as the centrepiece.
Recipe serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 – 60 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
For the sauce:
- 1 Tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 Thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp medium curry powder, or hot if you prefer
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 Tbsp plain flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 600ml chicken stock
For the chicken:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 100g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 150g panko breadcrumbs
- 120ml vegetable oil
METHOD:
- Place each chicken breast between two sheets of baking parchment and beat with a rolling pin or meat mallet to flatten the chicken breast to an even thickness, approx. 1 cm thick
- Put the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs onto separate dinner plates or containers, then coat each chicken breast in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Place the breaded chicken on a plate and set aside
- For the sauce, heat the oil on a low to medium heat in a large sauce pan, then add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Add the carrot, ginger and garlic, lower the heat and cook with the lid on for around 12 minutes until the vegetables start to caramelise. Stir occasionally to prevent them from burning or sticking to the pan
- Stir in the curry powder, garam masala and flour, then slowly poor in the chicken stock a little at a time, to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaf, soy and honey, and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has thickened, remove the bay leaf and transfer the sauce to a blender, blitz until smooth then return it to the pan. If the sauce is too thick add a little more chicken stock, then taste and if necessary adjust the seasoning. If you don’t have a blender, pass the sauce through a sieve for a silky smooth sauce, or leave it as it is and serve the sauce chunky
- To cook the chicken, take a large frying pan and heat the oil (use 30ml of oil per chicken breast), when the oil is hot, cook each chicken breast individually (unless you can fit more in the pan) for 3-4 minutes on each side, until the breadcrumbs have turned golden and the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a warm oven to keep the chicken warm while you cook the others.
- When all the chicken is cooked, slice each one on an angle and arrange on individual plates or a large platter, pour over the sauce and serve with sticky jasmine rice and steamed pak choy
Coxy’s Kitchen Tips…
- Swap the chicken for pork, beef or a meaty white fish, or for a vegan or veggie option, try it with tofu or a cauliflower steak.
- Make a large batch of the curry sauce by upscaling the measurements, then pop it in the freezer for another day.
About Coxy’s Kitchen
Coxy’s Kitchen provides a dinner party, private dining and ‘at your home’ cooking service throughout Yorkshire. If you love having dinner parties but don’t fancy the cooking, contact Coxy’s Kitchen to cook your next dinner party. To make an enquiry or for an initial consultation, please email [email protected]
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