Chicken Katsu Easy Baked Chicken Katsu Wellplated Com

It was a damp November day. We’d been going for hours and were tired and hungry (ever feel that way after work?). We followed our noses to a tucked-away basement restaurant, grabbed our picture menus, and pointed at what looked like the ideal meal for the moment: juicy chicken breaded, fried, and served with a sweet, sticky Asian sauce often called tonkatsu. It was simple, satiating, and exactly what the moment needed.

Chicken katsu (or pork katsu, if pork cutlets are used instead of chicken breast) is ubiquitous throughout Japan.It is similar to our other culture’s versions of crispy chicken, such as southern Baked Fried Chicken and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, popular European dishes like schnitzel, and American-Italian Baked Chicken Parmesan.

What sets chicken katsu apart is how it’s pounded thinly, the use panko bread crumbs (which make it extra crunchy), and how it is served: with shredded cabbage, rice, lemon wedges, and tonkatsu sauce. If your family loves crispy breaded chicken (me too!), then you’ll adore chicken katsu. Today’s recipe is my baked version of chicken katsu, made accessible for the average American cook.

Instead of deep frying, I bake the chicken at a high temperature to make the outside crispy and keep the inside juicy.To mimic the indulgence of fried, prior to breading the chicken, I toast the breadcrumbs in a little bit of butter. It works like a dream!

How to Make Chicken Katsu Recipe

This baked version of chicken katsu uses butter-toasted breadcrumbs to create a yummy, crispy chicken without the fuss of a deep fryer. Here in the U.S., you can purchase it from many grocery stores or your local Asian market. I’ve also included a shortcut chicken katsu sauce recipe below that I adapted from Just One Cookbook. Serve it the traditional Japanese way (with shredded cabbage, rice, lemon, and tonkatsu sauce), or do a cultural mash-up and opt for your family’s favoring dipping sauces, like Barbecue Sauce, Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, or the honey mustard dipping sauce from my Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders.

The Ingredients

Chicken. Pounding the chicken cutlets until they’re nice and thin helps make them more tender. Plus, they cook in a flash! You can purchase chicken that is already sliced into cutlets, or cut your own from regular chicken breast.

Butter. Toasting the panko in butter adds rich, mouth-watering flavor to the breadcrumb coating without the need for a deep fryer. Panko. Creates the perfect crispy, crunchy coating. Flour + Egg. Helps the egg and breadcrumbs adhere to the outside for maximum crisp-age.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate leftover breaded chicken in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave. To Freeze. Freeze chicken in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Baking Sheet. My go-to for everything from roasted veggies to chicken katsu. Pie Dish. Perfect for the flour, egg, and breadcrumb mixtures. Meat Tenderizer. Great for pounding the chicken.

Every bite of this chicken katsu takes me back to that cozy restaurant in Tokyo.

Sauteed Cabbage

15 mins

Asian Cucumber Salad

15 mins

Asian Cabbage Salad

25 mins Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe. I hope it brings warmth and nourishment to your family too!

Chicken Katsu Video

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