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Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce

Name: Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce
Prep time: 11 min
Total time: 14 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: boneless chicken — 680 g; salt — 5 g; black pepper — 3 g; all-purpose flour — 60 g; eggs — 200 g; italian-seasoned bread crumbs — 473 g; vegetable oil — 871 g; ketchup — 118 g; worcestershire sauce — 30 g; soy sauce — 15 g; granulated sugar — 13 g; rice wine vinegar — 4 g; steamed rice — 710 g; green cabbage — 473 g

Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce reads umami 6.1, salinity 5.3 and sweetness 5.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Japanese main, about 14 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.4 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 1.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.1 · Salinity 5.3 · Sweetness 5.0 · Richness 4.1 · Sourness 3.5 · Funk & Ferment 3.2 · Herbaceous 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Bitterness 1.2 · Fruity 1.0 · Nutty 1.0 · Earthy 1.0 · Heat 0.8

What's in it (14)

boneless chicken — 680 g
salt — 5 g
black pepper — 3 g
all-purpose flour — 60 g
eggs — 200 g
italian-seasoned bread crumbs — 473 g
vegetable oil — 871 g
ketchup — 118 g
worcestershire sauce — 30 g
soy sauce — 15 g
granulated sugar — 13 g
rice wine vinegar — 4 g
steamed rice — 710 g
green cabbage — 473 g

Time & effort: about 14 min (11 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 193.4 kcal, 11.3 g protein, 6.4 g fat, 22.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt and pepper, then pound each between sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet or heavy skillet to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
Set up a dredging station: flour in one shallow bowl, the beaten eggs in a second, and panko in a third. Coat each cutlet in flour, tapping off the excess.
Dip each floured cutlet in the egg, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the panko on both sides so the crumbs really adhere.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar; warm over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is glossy, 2-3 minutes, then take off the heat - this is your tonkatsu sauce.
Pour the oil into a large heavy skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat over medium-high until it reaches 350F (a pinch of panko dropped in should sizzle immediately on contact).
Fry two cutlets at a time, without crowding the pan, until deeply golden on the first side, 3-4 minutes.
Flip and fry until the second side is deeply golden and the chicken reaches 165F at the thickest point, 3-4 minutes more; lift onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan so the crust stays crisp. Return the oil to 350F and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
Let the cutlets rest 3 minutes so the juices settle, then slice each crosswise into 1-inch strips.
Divide the rice and shredded cabbage among plates, fan the sliced katsu alongside, and spoon tonkatsu sauce over the top, passing extra sauce at the table.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Pork Tonkatsu — Japanese
Chicken Katsu Sandwich — Japanese
Dongtae Jeon (Pan-Fried Pollack in Egg Batter) — Korean
Longganisa (Filipino Pork Sausage) — Filipino
Spicy Pork Katsu Sando — Japanese

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.