Who doesn’t love a good crispy chicken cutlet? And in my humble opinion- chicken katsu is the best “fried chicken” around. The panko breadcrumbs are light, crunchy, and airy, leaving you with a crispy and satisfying exterior that doesn’t feel heavy or dense.
Growing up in Virginia, my family and I had a local Japanese restaurant in our hometown that I’m pretty sure we dined at weekly. My go-to order? Always the chicken katsu. Since moving to South Carolina and getting diagnosed with celiac disease, I haven’t gotten to have it again but have missed it dearly. I recently had a craving for it and decided to try and recreate it at home… and I’m very happy to report that it tastes identical to my favorite restaurant’s version!
The secret here for the crispiest, crunchiest cutlet is gluten-free panko breadcrumbs + cassava flour! You can also use gluten-free all-purpose flour, either one will produce a fabulous result. Make sure to press your chicken cutlets into the panko breadcrumbs after dipping into the wet batter to get a nice, thick coating of panko on all sides. Don’t let the frying part intimidate you- it’s actually super easy to do! Plus, for this dish, you only need a thin layer of oil in the bottom of the pan- just enough to crisp up the cutlet. I used avocado oil to fry, which I definitely recommend, but feel free to use any oil or tallow (don’t use olive oil, as it has too strong of a flavor).
Now, the chicken by itself is crave-worthy (and growing up, I ate the chicken by itself because I was in fact a picky eater), but the sauce is what takes the dish to the next level. It’s a simple mix of four simple ingredients you definitely already have at home: ketchup, Worcestershire, tamari/coconut aminos, and maple syrup! Traditionally, the sauce is made with sugar, but maple syrup gives it a lighter and natural sweetness that I find works really well. If you’d like to make it more traditional, feel free to substitute the maple syrup with white or light brown sugar!
Serve with steamed jasmine rice on the side and/or some veggies if you’d like. It’s simple, delicious, and comforting! You’re gonna love this one. Full recipe is below, enjoy friends! <3
Katsu Sauce (make first):
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp low-sodium tamari or coconut aminos
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup, or more to taste (or use white/light brown sugar)
Salt and pepper, if needed, to taste
Combine ketchup, tamari, Worcestershire, and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat. Allow to simmer/bubble for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced, thickened, and deepened in color. Set aside until serving.
For the Chicken Katsu:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (to equal 4 even cutlets. Make sure each cutlet is an even thickness)
2 eggs
3 tbsp cassava flour (or AP gluten-free flour)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2-2 cups gluten-free panko flakes
Avocado oil, for frying
Combine eggs, cassava, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or deep plate to make a wet batter. In another bowl, add your panko flakes.
Dredge chicken cutlets in batter, allow excess batter to drip off, then immediately dip into panko flakes to coat each cutlet. Make sure to press down to get a nice coating of panko on each cutlet.
Into a large deep skillet, pour oil to a depth of about 1/2”. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking (around 350°- I used a meat thermometer to monitor the temp and adjust heat as needed).
Working in batches if needed, carefully add chicken and cook, turning halfway through, until deeply golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack sitting on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken, adjusting heat of oil as needed.
Once all chicken has been fried to a deeply golden brown color and transferred to the wire rack, transfer baking sheet to a preheated 350° oven until chicken is 165° internal. Time it takes in oven will depend on the thickness of your cutlets. Keep warm in oven until ready to slice and serve.
For serving:
steamed jasmine rice
chopped cucumbers, radishes, and/or other vegetables
Lime wedges + scallions
Black and/or white sesame seeds
Katsu sauce
Slice chicken katsu cutlets and serve with accompaniments above. See below for plating inspiration
Make sure to dunk each bite of chicken/rice into the katsu sauce… YUM. I also served with a little extra tamari on the side for the rice!
I hope you love this recipe! Tag me or comment below if you try this for yourself- I’d love to see your recreations <3
Have a wonderful weekend friends!
With love,
Abigail
Soooo delicious!!!!
This is amazing.