Are you a fan of recipe sites that let the visitors post reviews? I used to be, but I got tired of finding out that 5-star recipe got most of its good reviews from people who never made it, but really liked the picture. Or that a highly rated recipe was changed so much when it was made that the reviewer was giving high praise based on their own version, which happens to be a completely different recipe than the one they are given the rating too!

I think the first time you make a recipe you should make it as written… or as reasonably close as you can. Sure, you might want to use brown rice instead of white or substitute low sodium soy sauce or even cut back on the sugar a bit. I don’t see a problem with any of that. But when someone decides to leave out the ground almonds in a flourless cake or use baking powder instead of baking soda, they have no one but themselves to blame for their failure!

This is definitely one of those recipes that you shouldn’t mess with. It might sound like it needs messing with but once you change it, it will no longer be chicken katsu! It doesn’t need herbs in the breadcrumbs or to be made with chicken breasts instead of thighs. You don’t need to replace the water with buttermilk or add a few dashes of hot sauce. It won’t be just as good if you bake it, and it won’t be just as juicy if you cut it into strips before you cook it!

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 TBSP Worcester sauce
• 4 TBSP ketchup
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 TBSP water whisked with 2 TBSP cornstarch to make a slurry

Chicken

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
• 4 cups panko breadcrumbs
• Veg oil, for frying

Instructions

Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together all the sauce ingredients except the slurry.
2. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and whisk in the slurry.
3. Return the sauce to the heat and whisking constantly, bring back up to a boil.
4. Continue to whisk while boiling for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Chicken

1. Trim any large bits of gack (fat and grisly bits) from the thighs, rinse them and pat them dry.
2. Cover one thigh at a time with a piece of plastic wrap (don’t wrap it, just cover it like a blanket) and pound it as thin as you can with rolling pin. Repeat with the other 7 thighs.
3. In a large wide bowl, whisk together the eggs, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder & water.
4. Put the breadcrumbs in a large flat plate with a high rim, like a pie plate.
5. Line a large platter or a baking sheet with plastic wrap, this will need to fit into your fridge.
6. Bread the thighs by first dipping them into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs. Do just one thigh at a time, making sure that you really coat each one well with the crumbs. Then lay them flat onto the prepared platter or baking sheet.
7. Cover the thighs loosely with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for 15 minutes.
8. Place an oven-proof cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with kitchen paper towel.
9. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting or the warm setting.
10. Put enough vegetable oil into a large frying pan so that it is 1/2 an inch high.
11. Heat the oil to 350f, and then add the chicken a few pieces at a time (depending on the size of your pan).
12. Fry each piece until golden brown and crispy, about 4 or 5 minutes on each side.
13. Place the cooked pieces on the cooling rack in the oven to keep warm until all the chicken is ready to serve.

To Serve

1. Once all of the chicken is cooked, cut each piece into strips.
2. Carefully place two of the cut up thighs onto a dinner plate for each person along with 1/4 of the sauce.

Makes 4 Servings – Serve with Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (recipe below)

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

To be perfectly honest, this isn’t the best looking salad I’ve ever seen. I do enjoy the taste of it though. Especially with the chicken katsu. The grated onion really makes the sauce, and I’ve never found any reason to mess with the ingredients. If you think you’d like to change it, please at least try it as written first!

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb dry elbow macaroni
• 1 small yellow onion, grated
• 1 & 1/2 cups mayo
• 1 TBSP milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 small carrot, grated

Instructions

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, except add 3 minutes to the cooking time so that the pasta is slightly overcooked.
2. Rince the pasta in cold water until it is cold, drain well.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the onion (grated onion looks like a slushy liquid), mayo, milk, salt, and pepper.
4. Add the cooled, drained macaroni and the grated carrot to the sauce.
5. Fold and stir until the salad is well mixed and the macaroni is thoroughly coated.
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
7. Stir before serving.

Makes 4 Servings