Ingredients
Curry Sauce
- 4 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 small yellow onions, sliced thin
- 1 small Honeycrisp apple, peeled and grated
- 4 1/2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 3/4 Tbsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 1/2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp White Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 3 3/4 cups water
- Salt to taste
Chicken Katsu
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable or Canola oil, for frying
Make the Curry Sauce
In a medium pot over medium heat, get the onions cooking in a tablespoon of oil until they’re soft and translucent, which takes about 5-7 minutes. Add the grated apple and let it cook for another minute.
Drop in the butter. Once it’s melted, whisk in the flour and cook the roux for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until it smells slightly nutty.
Add the curry powder, garam masala, bouillon cubes, ginger, and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Slowly pour in the water while you whisk to prevent clumps. Once it’s smooth, stir in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and peppers.
Let the sauce come to a low simmer and hold it there for ~20 minutes.
Don’t let it boil. Skim any foam that rises to the surface.
After it’s done simmering, taste it and add salt if you think it needs it.
Prepare the Chicken
While the sauce simmers, get the chicken ready. Place a chicken breast on a cutting board, cover it with plastic wrap, and pound it to an even thickness of about a half-inch. Focus on the thicker parts, then season both sides with salt and pepper.
Set up three shallow bowls for your dredging station: one for the flour, one for the beaten eggs, and one for the panko.
Take a piece of chicken and press it into the flour, shaking off the excess. Move it to the egg and coat it completely, letting the excess drip off.
Press the chicken firmly into the panko on both sides; you want a thick, solid crust. Place the breaded cutlets on a wire rack while you heat the oil.
Fry the Katsu
Pour about an inch of oil into a large skillet and get it to ~350°F. Use a thermometer.
If the oil is too cool you’ll get greasy chicken, and if it’s too hot the panko will burn before the chicken is cooked.
Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil.
Don’t overcrowd the pan; fry the katsu in batches if you need to.
Cook for ~4-6 minutes on each side, until the panko is deep golden brown and the internal temp hits 165°F. Move the cooked katsu to a clean wire rack to drain.
Let it rest for a couple of minutes before you slice it into strips to serve with the curry sauce over rice.
Katsu Chicken Curry
Ingredients
Curry Sauce
- 4 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 small yellow onions sliced thin
- 1 small Honeycrisp apple peeled and grated
- 4 1/2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 3/4 Tbsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 1/2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 3 garlic cloves grated or minced
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp White Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 3 3/4 cups water
- Salt to taste
Chicken Katsu
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable or Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat oil in pot over medium heat, cook onions until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add grated apple, cook 1 minute.
- Add butter, melt, then whisk in flour. Cook roux 1-2 minutes until nutty.
- Stir in curry powder, garam masala, bouillon, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds.
- Gradually whisk in water until smooth. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and peppers.
- Simmer sauce gently for 20 minutes, skimming foam as needed.
- Pound chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness, season with salt and pepper.
- Set up dredging station: flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs.
- Coat chicken in flour, then egg, then press firmly into panko.
- Heat 1 inch oil in skillet to 350°F.
- Fry chicken 4-6 minutes per side until golden brown and internal temp reaches 165°F.
- Rest chicken 2 minutes before slicing.
- Serve katsu strips over rice with curry sauce.
