Spicy Chicken Katsu

Katsu chicken is a popular Japanese dish featuring a breaded and deep-fried chicken cutlet. The chicken is typically pounded thin, coated in flour, dipped in egg, and covered with panko breadcrumbs for a light, crispy texture.

Katsu chicken is best served with steamed rice and a side of shredded cabbage, often dressed with a light sesame or vinaigrette dressing. For added flavour, include a small bowl of tangy katsu sauce for dipping. Traditional accompaniments like miso soup or pickled vegetables, such as daikon or ginger, complement the dish well.

Katsu chicken is not typically spicy. Its flavour profile is mild and savoury, with a crispy coating and a hint of sweetness from the accompanying katsu sauce. The dish focuses more on texture and a balance of rich and tangy flavours rather than heat. However, our recipe is spicy! It includes chilli powder – up the quantity if you prefer a spicier taste and reduce it if you don't.

Chicken katsu can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet, but it’s not typically considered a health-focused dish due to its deep-fried preparation. The breaded coating adds fat, and traditional pairings like rice and katsu sauce can be carb-heavy and sugary. However, it can be made healthier by baking or air frying the chicken instead of deep frying, using whole-grain breadcrumbs, and pairing it with lighter sides like steamed vegetables or a fresh salad.

Chicken katsu curry is a Japanese dish that combines the Western-inspired katsu (breaded and fried cutlet) with Japanese curry, a mild and slightly sweet curry introduced to Japan via British influence in the late 19th century. The dish exemplifies yoshoku cuisine, which adapts Western dishes to Japanese tastes. While its components originated separately, the pairing of crispy katsu with thick curry sauce over rice became a beloved comfort food in Japan and is now enjoyed worldwide.

Chicken katsu differs from traditional fried chicken in preparation, texture, and flavour. Katsu involves thin, boneless chicken cutlets coated in panko breadcrumbs, creating a light and crispy texture, while fried chicken typically uses bone-in pieces with a thicker batter or seasoned flour for a crunchier, heavier crust. Katsu is served with katsu sauce, a tangy-sweet condiment, and often paired with rice and cabbage, while fried chicken is usually seasoned more robustly and served with sides like chips or coleslaw.

Chicken katsu and chicken schnitzel are similar but not the same. Both involve thin, breaded, and fried chicken cutlets, but katsu uses panko breadcrumbs for a lighter, crispier texture, while schnitzel typically uses finer breadcrumbs. Katsu is Japanese and often served with katsu sauce, rice, and cabbage, whereas schnitzel is of European origin, commonly Austrian or German, and served with sides like potatoes and salads.