Shatteringly crispy panko crusted katsu-style chicken cutlets with kewpie mayo and karashi mustard between two slices of fluffy white Japanese milk bread.
I feel like almost every part of the world has some sort of deep-fried cutlet: thin, sometimes lightly pounded meat coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Done right, they’re something that brings me deep joy. I love the crispy crunch and the juice – so satisfying.
I love all kinds of cutlets, but one of the ones I hold near and dear to my heart is the Japanese version: katsu. If I see a katsu sando, or cutlet sandwich in Japan, it’s almost a compulsion: I must eat it. It’s a good thing (or maybe a bad thing) that they sell them almost everywhere. You can find katsu sando in high end tonkatsu shops, at the corner convenience store, at the grocery store, basically everywhere food is sold.
I love katsu sandos so much that of course I make them at home. They’re quick and easy and oh so satisfying. What’s not to love about a crispy deep fried piece of meat sandwiched between two fluffy pieces of white bread, with the crusts cut off?
Chicken Katsu Sando: Crispy Japanese Chicken Sandwich Recipe
serves 1
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 thin chicken cutlets, lightly pounded
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten, in a shallow bowl
- 1 cup panko
- oil, for frying
- 2 slices bread, shokupan Japanese milk bread preferred
- Kewpie mayonnaise, to taste
- Japanese mustard, to taste
- tonkatsu sauce, to taste
Lightly season both sides of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Dip the chicken into the lightly beaten egg and then into the panko, making sure that all sides are coated.
Heat up half an inch of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, flipping once, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Spread Kewpie mayo on one slice of bread and Japanese mustard on the other. Add the chicken to one slice of bread and drizzle with tonkatsu sauce, top with the other slice of bread. Slice off the crusts, if desired and enjoy immediately.
This is delicious. It brings back memories of the sandwiches my mom made for me in our native Japan.