Chicken Katsu Curry for a Rainy Evening

It had rained all Monday. The river was high, the windows were streaked, and Pippa came in dripping, holding an empty plate. “I am not hinting,” she said. She had a pair of chopsticks tucked behind one ear. She was hinting.

Gerzsi knew exactly what a rainy evening needed: katsu curry. He started the rice first, then put the onion, carrots and turnips on to simmer with broth and a block of Japanese curry roux. Within ten minutes the whole inn smelled warm and spicy.

Then the chicken. Gerzsi set up three bowls in a row: flour, beaten egg, panko. Pippa pressed the crumbs on with great care, because she likes things tidy. Gerzsi heated the oil, but he could not tell if it was hot enough. Chef Tamás dropped in a pinch of panko. It fizzed hard. Gerzsi laid in the first two cutlets.

Three minutes a side, a short rest on the rack, then Gerzsi sliced each golden cutlet into strips with a satisfying crunch. Rice in the bowl, curry over it, katsu on top, a pile of shredded cabbage on the side.

Pippa’s plate was not empty for long. “Still not hinting,” she said, holding it out again.

Why this one works

A boxed Japanese curry roux does the heavy lifting: it thickens the sauce and seasons it in about ten minutes. Butterflying the chicken breasts makes thin, even cutlets that cook through in the time it takes the panko to turn golden. Resting the cutlets on a wire rack keeps the bottom as crisp as the top.

Chicken Katsu Curry

• Servings: 4
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Crisp panko-crusted chicken cutlets on white rice with a thick Japanese curry of onion, carrot and turnip, and shredded cabbage on the side.

Ingredients

For the curry and rice:
• 1 cup (200 g) white rice (short- or medium-grain is best)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 onion, cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) pieces
• 2 carrots, cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) pieces
• 1 lb (450 g) turnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) pieces
• 2 cups (475 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 2 cups (475 ml) water
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 4 oz (115 g) Japanese curry roux (boxed curry mix)
For the katsu:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into 4 cutlets
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups (75 g) panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) vegetable or canola oil, for frying
To serve:
• 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
• 4 lemon wedges

Directions

1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then fluff it.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion for about 3 minutes, until it turns translucent.
3. Add the carrots, turnips, broth, water, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil.
4. Break the curry roux into pieces and stir it in until it melts. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway, until the vegetables are tender and the curry is thick. Thin it with a splash of broth if needed. Keep it warm on low.
5. While the curry simmers, set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet next to the stove. Put the flour, eggs and panko in three shallow bowls.
6. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge each one in flour, dip it in egg, then press it into the panko so the crumbs stick on both sides.
7. Heat the frying oil in a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat to about 350°F (175°C). A few panko crumbs dropped in should fizz hard right away.
8. Fry 2 cutlets at a time for about 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and cooked through (165°F / 74°C in the center). Move them to the rack, sprinkle with a little salt and let them rest for 2 minutes. Repeat with the rest.
9. Slice the cutlets into 1/2-inch (1 cm) strips. Spoon rice into bowls, ladle the curry over one side, lay the katsu on top and add cabbage and a lemon wedge.

Japanese curry roux comes in boxes labeled mild, medium hot or hot. Look for it in the international aisle or at an Asian grocery store.
No turnips? Potatoes are the classic choice in Japanese curry and work just as well.
Cooked cutlets freeze well. Reheat them on a rack in a 350°F (175°C) oven until hot and crisp.
Never leave hot oil unattended, and keep a lid nearby.

🛒 Worth buying for this recipe

• Zojirushi 5.5-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker. The winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s rice cooker test: excellent rice in both small and large batches. Set it and forget it while you fry. About $224 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Enameled Cast Iron 7-Qt Casserole. ATK’s Best Buy Dutch oven, close to the winner at a fraction of the price. Its heavy base keeps frying oil at a steady temperature. About $102 on sale at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• Checkered Chef Cooling Rack. The winner of ATK’s wire rack test: sturdy, and it fits inside their favorite baking sheet. Keeps the bottom of the katsu crisp. About $28 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• Nordic Ware Baker’s Half Sheet. ATK’s winning rimmed baking sheet. Goes under the rack to catch drips. About $15 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• Rösle Wire Skimmer. ATK’s favorite spider for frying. Lifts cutlets out of the oil without knocking off the crust. About $30 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• TempPro Lightning TP622 instant-read thermometer. Highly Recommended by America’s Test Kitchen: quick, accurate and backlit. Check that the center of each cutlet reaches 165°F (74°C). Check price. See it on Amazon

How Chef Tamás makes it

Katsu curry is often on the daily menu at Chef Tamás’s restaurant, and he cooks the curry sauce ahead in a big batch. His changes to the recipe above: chicken thighs instead of breasts, potatoes instead of turnips, and apple or honey in the curry. He also bakes the cutlets in the oven instead of frying them in oil.

Tools we use

Tamás didn’t name brands for this one. The linked models are America’s Test Kitchen’s picks for the same jobs.

• A pot for the rice.
• A cast-iron pot or Dutch oven for frying. See the ATK pick on Amazon
• A deep skillet.
• A meat mallet. See the ATK pick on Amazon

Chef Tamás’s tricks

• Pound the chicken to an even thickness.
• When he fries, the oil is at 340 to 355°F (170 to 180°C).
• Rest the cutlets on a rack, not on paper.
• Salt them after frying.
• Don’t pour the curry over the cutlets, or the crust goes soggy. Other common mistakes: breading that falls off, tough and dry meat, a greasy crust instead of a crisp one, and curry that is too thick or too thin.
• Serve it the way the recipe does, with rice, cabbage and lemon, or schnitzel-style with potato salad.

Adapted from Chicken Katsu and the curry from Pork Katsu Curry on Food Network. Cooked our way at the inn.

Sources

• Food Network Kitchen: Chicken Katsu
• Food Network Kitchen: Pork Katsu Curry
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best rice cookers
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best Dutch ovens
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best wire racks
• America’s Test Kitchen: The gear you need to deep-fry with confidence
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best instant-read thermometers
• USDA: Safe minimum internal temperatures