Wherever you go in the world, a new food experience awaits. The adventure of trying new dishes that are unique to cultures is often what I dream of. Yet despite these hugely diverse cuisines, sometimes no matter where you go you can be certain of the one universal love: fried chicken.
Something magical happens when a piece of chicken is coated in a bread mixture and submerged in boiling oil. The crispiness of the outside as you break into the juiciness of the meat, what is not to love.
America has their Kentucky fried chicken, Germany has their schnitzel, and Japan has their torikatsu.
The wonderful thing about torikatsu, also known as chicken katsu is the breading, as it utilizes Panko versus regular bread crumbs. Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb, which is really more like bread flakes. The light, larger texture of Panko allows for the final product to be extra crispy!
Now what fried chicken is complete without some sort of dip or sauce? The sauce for this chicken is the perfect mix of sweet and savoury. The soy sauce, ginger and mirin provide the wonderful flavours of Asian cooking, while the Worcestershire adds the kick of salty, and the ketchup rounds out the base of the sauce. This Asian barbecue-esque sauce would also be brilliant as a marinade for vegetable kebabs or slathered on a juicy burger.
As with any meal that seems slightly less on the healthy side, I always try to include vegetables. Lightly steamed veggies, such as bok choy, are a great accompaniment as they help to impart a freshness to the dish.
Lastly, if you don’t completely devour this chicken (no judgments if you do) it makes for a great sandwich filling!
[kindred-recipe id=”1563″ title=”Chicken Katsu”]