Ingredients
Scale
- 4 x 5oz / 150g Chicken Breasts
- 8 slices of Thick White Bread
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1/2 White Cabbage, finely shredded
- 1/4 cup / 30g Plain Flour
- 1 cup / 240ml Vegetable Oil, or as needed
- Tonkatsu Sauce, to taste
- Kewpie Mayo, to taste
- Salt & Black Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip-lock bag. Using a rolling pin or meat mallet, pound to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Season both sides generously with salt and black pepper.
- Set up your breading station. Line up three shallow bowls: one with plain flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with panko breadcrumbs (if you have them) or use a thick crumb coating. Season the flour lightly with salt.
- Bread the chicken. Dredge each piece first in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip into the beaten egg, letting it coat fully. Press into the breadcrumb bowl firmly so the coating sticks on both sides. Set aside on a plate.
- Fry the chicken. Pour vegetable oil into a wide, heavy skillet to about 1/2 inch depth. Heat over medium-high until it shimmers and a breadcrumb dropped in sizzles immediately, around 350°F / 175°C. Fry the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and cooked through (internal temp 165°F / 74°C). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Shred the cabbage. While the chicken rests for 2 to 3 minutes, finely shred half a white cabbage using a sharp knife or mandoline. The finer the shred, the better the texture in the sandwich.
- Slice the katsu. Cut each fried chicken breast into thick diagonal slices so they lay flat on the bread and every bite gets full coverage.
- Build the sandwiches. Spread one slice of thick white bread with a generous layer of Kewpie mayo. Spread the opposite slice with tonkatsu sauce. Layer shredded cabbage on the sauced side, then arrange the sliced katsu on top. Press the two slices together firmly.
- Trim and serve. For a clean Japanese-style presentation, remove the crusts with a sharp knife and cut each sandwich in half. Serve immediately while the chicken is still warm and crispy.
Notes
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness so it cooks at the same rate throughout, no dry edges or undercooked centers.
- Rest the fried katsu on a wire rack instead of paper towels if you have one. It keeps the bottom crust from steaming and softening.
- Kewpie mayo has egg yolks and a rice vinegar base that regular mayo doesn’t, so it’s worth getting the real thing if you can.
- Make-ahead: you can bread the chicken up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered on a plate. Don’t assemble the full sandwiches until right before serving or the bread gets soggy fast.
- Double the batch and slice leftover katsu over rice with extra tonkatsu sauce for katsu don the next day.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 650 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg