Ono Grindz 808
Plate Lunch

Chicken Katsu

Shattering panko crust, juicy chicken, and that sweet-tangy katsu sauce.

Chicken Katsu
Prep20 min
Cook20 min
Total40 min
Serves4

Chicken katsu came to Hawai'i through Japan and never left the plate lunch lineup. The local version is all about the sauce — sweeter and fruitier than Tokyo tonkatsu sauce — and about cutting the cutlet into strips so you can eat it with chopsticks over rice.

The three-station breading (flour, egg, panko) is the whole game. Press the panko on like you mean it.

How fo’ make ’um

  1. Stir all the katsu sauce ingredients together and set aside — it gets better as it sits.
  2. Trim the thighs and pound the thick spots so each piece is an even ½ inch. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Set up three shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg, panko. Coat each thigh in flour (shake off excess), then egg, then press firmly into the panko so it's completely shingled in crumbs.
  4. Heat ⅓ inch of oil in a wide skillet to 340–350°F — a panko crumb should sizzle instantly and float.
  5. Fry 2–3 pieces at a time, 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, so the bottom stays crisp.
  6. Rest 3 minutes, slice crosswise into strips, and serve over rice with the sauce on the side (or drizzled — house rules apply). Add mac salad for the full plate.

Local tips

  • Thighs stay juicier than breasts and are the local standard.
  • Keep one hand 'dry' and one hand 'wet' while breading or you'll bread your fingers.
  • Leftover katsu becomes katsu curry tomorrow. Plan accordingly.

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