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    Tonkatsu Chicken

    Jun 7, 2022 · 25 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Today we’re preparing deliciously moist, yet wonderfully crisp, panko fried chicken, which we’ll be pairing with a ginger and red pepper Tonkatsu sauce. The combination is sweet-yet-spicy, and decadently satisfying. As a nice bonus, the tonkatsu sauce couldn’t simpler to put together, making today’s recipe accessible for home chefs of all skill levels.

    Why To Try Today’s Tonkatsu

    1) Super Easy to Make. With no complicated prep or cooking techniques involved, making Tonkatsu is simply a matter of combining and then mixing the listed ingredients. As such, it couldn’t be easier to make.

    2) Get as ‘Fancy’ as You Like. With that said, there ‘are’ ways of fancying it up, such as by combining and simmering the ingredients in melted butter, or stirring in the melted butter, or thickening the sauce, or adding in various spices, leaving plenty of room for ‘veteran’ home chefs to complicate matters to their hearts delight.

    3) Goes Great on Everything. From eggs to burgers to steak to fried pork chops, this is one sauce that really does go great on just about everything.

    Ingredients Notes, Tips, and Substitutions

    1) What ‘is’ Tonkatsu, Donkatsu, and Donkkaseu? The honest answer to this is “It depends on who you ask.” First up, ‘Tonkatsu’ is a Japanese dish combining fried pork cutlets and a barbecue sauce. However, the word ‘tonkatsu’ is also regularly used to refer to the sauce on its own – or to the cutlets on their own. With that cleared up (sort of), both ‘donkatsu’ and ‘donkkaseu’ are Korean words for the same combination of fried cutlet and barbecue sauce, or, once again, to the sauce itself, or to the cutlets themselves. Today, we’re opting for the second definition – that being the sauce itself. For this particular sauce, there is no ‘one’ recipe (believe me, I looked, and looked, and looked). What I found was that the simplest recipes for this sauce generally consist of just four ingredients, those being Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, and mustard. More complex recipes tend to leave out the Worcestershire in favor of some combination of mirin, oyster sauce, and brown sugar. The most complex recipes toss in a veritable laundry list of seasonings ranging from MSG (no thanks), to powdered garlic, onion, ginger, mustard, mustard seed, and so on. The ‘fanciest’ of these recipes call for melted butter and assorted thickening agents (such as corn starch slurries). With all of that out of the way, I’m quite happy with how ‘my’ take on this difficult-to-nail-down sauce came out. It’s just thick enough for my taste, and has a nice mix of sweet, spicy, and umami flavors. With that said, feel free to mix and match to your heart’s content, because there really is no ‘one way’ or ‘right way’ to make this sauce.

    2) Panko vs Breadcrumbs. I’ll admit that I remember a time when Panko, here in the West, was only available in specialty stores and ‘ethnic markets.’ Today, by contrast, panko breadcrumbs are available in any decently stocked supermarket. However, despite their availability, most people still have at least two questions regarding these little gems. First, ‘what’ are they? And are they ‘really’ any different from ‘non-Panko’ breadcrumbs? First off, Panko is produced solely from crustless white bread, which is processed into flakes and ‘then’ dried. This process, generally, results in a dryer and flakier consistency than ‘non-Panko’ breadcrumbs, which in turn producers a ‘lighter yet crunchier’ consistency for the food it’s used to coat. By contrast, ‘non-Panko’ breadcrumbs can be made from any sort of bread – though higher end “Italian Breadcrumbs” will be made from Italian loaves. They also are typically ground into finer, more uniform crumbs, and due to the various oils that are used to prepare them, they tend to be ‘less dry’ than their Panko counterparts.

    Substitution: If you don’t have panko on hand, regular breadcrumbs will work just fine for today’s chicken.

    3) The Honey – This time, use the good stuff (or don’t). I’ve written several times that store brand honey is perfectly fine for ‘most’ kitchen applications, especially in ‘cooked’ applications. In fact, I can’t really think of an instance where a ‘cooked’ recipe would benefit from gourmet, raw honey. I say this because the qualities that separate gourmet or quality raw honey from ‘standard’ store brand are very nuanced, often coming down to delicate texture differences which are wholly destroyed during the cooking process, while any minor flavor differences will almost certainly be masked or overpowered by other ingredients. However, raw or gourmet honey is at home in things like salad dressings, dips, and delicate baked goods, where its nuanced flavors and delicate texture can really shine through, and that includes today’s recipe. So, ‘if’ you have the good stuff, this is one recipe that will definitely benefit from it.

    Substitution: Store brand, ‘regular’ honey will still work just fine in today’s recipe. So, if you want to save a few bucks, don’t worry about it, generic honey will work perfectly fine in today’s sauce.

    4) Ginger – Fresh is a ‘must.’ Ginger is described as everything from ‘punchy’ and ‘spicy,’ to ‘peppery’ and ‘citrusy,’ or as ‘garlic with a hint of citrus,’ and even ‘soapy.’ If ginger is hard to describe, it’s purely because of how unique the root is, despite it appearing as a staple ingredient in cuisines across the globe. Powdered ginger can be substituted for fresh, but fresh often ‘cannot’ substitute for powdered – as in cakes or cookies. Today, however, sorry to say, the Tonkatsu just isn’t the same without using fresh, since the ’zest’ and ‘bite’ that typifies fresh ginger is a key part of the flavor profile, and is almost completely absent in powdered.

    More Fried Delights

    1) Homemade Onion Rings. Onion rings and today’s panko fried chicken? Yes please. I prepare my onion rings with just a hint of spice, and a thick, dense batter that crisps up beautifully during frying.

    2) Fried Tofu Bites. Moist, fluffy tofu bites fried to crisped perfection, while maintaining a decadently moist and airy interior. I paired these with a chili-honey dipping sauce, and platted them over sauteed veggies and rice.

    3) Cajun Fried Chicken. This Cajun-style fried chicken features a substantial, crispy crust that bursting with flavor. Pleasantly spicy, and unabashedly decadent, this is one of my favorite fried chicken recipes.

    Print

    Tonkatsu Chicken

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 7 reviews

    • Author: Living the Gourmet
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Cuisine: Asian

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken cutlets – sliced thin
    • 3 eggs – beaten with a splash of water
    • 1 cup flour
    • 2 1/2 cups panko
    • Vegetable oil for frying
    • Scallions – for garnish
    • Sushi ginger

    For the Korean Tonkatsu Sauce:

    • 3 tsp. peppercorns – crushed in a mortar and pestle
    • 1 tsp. Korean Red Gochugaru flakes
    • 1 tsp. sugar
    • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger – grated
    • 4 – 5 cloves of fresh garlic – grated
    • 1 tbs. Gochujang Korean chili sauce
    • 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
    • 4 tbs. ketchup
    • 2 tbs. soy sauce
    • 1 tbs. honey

    Instructions

    • Set up three stations: a shallow bowl with flour, a shallow bowl with the egg-wash and finally one with the panko crumbs.
    • Dredge the cutlet first in the flour, then the egg-wash and finally in the panko.
    • Heat a large cast iron frying pan with about ½ inch of oil.
    • Set the prepared cutlets in the hot oil and allow a nice golden color to appear on one side, then carefully turn over and finish cooking on the other side.  This should take about 2 – 3 minutes per side depending on how thick the cutlets are sliced.  The juices should run clear when the cutlet is done.
    • Lay the cutlet on a platter prepared with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

    For the Korean Tonkatsu Sauce:

    • Combine all of the ingredients for the Tonkatsu Sauce in a medium bowl and stir.
    • Spoon over the cutlets when ready to serve.
    • Refrigerate the leftover sauce.

    Keywords: chicken, korean, spicy, Tonkatsu

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Irena says

      07/06/2022 at 11:06 pm

      Great recipe and the sauce was absolutely delicious and I would put it on anything Asian-esk.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:05 pm

        Dear Irena, Thank you for visiting and trying this recipe. It warms my heart that you let me know you liked it and took the time to tell me. xo

        Reply
    2. MJ says

      08/06/2022 at 2:20 am

      oh my gosh, I love the sauce with this dish! We were looking for some new flavors to use up some chicken we had, and this turned out delicious.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:06 pm

        Dear MJ, Thank you for letting me know that you enjoyed the sauce. It makes me so happy to know that you enjoyed it. Thank you for visiting xo

        Reply
    3. Kushigalu says

      08/06/2022 at 2:22 am

      Interesting chicken dish. I have never tried something like this before. Thanks for sharing.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:06 pm

        Thank you for visiting and taking the time to write. I hope that you enjoy this if you give it a try. xo

        Reply
    4. Janie | Naughty Kitchen says

      08/06/2022 at 2:42 am

      This is one of my favorites to order at restaurants. Now I can make it myself! I love breaded chicken with tonkatsu sauce over brown rice!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:07 pm

        Dear Janie, I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try. Please let me know if you do. Thank you for visiting. xo

        Reply
    5. Victoria says

      08/06/2022 at 3:52 am

      Wow! This looks incredibly delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe and for also including the nutritional information.

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:08 pm

        Dear Victoria, Thank you for visiting and your kind words. I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you decide to give it a try. xo

        Reply
    6. cyndy says

      08/06/2022 at 5:18 am

      This turned out super delicious and flavorful. Thank you for the great instructions. My family loved it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:09 pm

        So very happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this recipe. It makes me so happy. thank you for visiting and letting me know. xo

        Reply
    7. Samantha Donnelly says

      08/06/2022 at 7:47 am

      That looks amazing, we eat a lot of chicken in our house, and always love trying new recipes. Will be trying this one as think my family will love it

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:10 pm

        Dear Samantha, Chicken is a staple in my house too! I hope that your family enjoys this recipe if you give it a try. Please let me know. Thank you always for visiting. xo

        Reply
    8. Beth says

      08/06/2022 at 10:56 am

      Holy. Moly. This looks absolutely delicious! I have never heard of tonkatsu chicken before, but I’m definitely making it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:10 pm

        Dear Beth, Thank you for visiting. I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try. Please let me know if you do. xo

        Reply
    9. Talya says

      08/06/2022 at 2:05 pm

      I used to eat this all the time at the Japanese’s food stalls in Singapore when I lived there but have never tried making it but I shall do after seeing this!

      Reply
    10. Luna S says

      08/06/2022 at 2:43 pm

      Ooo I love how that turned out, the chicken looks so crispy and delicious! I haven’t had breakfast yet and this is making me hungry.

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:11 pm

        Dear Luna, Thank you for visiting and your kind words. I do hope that you enjoy this if you give it a try. xo

        Reply
    11. DAVID J MYERS says

      08/06/2022 at 5:01 pm

      Catherine, Great looking platter of chicken. I’d love it with all the spices and flavors going on! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:12 pm

        Dear Dave, I love the spices too. It makes everything better. I hope that you and Laurie are safe and well and enjoying the summer weather. All the very best and stay well.

        Reply
    12. Dan Rey says

      08/06/2022 at 5:05 pm

      I discovered about tonkatsu cooking just a week ago. You’re making me hungry!

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:13 pm

        Thank you for visiting Dan. I just discovered Tonkatsu chicken too!! I love it. I love the spicy flavors. I hope that you enjoy this if you give it a try.

        Reply
    13. Risa Lopez says

      08/06/2022 at 5:56 pm

      This looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe. My nieces will surely love it, they love tonkatsu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        09/06/2022 at 8:14 pm

        Dear Risa, I hope that your nieces enjoy this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try. how you enjoyed it. Thank you for visiting. xo

        Reply

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