Chicken Katsu

• 3 chicken breasts (1.6 lb)
• 2 Tbsp. sake
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• All purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• Panko
• Oil for deep frying
• Tonkatsu Sauce (link)

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Slice the chicken diagonally.* This cutting technique is called “Sogigiri” in Japanese. Each piece will have more surface area so it will cook faster.
2. Put the chicken in a bowl and add sake, salt, and pepper. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Dust the flour on the chicken and remove excess flour.
4. Then dip it in beaten egg.
5. Lastly, dredge the chicken in panko and remove the excess.
6. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in the cast iron skillet.** Here I dropped a piece of panko to see if the oil is ready. If you are new to deep frying, use a thermometer to check the temperature of oil (Read How To Deep Fry Food). Deep frying oil for Chicken Katsu should be 350F (180C) degree.
7. Put 2-3 pieces of chicken in at a time. If you put too many chicken pieces, the temperature of oil will drop too quickly and the chicken will end up absorbing too much oil.
8. Deep fry until both sides are golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined tray to remove excess oil.
9. Between batches, make sure to pick up breadcrumbs. When you don’t pick them up, the breadcrumbs will get burnt and the oil will get darker. Make sure to keep the oil clean throughout deep frying.