By deep-frying chicken cutlet coated in panko breadcrumbs, you can perfect the consistency of crispy golden-brown crumbs around the chicken. This is how Japanese people make a Chicken Cutlet that is delicious and crackly.
When I made a video for Katsu Curry, I included making a chicken cutlet in it. But I thought I should add a video to this Chicken Cutlet recipe as well, so that you needn’t refer to the Katsu Curry video to view it.
Chicken Cutlet is called ‘chikin katsu‘ (チキンカツ) in Japanese. The word ‘katsu’ (カツ) is a short form of ‘katsuretsu’ (カツレツ) which came from the English word ‘cutlet’. As you can easily guess, ‘chikin‘ (チキン) is chicken.
The major differences between chikin katsu and the Western-style chicken cutlet (chicken schnitzel) are that, in the case of chikin katsu, you don’t tenderise the chicken piece by pounding and flattening, you use panko breadcrumbs and you deep-fry instead of shallow-fry.
I love any form of cutlet with any kind of meat or seafood, particularly when coarse Japanese panko breadcrumbs are used. I like the sound when I bite into a cutlet coated in panko breadcrumbs, as well as the crusty texture.
What’s in My Chicken Cutlet (Japanese Chicken Schnitzel)
The ingredients to make Chicken Cutlet are identical to chicken schnitzel, except that I use Japanese panko breadcrumbs.
- Chicken thigh fillets, skin removed
- Salt and pepper
- Flour
- Beaten egg
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Oil for deep frying
I like chicken thigh better than chicken breast because it is juicier. But if you wish, you can use breast fillets.
Panko breadcrumbs are the Japanese variety of breadcrumbs, and they are much coarser crumbs than the standard breadcrumbs used for dishes such as schnitzel. You can use normal breadcrumbs instead of panko, but then you will miss out the crunchiness, and it will probably look like schnitzel.
In addition to that, panko breadcrumbs absorb less fat than standard breadcrumbs (that’s why they are crunchier). So, if you have a choice please use panko.
Coarse panko breadcrumbs create a crunchy texture when fried.
How to Make Chicken Cutlet (Japanese Chicken Schnitzel)
The method of making Chicken Cutlet is almost the same as Tonkatsu, except for the preparation of the meat. You may be a bit hesitant to deep-fry, but the process of making Chicken Cutlet is pretty simple.
- Even out the thickness of the fillet by butterflying the fillet (see the subsequent section for details).
- Season the fillet with salt and pepper.
- Coat in flour, drench in egg, then coat in panko breadcrumbs.
- Deep-fry at 170-180°C/338-356°F until golden.
Thigh fillet is often uneven in thickness. The centre of the fillet is usually the thinnest and both sides of it can be much thicker.
If you fry the thigh fillet in this state, you will end up with the over-cooked meat in the centre and the under-cooked meat in the thicker parts of the chicken. To cook the thickest part through, you will need to fry it for longer, and then you will end up with burnt breadcrumbs.
Butterflying Chicken Fillet
To make the thickness of the thigh fillet even, you need to butterfly it (watch the video as well).
- Place the fillet on the cutting board, lengthwise. Position a sharp knife in the centre of the thigh fillet where the thickness starts.
- Slice horizontally into the chicken outward, dividing it half. Stop about 1-1.5cm / ½” from the opposite side.
- Open up the chicken outward by flipping the flesh above the knife.
- Do the same for the thick part of the meat on the other side.
This technique can also be used to make a breast fillet thinner. Breast fillet is just a thick block of meat, so you can slice the meat lengthwise to halve the thickness in the same way and open up the chicken, so it resembles butterfly wings.
Deep-fry, Not Shallow-fry
Just like Tonkatsu, Chicken Cutlet is deep-fried. Deep-frying uses up more oil than shallow-frying, but I think that in the case of chikin katsu, and Tonkatsu for that matter, it is better to deep-fry it.
In the case of the Western-style schnitzel, as you can see in the RecipeTin Eats post Schnitzel, the meat is pounded until it’s thin. Even if the meat is coated in breadcrumbs, it is much thinner than my crumbed chicken fillet. For those thin fillets, shallow frying is perfect.
But my crumbed chicken can be a couple of centimetres / ¾” thick. You will need much deeper oil to nicely brown the breadcrumbs. The ideal amount of oil is 3-3.5cm / 1¼-1⅜” deep regardless of the size of the pan/pot you use. The idea is that the crumbed chicken fillet submerges in the oil, allowing for the consistent browning of the crumbs.
If you are concerned about using up a lot of oil, my suggestion would be to use a small pan and deep-fry the chicken pieces one by one.
Chicken Cutlet is often served with shredded cabbage and accompanied by tonkatsu sauce (fruity thick sauce), such as the Bulldog tonkatsu sauce that I talked about in my post Yakisoba. As a main meal, Chicken Cutlet is eaten in exactly the same way as Tonkatsu.
Yumiko
Watch How To Make It
This is how Japanese people make a Chicken Cutlet that is deliciously crispy. By deep-frying the cutlet, you can perfect the consistency of the golden-brown crumbs around the chicken. Pour over fruity tonkatsu sauce to eat it. (Watch the video)
Cook Time assumes chicken is cooked in two batches.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 4 chicken thigh fillets (skinless and about 150g/5.3oz each, note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 30g/1.1oz flour
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (note 2)
- Oil to deep fry (note 3)
- Shredded Cabbage mixed with julienned carrot and cucumber
- Tonkatsu sauce (note 5)
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If the thickness of the thigh fillet is not even, cut into the thick part of the meat horizontally without cutting all the way through, then open it so that the fillet’s thickness becomes consistent (see the step-by-step photo in the post as well).
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Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
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Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in a shallow plate or bowl individually and line them up in this order. Place an additional clean plate or a small baking tray next to the breadcrumbs.
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Working one fillet at a time, coat a fillet with flour, shake off excess flour, then place it in the egg and coat all over. Allow excess egg to drip, then transfer to the breadcrumbs.
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Cover the entire fillet in breadcrumbs, making sure that a good layer of breadcrumbs is stuck to both sides. Repeat for the rest of the fillets.
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Heat oil in a deep-frying pan to 170-180°C/338-356°F (note 6). The amount of oil should be about 3-3.5cm/1¼-1⅜” deep.
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Gently place a fillet into the oil. Depending on the size of the pan, you may fry more than one at a time. But do not over crowd the pan.
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Fry for about 3 minutes or until the bottom side is browned. Using tongs, flip the fillet and cook for further 3 minutes until the other side is browned.
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Transfer the cutlet onto a tray lined with a couple of layers of paper towel to drain excess oil. Rest for 5 minutes.
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Cut each chicken cutlet into 2.5cm/1” wide strips. Serve with shredded cabbage with tonkatsu sauce.
1. I used chicken thigh fillets, but you can use breast fillets if you like.
2. The quantity of breadcrumbs required is approximate as it varies depending on how much you coat the fillets.
You can use normal breadcrumbs, but Japanese panko breadcrumbs are much coarser than standard breadcrumbs, and develop a crunchier texture when deep-fried.
If you can’t find panko breadcrumbs, you can make them by placing stale white bread in the blender and coarsely grinding it.
3. Vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil is good to use. Olive oil does not work with this dish.
4. Shredded lettuce and salad leaves are also good to go with Chicken Cutlet.
5. I use Bulldog tonkatsu sauce that I buy from a Japanese or Asian grocery store. You may even find it at supermarkets. Bulldog is the brand name of the sauce company. You can find more details of Bulldog sauces in my post Yakisoba.
I think tonkatsu sauce is the best for cutlets, but some people do not enjoy the fruity sweet favour. If you are not fond of sweet sauce, you can use Worcestershire sauce.
6. To check the temperature of the oil without using a thermometer:
a. Drop a small number of breadcrumbs into the oil. The breadcrumbs will spread with tiny bubbles around them.
b. Stick a pair of bamboo chopsticks into the oil. Bubbles appear around the chopsticks and come up constantly when the oil is the correct temperature.
7. Nutrition per serving. It assumes the amount of oil absorbed into the cutlet is 10% of the weight of the meat, and all of the flour, egg, breadcrumbs are used up (unlikely).
serving: 209g calories: 566kcal fat: 40g (62%) saturated fat: 707g (39%) trans fat: 0.3g polyunsaturated fat: 8.1g monounsaturated fat: 21g cholesterol: 189mg (63%) sodium: 516mg (22%) potassium: 362mg (10%) carbohydrates: 22g (7%) dietary fibre: 1.3g (5%) sugar: 1.7g protein: 30g vitamin a: 4% vitamin c: 0% calcium: 5.3% iron: 14%
Originally published in March 2017 as part of the Katsu Curry post, separated from Katsu Curry to be standalone and improved photos and contents with Meal Ideas in April 2020 (no change to recipe), improved contents and added video in June 2022.
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
Chicken Cutlet goes well with dishes that have mayonnaise flavour. My choice for Side dish 1 is Root Vegetable Salad with Wasabi Mayonnaise. Japanese Pasta Salad or Potato Salad is also a good match.
When I serve a deep-fried dish, I always try to add something that cleanses the palate. Today, I chose Cucumber and Seaweed Sunomono (Vinegar Dressing).
- Main: Chicken Cutlet (Japanese Chicken Schnitzel) – today’s recipe.
- Side dish 1: Root Vegetable Salad with Wasabi Mayonnaise – alternatively Japanese Pasta Salad (Spaghetti Salad) or Japanese Potato Salad.
- Side dish 2: Cucumber and Seaweed Sunomono (Vinegar Dressing).
- Soup: Miso Soup of your choice from Miso Soup Ingredient Combinations or your favourite ingredients.
- Rice: Cooked Rice.
I love this, but there is no store-bought katsu sauce to be had in Belize.
Hi SJam, I am sorry that you can’t buy tonkatsu sauce. You can mix Worcestershire sauce and ketchup to make the sauce thicker and sweeter as an alternative.
Absolutely delicious! Perfectly simple, too. I paired it with Japanese curry, and it tasted exactly like I remember having in Japan!
Hi Alisha, I am glad to know that it brought you back a good memory of Japan. Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Hi Yumiko, just wondering, if this recipe is suitable for freezing after breaded with breadcrumbs for my bentos. Should they be fried first or is it perfectly safe to freeze raw. I’ve been freezing all my bento stash raw but feels a little worried when some you tube cooking channel(Japanese), advising to cook the food first before freezing.
Thank you.
Hi NJ, some dishes are better to freeze after cooking, some before cooking. In the case of chicken cutlet, you can freeze either before frying or after frying. Freezing crumbed chicken raw is perfectly OK. You need to deep-fry the frozen crumbed chicken without thawing otherwise the crumbs become wet. The temperature of the oil should be medium-low to let the meat thaw without browning the crumbs too much. If you know that some crumbed chicken pieces are to be frozen, you may want to make these chicken pieces slightly thinner than others so that they will thaw faster when fried.
A well executed deep fry actually leaves less oil in the item you cook. Shallow frying doesn’t seal the item as well, and it will absorb more of the cooking oil.
Hi Adran, I wasn’t sure about the absorption rate between deep-frying and shallow-frying. But deep-frying certainly needs much more oil to cook than shallow-frying. Having said that I like deep-frying better.
I discovered a way to duplicate by baking..simply take the panko, add oil to it, ant stir fry/toast in a skillet until it is colored well, then do all the same steps, flour, egg, panko, then put on parchment on a baking sheet for easy clean up, bake or convection roast, it turns out great!
Actually, add oil to the skillet first and heat, then toast panko..been a while, I wasn’t remembering properly!
Hi Katanahamon, thanks for the tip to make Chicken Cutlet without deep-frying. Excellent trick to toast panko first. My daughter Nagi used a similar method when she posted Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken Tenders.
Can I bake the chicken rather than fry it?
Hi Gianna, yes you can. You need to spray oil all over the crumbed chicken before baking.
I posted above, if you oil a skillet, toast the panko first until colored, it is shocking how crispy you can then get the oven baked chicken to be, with less oil!
Would this recipe possibly work in an air fryer?
Hi Patrice, I don’t have an air fryer so I can not give you a detailed advice, but it should work. You would need to spray oil over the crumbed chicken before cooking.
Hi Patrice
I tried this in the air fryer tonight and it worked perfectly well. I followed The recipe to prepare (using chicken breasts sliced to uniform thickness), then sprayed each side of the cutlet with a small amount of oil, and cooked at 180 degrees for about 12 minutes (in batches so as not to overcrowd the air fryer). I’m very happy with the results. Served with the curry recipe on this site and Japanese rice (thank you for the recipes, Nagi’s mum!)
Julie
Hi Julie, that’s great! Your method of cooking chicken cutlet certainly can cut down the amount of oil.
Hi! Recipe says 1 Table spoon of soy sauce into a plate but doesn’t say what to use that for.
Hi Vic, I am not sure where you see ‘1 Tablespoon of soy sauce’ in my chicken Cutlet recipe. Could it be a different recipe?
Hi Yumiko – would these be suitable for freezing and if so what would the best way to reheat to retain its crispiness?
Hi Scott, yes you can freeze them after deep-frying.Thaw and wam them up in microwave, then crips them in the oven. You may spray oil to make it crispier.
What is that dark sauce that’s be drizzled on the chicken?
Hi Carmela, the sauce is called Tonkatsu sauce which is sweeter and thicker than Worcestershire sauce. I used the Bulldog brand tonkatsu sauce. See the note 5 of the recipe card which explains about it, referring to the photos in other post.