Chicken Katsu Rice Bowls

• 4chicken thigh fillets, butterflied and bashed flat
• 60 gplain flour
• 2eggs, beaten
• 120 gpanko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 3 tbspketchup
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbsphoney
• 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tspmild curry powder
• 2 x 250gpre-cooked jasmine rice pouches
• ½cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 tbspsesame seeds, toasted
• 3spring onions, thinly sliced
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 200 gshredded red cabbage slaw (optional)
• 50 gpickled ginger (optional)
• 800 mlmiso soup (optional)

Method

1. 1Set up a breading station: plain flour in one shallow bowl, beaten eggs in a second, panko in a third. Season the flour generously with salt and black pepper; season the meat itself, so don't be shy.
2. 2Coat each butterflied chicken piece; flour first, shaking off the excess, then egg, then panko. Press the breadcrumbs on firmly with the flat of your hand so they form a thick, even crust that won't shed in the pan.
3. 3Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high until it shimmers and a stray crumb fizzes on contact. Lay the chicken in carefully; work in two batches if your pan is on the small side. Crowd the pan and the temperature drops, the crust goes pale and greasy instead of shattering and golden.
4. 4Fry for 4–5 minutes on each side until deeply golden and cooked through (75°C for 30 seconds internal). Resist the urge to nudge them early; that's how you get the proper shattering crust. Rest on a wire rack rather than kitchen paper so the underside stays crisp.
5. 5While the chicken fries, toast the curry powder in a small dry pan for 30–60 seconds until fragrant. Tip into a bowl with the ketchup, soy, honey and Worcestershire and whisk until smooth and glossy. Taste: it should be sweet, savoury and gently curry-warmed. Most of the salt comes from the soy, but a final pinch ties it together if it needs it.
6. 6Heat the rice pouches according to the pack instructions and fluff with a fork. Slice the rested chicken on the diagonal into thick strips so you can see the steam rising off the crumb.
7. 7Tip the katsu sauce into the still-warm frying pan off the heat, swirl for 20 seconds so it loosens and turns glossy; this turns it from a thick paste into something that pours and pools properly around the chicken rather than sitting on top in a stripe.
8. 8Build the bowls: a mound of jasmine rice, a fan of cucumber alongside, then the crispy katsu strips piled on top. Spoon the warmed katsu sauce over generously, scatter with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions, and serve with any of the optional red cabbage slaw, pickled ginger and miso soup if using.

Per serving

kcal

666

protein

35.5g

fibre

3.4g

carbs

80.8g

fat

21.7g