In the comments section of a recent post, "FOY" DerekR asked me what I've been cooking recently. I know that during Covid, I used to do many more cooking type posts. And to be honest, much of what I make these days are tried and true recipes that I've posted over the years. And to be perfectly honest, lot of what I cook just use techniques that I've picked up over the years.
For instance, these days you'll be hard pressed getting the Missus to order chicken katsu when dining out. It's got to be highly recommended for Her to try it. And the reason is totally my fault. You see, a few years ago, I mentioned having worked in a Drive In back home. We made chicken katsu a certain way….which wasn't super good. But, we also knew how to make it for us. And when we did, we never needed to use salt; the breading never peeled off, and the chicken breast was very tender.
And it was simply done by doing a quick brine and rinse on the chicken before breading. We also tenderized the chicken breast. I also added seasonings to the egg wash (shoyu) and ground black pepper to the panko.
It used come out very evenly fried. Though my version may not be as pretty since I pan fry it, sorta like schnitzel, not wanting to waste oil…I use Avocado Oil so it ain't cheap.
The combination of the brine, I also add a bit of granulated garlic, the shoyu in the egg wash, and the ground black pepper in the panko just adds layers of flavors.
You can see the shoyu in the egg wash above and the freshly ground black pepper in the panko below.
Now because of how I make this; I only usually make two breasts at a time; it ain't cheap since I have to make the brine everytime I make katsu, but the Missus said it's worth it.
The Brine:
4 cups cold water
1/4 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Granulated Garlic (optional)
Combine ingredients, whisk until salt is dissolved
Brine tenderized breasts for 8-15 minutes (I usually brine while getting flour-panko-egg wash ready)
Rinse chicken and dry well with paper towels; remember food safety is paramount – avoid cross contamination, I use disposable gloves, make sure to clean up well.
Make sure chicken is dry before doing the flour-egg wash-panko
For the egg wash; I usually use 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon Kikkoman Shoyu.
It's funny how some simple steps I learned so long ago have reappeared!
So, there you go……
If you do try brining your chicken before making katsu; let me know how it turns out.