Panko-crusted chicken thigh, quick sesame-pickled cabbage, and Kewpie mayo stacked between thick white bread. Skin-on, boneless thigh instead of breast means the chicken stays juicy under all that crunch.
Chicken Katsu Sandwich
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 chicken legs deboned, skin on
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 150 g panko breadcrumbs
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- salt
- shichimi togarashi
For the Cabbage
- 400 g green cabbage
- 4 g salt
- 4 g sugar
- 20 g rice wine vinegar
- 15 g toasted sesame oil
- black sesame seeds optional
To Finish
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- tonkatsu sauce
- white bread thick sliced
Instructions
For the Cabbage
- Add the thinly sliced cabbage to a mixing bowl and season with salt and sugar. For accurate seasoning, weigh the cabbage and add 1% of its weight in salt and sugar.
- Massage the salt and sugar in and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- Squeeze out as much moisture as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Season with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and sesame seeds if using. Stir to combine and reserve.
For the Chicken
- Set up a breading station: three dishes, one with flour, one with beaten egg, one with panko. Season each lightly with salt and togarashi.
- Debone the chicken legs if your butcher hasn’t already.
- Lay each leg flat on a chopping board, cover with cling film, and lightly flatten with a pan or meat mallet.
- Dredge each piece through the flour, shaking off excess, then the egg, then the panko. Set aside on a tray.
- Heat a high-sided frying pan over medium-high with about 1cm of oil. If cooking a large batch, keep a 100°C oven ready to hold the finished pieces.
- Fry the chicken 2 to 3 minutes per side, without crowding the pan, keeping enough oil to reach halfway up the chicken.
- Once well browned and cooked through, drain on paper towels and hold warm in the oven while you assemble the sandwiches.
Sandwich Architecture
- Lay out two thick slices of white bread and spread mayonnaise generously on the inside of each.
- Top one slice with a piece of fried chicken and a generous drizzle of tonkatsu sauce.
- Pile an even mound of the cabbage mixture on the other slice, then close the sandwich.
- Cut in half, admire the cross-section, and serve immediately.
Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- Chopping board
- Baking Dish
- Small Sauté Pan
Recipe Notes
Whenever frying in batches, keep the oven preheated to 100°C with an empty tray inside so cooked pieces stay hot while the rest finish.
From the Chef
Shichimi togarashi is doing more work here than most people expect from a 7-spice blend. It’s not just heat, the orange peel and sesame give the breading a background flavour a plain panko crust doesn’t have.
Keep a 100°C oven running with an empty tray while you fry in batches. It’s the difference between a hot sandwich and a lukewarm one.