One of my favorite Chinese restaurants here in Las Vegas is Beijing Noodle house in Caesars Palace. If you are planning a Vegas vacation, it is a must try! Their menu is amazing and the noodle options are endless. One of the things we love to order is the Chicken Katsu. I was craving it, so I threw together a simple recipe and paired it with my "perfect sushi rice" on the side (see recipe post). A drizzle of Teriyaki glaze was a lovely condiment since I didn't have any Katsu sauce on hand. This recipe comes together pretty quickly so it's totally doable on a school night.
Ingredients:
6 chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 Box of Panko Bread crumbs
3 eggs, beaten in a bowl
1/2 Cup water
1 1/2 Cups of All Purpose flour.
Vegetable oil for frying
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Teriyaki Glaze or Katsu Sauce for dipping
Prepare cast iron skillet by adding 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to the cold skillet. Set heat to medium low while preparing chicken so it is ready to fry.
Prepare 3 separate bowls. In first bowl, crack 3 eggs and beat lightly. Add about half a cup of water to the eggs. In second bowl, add flour with about 1/2 TBSP of kosher salt and 1/2 Teaspoon of black pepper and stir to incorporate. In third bowl, mix Panko bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and toss to combine.
Using tongs, dip chicken thigh in egg and water mixture. Next, dredge chicken in flour mix and coat thoroughly. Dip once again in egg and water. Lastly, dredge in bread crumbs and coat thoroughly. Repeat for remaining pieces, placing each one on a plate until you're ready to fry.
Increase heat of frying pan to medium. Work in batches, adding no more than 2-3 thighs at a time as to not over crowd the pan. Fry each side for about 2 minutes at a time and placing a sheet of foil on top while frying. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer to be sure internal temperature is at least 160 degrees in the thickest part of the meat. Transfer to a cooling rack to drain.
Allow chicken to cool slightly and slice on the bias. Drizzle with sauce and serve immediately.