Yummy Chicken Katsu

Hello and TGIF!

What a week it has been! So sorry for the delay folks, my computer has been out of commission for a bit. Ben got a new power supply something or other and blah, blah, blah...he switched our cases, so there was quite a mess. Thank goodness for happy hours ^_^

The joys of living with a computer nerd ^_^

Anyways on to excuse #2 for late blog postings: work has been such a whirlwind and my mind has very much been into this all week. There are lots of ideas and I work with such a creative team most of my thoughts have been in our "work bubble" this week.

And finally excuse #3: I have also decided to start doing something again. By something I mean something active. Geez...photos really make you realize what is going on with your body when you do a whole lot of nothing. So with that being said, it's time to get back to the grind of working out. I have decided to start waking up early and working out before work. It's amazing to get it done and then come home 12 hours later and know that all you have to do is finish up and rest for the day. I am really enjoying this, but....it's only been a week so let's not hold our breath. I am really great at committing for 4-6 weeks and then life happens and I just don't make the time. My other thought is that if I am going to be lugging myself around Korea, better get this body of mine ready! Wish me luck because at this point I sure could use it :)

Regardless...I am back and ready to share more! In an effort to eat crappy this week of course I had to make my most delicious chicken meal ever. Now, for the most part I completely dislike chicken. I don't ever want to eat chicken anything...I will politely eat it, but underneath it all I just am grinning and baring it. I have a great dislike for it after so many years of having to eat it all the time. BUT...there is one exception to this chicken hatred which is Chicken Katsu. OMG! I LOVE Chicken Katsu! So, I figured I would share this recipe for you today. I hope it changes some of you chicken hater's minds too...Enjoy!

Yummy Chicken Katsu
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1.5 cups Flour
1.5 cups Panko
2 eggs
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Vegetable oil

Katsu Sauce:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1/4 Sugar
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

For Katsu Sauce:
Mix ingredients together and bring to a boil in sauce pan. Set Aside to use with Chicken Katsu.

For Chicken Katsu:  
Use a knife to cut the chicken breast lengthwise. Cut the breast in half and flatten by using a mallet or other pounding utensil.  Once the chicken has been thinned prepare you stations:

Next, get plates and a bowl ready for the flour, eggs, and panko. As you can see, we will want them to be in this order. Be sure to season the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper for flavor. Mix 2 eggs together and place is a bowl in between the flour and panko.

When your chicken is flattened, begin breading the chicken by first dipping both sides of the breast in the flour mixture. Once both sides have been coated, dip the breast in the egg mixture. Make sure that both sides have been coated with the egg mixture. Once the egg mixture is coated, dip the breast into the panko crumbs. Make sure that both sides are evenly coated with panko. Coat all breasts in this order and set aside.

In a large frying pan or skillet, pour about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil and heat. When the oil is hot you will be ready to start frying. To check-before frying the chicken breasts, place small panko crumbs in oil. If oil sizzles, then you should be ready to start frying!

Gently place a couple of chicken breasts in the oil and fry. Only fry a couple of breasts at a time so that the temperature does not drop too low. Fry on both sides until golden brown and no longer pink in the center or about 4 minutes on each side.

After frying place on plate and let cool for a few minutes. After cooling, slice chicken length wise and serve with Katsu sauce! 



Now, for myself, I only like dipping small portions in the sauce as I think it can be overwhelming, but regardless it's a tasty meal.

In the end, you should have something like this....Yum! Gotta lock that Jasmine rice too. Now that's what I call a delicious dinner.

Be sure to try this out and let me know your thoughts on this recipe!

Oh, with this meal I just had to make Ben some brownies! I am really BAD at making brownies and I have never understood why. I mean I thought I was doing exactly like what the package says. Yes, that's right I am not going to even attempt to make them from scratch if I can't even make boxed brownies! Anyways, I decided to try one more time and closely follow the directions and....OMG! Finally! I have not really been reading these before I guess. I finally realized that it does matter when you add the egg, exactly how much of what oil and water to use, AND what kind of pan you put them in. So...tips to making successful brownies just follow the directions. We have finally had some great brownies after many failed attempts. Thank goodness my brownie dilemma is finally over!

Until Next Time...