Last month we traveled from home to Japan and decided it was the perfect time to recreate the Hello Fresh Katsu Chicken meal.
We have been using Hello Fresh for over a year now and actually do 5 meals a week. This has been especially helpful during the pandemic. They are super easy to make and the meals get us trying things we wouldn't normally. When we find a meal we love we will try to make it on our own and add it to our own list of "tried and true" recipes.
Hello Fresh Recipe:
Ginger | 2 Thumbs
Jasmine Rice | 1 Cup
Chicken Breasts | ~20 oz
Garlic Powder | 2 tsp
Panko Breadcrumbs | 1 Cup
Cornstarch | 2 TBSP
Sour Cream | 4 TBSP
Katsu Sauce (we used Kikkoman Brand) | 8 TBSP
Sesame Seeds | 1 TBSP
Vegetable Oil (we used olive oil) | ~1/3 inch
Salt + Pepper
Green Beans (we skipped) | 12 oz
1 • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. • Peel and mince or grate ginger. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in rice and ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings). Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
2 • While rice cooks, toss green beans on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast on top rack until browned and tender, 12-15 minutes.
3 • Meanwhile, pat chicken* dry with paper towels. Place between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or heavy-bottomed pan until ½ inch thick. Season all over with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4 • On a shallow dish or plate, combine panko, cornstarch, and ½ tsp salt (1 tsp for 4 servings). Brush a thin layer of sour cream onto both sides of chicken (you may not use all the sour cream). Working one piece at a time, press chicken into panko mixture, coating all over.
4 • Heat a 1⁄3-inch layer of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot enough that a pinch of breadcrumbs sizzles when added to the pan, add chicken. Cook until panko is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. (For 4 servings, cook in batches.) (TIP: Thinner pieces will cook faster.) • Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
6 • Place katsu sauce in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave until warm, 20 seconds. • Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) and season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice, chicken, and green beans between plates. Drizzle chicken with katsu sauce to taste (or serve on the side for dipping). Sprinkle chicken and green beans with as many sesame seeds as you like and serve.
Review:
Great!
Notes for next time:
Butterfly the chicken. You basically want to pound these as thin as they will go without having them fall apart. We thought I had gone thin enough, but it's surprising how much they plump up as they cook. The chicken will also cook a lot quicker and help save the breading from becoming overdone.
Make sure oil is heated completely first. It's easy to get impatient and throw it in too early. Test that it's ready by throwing in some breadcrumbs in first.
We did slightly less than 1/3 oil in the pan. It always seems like so much as you pour it in and this amount seemed to work well. This oil level and the type of oil could be played around with.
Try using a non-stick pan to see if it makes a difference.
Wait a couple minutes to cut after removing from the pan so that the breading has time to set.
Use Teriyaki sauce instead of Katsu. I've ordered it this way from restaurants in the past.
Rating: 9/10
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