As some of you know, my boyfriend and I just came back from California.

(If you guys are curious as to what we did, check out here!

One of the best food I had over there was….Chicken Katsu. Honestly, a lot of you will find it fairly okay. I mean…it’s good, but you probably won’t think that it’s anything special.

This food is something I used to have literally ALL THE TIME when I lived in Hawaii. It was my our favorite. So cheap, so filling, so delicious, like it’s absolutely perfect for hungry teenagers, you know what I mean?

My best friend that lives in LA told me that there’s an L&L there, My heart jumped. I mean I think it’s a sign I need to move?

This food just has a special place in my heart you know?

It’s just one of those things where it brings me back to the old days. Like good times. High school was interesting. It wasn’t all that pretty all the time, but I had friends I could completely be myself with. And it’s probably just me that thinks this way, but this food reminds me of those good times I shared with my friends.

Moving from Japan, being an ESL new kid, it was difficult to make friends at first. I instantly became close to some Japanese students, but it wasn’t as easy to be friends with the local kids.

And then, I met these two girls. They were super friendly and kind, we became best friends by the time senior year creeped in.

Time is a weird thing. After high school graduation, we all went separate ways. I’m not a great texter, or I guess non of them are, so naturally, we would lose contact.

But once in a while, we would talk, catch up, and even visit each other.

Even though we wouldn’t talk for a long time, when we see each other, it’s just always natural.

We all grew up like a lot since high school. I mean obviously. But I feel like we all separately grew up together. We all evolved. I just love that we can always come back to each other.

Time is a weird thing. However, it’s also beautiful. I honestly love growing up. I feel like I’m smarter, wiser, more empowered…. I love seeing my old friends evolve. I love seeing how gorgeous they’ve become.

Anyways, Chicken Katsu is a kind of food that makes me appreciate my friendship with them.

A couple of months ago, I was desperately craving this deliciousness, and I decided to make my own. Tbh, it’s not as good as the real one, but it’s was pretty decent I’d say! My boyfriend said mine was better than the real one, so that’s a good sign, right?

So, here ya go!

On my plate, I added some pickled eggs and sauerkraut! Btw this gnar gnar sauerkraut is the absolute best!! Go get some at your fav grocery store!

Print Recipe

Chicken Katsu

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 cup water
• 2 boneless chicken breasts (chicken thighs are probably better)
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs (make sure you use "panko" – it is more coarse)
• oil for deep-frying

Sauce

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp chicken broth
• a pinch salt
• a pinch white pepper
• a pinch garlic powder
• 2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce
• a little bit corn starch

Instructions

For katsu sauce

• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to boil.
• Let it simmer for a few minutes until it gets thickened. (Add water and cornstarch to adjust.) Set it aside and let it cool.

For chicken katsu

• Flatten the chicken with a rolling pin or the back of a knife.
• In a medium bowl, combine eggs, corn starch, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and water together to make a batter.
• Dip the chicken into the batter and coat them thoroughly and then thoroughly coat them with panko bread crumbs.
• Heat the oil on medium heat until it's about 350F.
• Fry the chicken in the oil until golden. It's about 7 minutes on each side.
• Once cooked, let them cool for a few minutes, slice them, and serve with some rice!