Subscribe to My Newsletter
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter. I don’t send any spam email ever!
Delicious Crispy Chicken Sandwich
The eaters in my house love chicken katsu. Its something I loved eating a lot when I lived in Hawaii. But we would eat it with white rice. We do that most of the time now, but sometimes I like to mix it up and make sandwiches with the chicken. I whip up a batch of my buttermilk biscuits, cook up some chicken katsu, and we enjoy the yummiest crispy chicken sandwiches ever.
You Will Need ...
- All Purpose Flour
- Whole or 2% Milk
- Panko flakes
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper
- Chicken Breast
- Sandwich Bread of your choice – here we are using our Buttermilk Biscuits
- Sandwich sauce of your choice
- Lettuce – optional
I usually cook up about a pound and a half of chicken breast. When I do, I use about 2 cups of flour, about 1 1/2 cups of milk, and about 3 cups of panko. For the seasonings, it’s about 1 T garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Adjust the measurements accordingly.
Step One
First, prepare your chicken breasts. I like to slice them in half if they’re really thick. Then, I cover each piece with plastic wrap and pound it a little with a mallet to make it thinner and larger. Do not go thinner than 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch. The point of making them thinner is so that the panko flakes cook to a golden color during the same amount of time that it takes the chicken to fully cook through.
Step Two
Next, set up whats known as your dredging station. Mix the spices into the flour. In a separate bowl, mix about 2 T of flour into the milk. In a third bowl, put the panko flakes and a pinch of salt. You chicken should be prepped and on a plate. Finally, have a landing place for the coated chicken to rest. I like to use a parchment lined baking sheet that I can then cover and keep in the fridge until I’m ready to fry the chicken.
Step Three
Now it’s time to dredge the chicken. I like to work with one hand so that I have a clean hand available just in case I need to pour in more panko.
First, dip the chicken into the flour and coat it completely. Next, dip that same chicken into the milk and coat it. Let the excess drip off. Then, dip that chicken into the panko flakes and coat completely, pressing gently to help the flakes stick. Finally, place the coated chicken on the parchment. Repeat until all pieces have been coated. Cover the chicken and reserve in the fridge until you are ready to fry. This step can be done several hours in advance.
Step Four
If I were in a restaurant, I would drop the chicken into the fryer. But since I do not have a deep fryer at home, I shallow fry the chicken instead. This means I pour oil into a sauté pan and use enough that the oil level will come about halfway up the chicken pieces. While the oil is heating, I prepare a baking rack with paper towels to help absorb the excess oil.
To test if the oil is hot enough, I drop in a piece of panko. If it bubbles and dances around and makes noise, it is ready. If nothing happens, the oil is not hot enough. I tend to stay around the medium heat mark. Keep an eye on the color of the chicken as you continue to fry and lower the temperature every so often if the chicken is getting too dark.
Once the oil is up to temperature, begin frying the chicken. Typically, I fry the first side until I can see the golden color halfway up the chicken. Then I flip the chicken over with some tongs and continue cooking on the other side until both sides are golden brown. Then reserve the chicken on the paper towels.
Step Five
Place the chicken on a cutting board and slice it into strips. I find this helps to make for an easier bite of sandwich. Spread a sauce of your choice onto the bread of your choice.
Step Six
If using, place a piece of lettuce on the bottom piece of bread. Then carefully place the sliced chicken on top of the lettuce. Top with the top piece of bread.