So fun to make and so fun to eat! This recipe was born out of my love for bite-size foods and Chicken Katsu.
Stop whatever you’re doing and make these Chicken Katsu California Rolls with a Dijon Mayo Cabbage Filling and Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce. For rolling, you don’t need a sushi mat or paddle, just cling film or plastic wrap.
I’m not a fan of nori or seafood, so I used sushi rice to make California rolls with the Chicken Katsu as a filling. The sauce and cabbage slaw are easy - you basically just need to throw all the ingredients together and set aside. The part that needs more attention is the Chicken Katsu and assembling the California Rolls. The best tip I have for avoiding breakage or crumbling as you’re slicing the rolls (a similar process to slice-and-bake cookies) is to keep the plastic wrap on. Luckily, if the sushi rice is made correctly it’ll be easy to press it back together in the case of crumbling.
Feel free to mess with the quantities for the Tonkatsu sauce, depending on what type of flavor profile you’re going for. This recipe, adapted from Lindsay Baruch, tastes like a Japanese BBQ sauce.
Chicken Katsu California Rolls with Tonkatsu Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1 cups potato starch
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup slaw mix
- 1 sprig scallion
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 3 cups sushi rice, cooked according to package instructions
- 2 sprigs scallions, thinly sliced at an angle
Instructions
- Cover your chicken breast with plastic wrap and use a heavy-bottomed object to beat down the meat until it reaches an even thickness (no thinner than 1/2 inch). Remove wrap and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet until it reaches a temperature of 350F. Keep in mind that you'll have to adjust the stovetop settings throughout the cooking process to maintain the oil's temperature around 350F.
- While the oil is heating, prepare your frying station by placing the potato starch, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs in their own plates in that order. When the oil is at frying temperature, dip the chicken breast into the potato starch, then the beaten eggs, and then the panko breadcrumbs. Be sure to press the panko breadcrumbs into the chicken breast before gently laying it into the oil.
- Fry the chicken breast for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy on the outside. Rest on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.
- For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and set aside. Do the same for the cabbage slaw.
- Slice the Chicken Katsu into 1-inch strips.
- Lay out around 1 ft of plastic wrap on the countertop and place 1/2 cup of sushi rice on it. Use a cutting board to flatten the rice and shape it into a rectangle. Then, place a strip of Chicken Katsu and about 2 tbsp of the cabbage filling in an even layer (be sure not to overcrowd - the chicken and filling should take up 1/3 of the rice rectangle).
- Fold over the plastic wrap and roll the contents together until it forms a sushi log. Tighten the edges of the plastic wrap and repeat the process until all the rice and chicken katsu strips are used up. Chill for 30 minutes to become firm, then, slice the logs into 1-inch rolls with the plastic wrap still on. Carefully remove when ready to serve.
- Serve with Tonkatsu sauce drizzled on top (to taste) or on the side with sliced green onions.
