Baked Chicken Katsu with Curry Sauce

Ingredients

Serves 4.

• 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 4 oz panko breadcrumbs
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 5 oz carrots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1½ cups long-grain white rice
• 1 cucumber, sliced, to serve
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder (mild)
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• salt, to taste

Contains: wheat (gluten), egg, soy, celery. Check the label: milk, mustard, sulfites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the panko with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium heat for 3–4 minutes until golden, then tip onto a plate. Slice the chicken in half horizontally so the pieces are thin and even, and season with salt. Dust in 2 tablespoons of the all-purpose flour, dip in the eggs, then press into the toasted crumbs.
2. Lay the chicken on a wire rack set over a large baking tray (or straight on the tray if you have no rack). Wash your hands, board and knife after handling the raw poultry. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and bake for 15–18 minutes without turning, until golden, crisp and cooked through with no pink inside (165°F).
3. Meanwhile, rinse the rice and put it in a saucepan with 2½ cups (600 ml) of water. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender (if not, cover and cook 2–3 minutes more). Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
4. For the sauce, heat the rest of the oil in a saucepan on medium heat and cook the yellow onion and carrots for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, the curry powder and the rest of the flour and stir for 1 minute.
5. Gradually stir in 2 cups (480 ml) of water with the bouillon cube crumbled in, then add the honey and soy sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Take off the heat and blend smooth with a stick blender.
6. Slice the chicken and serve over the rice with the curry sauce and the cucumber.

Leftovers: Fridge 2 days; re-crisp the chicken in a hot oven until piping hot. Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day and reheat it only once, until steaming hot.