Lighter chicken katsu

Angela Nilsen makes this Japanese crumbed chicken dish with curry sauce healthier by using some clever swaps to slash the fat and calories

Prep:30 mins
Cook:50 mins
plus marinating

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 529
fat 10.5g
saturates 1.2g
carbs 61.3g
sugars 8.6g
fibre 3.5g
protein 44.3g
salt 1.3g

Ingredients

150ml buttermilk
4 x skinless, boneless chicken breasts, total weight 550g, preferably organic
50g Japanese panko breadcrumbs
4 tsp self-raising flour
1½ tbsp rapeseed oil, plus ¾ tsp
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp coarsely grated ginger
2½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp hot chilli powder (or mild if you prefer less heat)
1 tsp tomato purée
250ml hot chicken stock
1 large carrot (about 200g), cut into small pieces
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp clear honey
2 tsp cornflour
200g raw Thai sticky rice, cooked
50g mixed leaves - watercress, spinach and rocket

Tip

Freezing the sauce

The sauce freezes beautifully, so it’s worth making a big batch to save you time for your next meal

How we made chicken katsu healthier

• Instead of deep-frying the chicken, we fried it in the minimum amount of oil to brown and crisp, then finished cooking it in the oven, which reduced the fat and saturated fat. • Used rapeseed oil to help lower the saturated fat. • Reduced the salt by using less soy sauce and swapped half the stock needed for the sauce with water. • Cut sugar by including carrots in the sauce for their natural sweetness, so less honey was needed.

Method

For the chicken, pour the buttermilk into a wide, shallow dish. Season with pepper and a small pinch of salt. Pat the chicken breasts dry with kitchen paper, then put them in the dish and turn them over in the buttermilk to coat well. Leave in the fridge for 1 hr. Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick frying pan. Tip in the panko breadcrumbs and flour, and toast in the dry pan for 2-3 mins until they turn pale brown, stirring regularly so they don’t burn. Tip the crumb mix into a bowl, season with pepper and set aside to cool.
To make the curry sauce, heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Tip in the onion, garlic and ginger, and fry for 6-8 mins until the onion is tender and starting to brown. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and tomato purée, and fry for 1 min, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the stock and 250ml/9fl oz water. Add the carrot, soy sauce and honey, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 20 mins, uncovered, until the carrots are tender. Mix the cornflour with 2 tsp cold water, stir into the sauce and simmer for 1 min. Remove from the heat. Whizz the mixture to a smooth purée in a food processor. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, set over a large bowl, pressing it through well with the back of a wooden spoon so enough of the purée goes through to help thicken. Season with a small pinch of salt and set aside. Sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled.
Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Line a baking tray with foil and sit a wire rack (preferably non-stick) on top. Tip the crumb mix onto a large plate, then lift the chicken breasts from the buttermilk (leaving the marinade clinging to it) and roll each one in the crumbs, coating evenly.
Heat 1½ tsp of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add 2 chicken breasts and fry for 1½ mins (without moving them), over a medium-high heat – adjusting the heat if necessary, so that they don’t burn. Turn the chicken over, add another ¾ tsp of oil to cover the base of the pan, and fry for 1 min more. Using a fish slice, transfer the chicken to the wire rack, then wipe any crumbs from the pan and repeat with the rest of the oil and chicken.
Bake the chicken in the oven (on the wire rack) for 15 mins until cooked and crisp. Warm the sauce through briefly, remove the chicken from the rack and slice each one into 5 pieces. Serve with the sauce, sticky rice and mixed leaves.