Chicken Katsu Sandwich

Ingredients

Pickled Carrots

• 1 cup Carrot Coins (Superior Foods Featured Item: #140437 – Garden Cut)
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup water
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp salt

Marinated Chicken

• 2 5 oz. chicken breasts (Superior Foods Featured Item: #90264 – Koch Foods)
• ⅓ cup Shio Koji seasoning
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Tonkatsu Sauce

• 4 ½ Tbsp worcestershire
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 5 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce

Assembly

• 3 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup AP flour
• Frying oil
• 8 1“ slices of milk bread, crusts removed (or brioche)

Preparation

1. Pickle carrots: Place carrots in a glass jar or heat-safe container. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a gentle boil and then pour over the carrots. Let cool, cover, and place in fridge overnight to pickle.
2. Place chicken breasts on sheet or parchment paper and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap; gently pound with meat mallet to ½ “ thick. Cut each piece in half so you have 4 sandwich sized portions.
3. Combine koji, salt and water in a bowl or sealable bag and add chicken. Cover, or seal, and refrigerate overnight.
4. Drain chicken and set aside. Combine cabbage and salt in a medium bowl. Massage salt throughout cabbage with hands and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until slightly wilted. Chill until assembly.
5. Make tonkatsu sauce: Combine worcestershire, sugar, ketchup, and oyster sauce and set aside for sandwich assembly.
6. Place eggs, panko, and flour in 3 separate bowls. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in eggs, letting excess drip back into bowl, then coat in panko, pressing to adhere before shaking off excess. Transfer to a plate.
7. Pour oil into a medium heavy pot to come 2″ up sides. Heat oil over medium-high until an instant-read thermometer registers 350°–365°. Carefully fry one piece of chicken at a time, using tongs to keep meat submerged in oil, until golden brown underneath, about 1 minute. Using tongs, carefully turn over and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack on top of a paper towel covered baking sheet and immediately season with salt.
8. Drizzle plenty of tonkatsu sauce over chicken. Place pickled carrots on 1 side of half of the bread slices; top with an even layer of chilled cabbage, then chicken, sauce side up. Close sandwiches and slice each into thirds.

TIPS:

If you can’t find Shio Koji seasoning, simply add another 2 tsp of salt to the marinade or use your favorite marinade and rinse off before breading. Also you can use small skewers to hold sandwich thirds together.