Cheat’s Chicken Katsu Curry Recipe

Courtney says: “The nation’s favourite Japanese restaurant dish made healthy. We’ve teamed this crispy chicken with a sweet-and-sour red onion pickle, but you can add basmati rice if you prefer.”

Carbs 58.7g
Calories 469
Fat 6.7g
Protein 43.8g

Serves:

Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 tbsp plain flour
1 large free-range egg, beaten
60g cornflakes, crushed in a ziplock bag
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, bashed with a rolling pin to just over 1cm thick
½ bunch fresh coriander leaves, torn, to serve
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced, to serve

For the red onion pickle:

1 large red onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
Crunchy leaves, to serve

For the sauce:

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp curry powder (mild or hot)
1 heaped tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp white wine vinegar
250ml chicken stock
2 small tsp honey or maple syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas 6. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. To make the red onion pickle, simply place all the ingredients in a small bowl and add a splash of very hot kettle water. Leave to pickle while you get on with the rest of the dish. When ready to serve, use a fork to pick out the onion, allowing the excess water to drip off.

3. To make the curry sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion over a low heat for 10–12 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.

4. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and turn the heat up to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Taste and season if necessary. Keep warm.

5. Grab three plates, placing the flour on the first, the beaten egg on the second and the crushed cornflakes on the third.

6. Dip each chicken breast in the flour, shaking off any excess, then in the egg, ensuring they are fully coated. Dredge the breasts in the cornflakes, patting down to ensure they are evenly coated all over.

7. Pop the chicken breasts on the lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the chicken is piping hot and cooked through (when it is no longer pink and the juices run clear).

8. At this point, you can either blitz the curry sauce in a blender until smooth, pass it through a sieve or simply eat it as it is.

9. Slice the chicken breasts into thick pieces and transfer to plates or bowls. Pour over the curry sauce and top with the red onion pickle, torn coriander leaves and sliced chilli. Serve with crunchy salad leaves on the side or rice, if you like.

Recipe extracted from Fit Foods and Fakeaways: 100 Healthy and Delicious Recipes by Courtney Black (£14.99, Harper Thorsons).

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