Baked Chicken Katsu

Toasting the Panko:--
1¼ cups panko
1 tbsp rice bran oil
Chicken Katsu:--
2 boneless, chicken breasts, about 450 g
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, you may need another egg
½ tbsp rice bran oil
Tonkatsu sauce

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 200°C. For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 15°C. Line a rimmed baking tray with baking paper.
Toast the Panko:
Combine panko and 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan.
Toast the panko over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
Transfer the toasted panko into a shallow dish and allow to cool.
To Butterfly the Chicken:
We‘ll butterfly 2 boneless, chicken breasts using the Japanese cutting technique called Kannon biraki. With a sharp knife, score the chicken breast lengthwise along the top centre line, cutting about halfway through the thickness of the breast; do not cut completely through.
Turn the knife parallel to the cutting board and slice the chicken breast from the centre toward the left side (or the right side, if you‘re left-handed) to make it evenly thin. Stop before you cut all the way through the edge, then open it like a book. Imagine we‘re creating a French door here.
Rotate the breast 180 degrees and butterfly the second side in the same manner from the centre toward the left, (if you hold the knife in your right hand) creating another “door.“
Cut the butterflied breast in half down the centre. Now you have two pieces. Butterfly the remaining chicken breast in the same manner. Then, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken cutlets to an even thickness, about 6 to 13 mm.
Season both sides of the chicken cutlets with SIDS SALT & PEPPER.
Bread and Bake the Chicken:
In a shallow dish, whisk together 1 egg and ½ tbsp rice bran oil. Place all-purpose flour in another shallow dish. Line up these two dishes along with the dish of toasted panko to prepare for breading the chicken. Tip: By adding oil, the meat and breading won’t detach from each other while cooking and the juice and flavour from the meat will not escape easily.
First, dredge each chicken piece in the flour and shake off any excess. Next, dip the floured chicken piece into the egg mixture and coat well on both sides.
Finally, coat the chicken with the toasted panko, pressing firmly to ensure the panko adheres to the chicken. Set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken cutlets.
Put the breaded chicken pieces on a wire rack placed over the rimmed baking tray. Bake in oven for about 25–30 minutes.
When the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 75°C, it‘s done cooking. Remove from the oven and cut into 2 cm slices.
To Serve:
Serve with a shredded cabbage salad, tomato wedges, and cucumber slices, along with my Sesame Dressing or your favourite salad dressing. Drizzle tonkatsu sauce over the Chicken Katsu to enjoy!
To Store:
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. To reheat, bake at 180°C for 15–20 minutes for baked katsu that was thawed in the refrigerator overnight, or for 30 minutes if heating directly from frozen. Check that the inside is warm before serving.
Inspired by Namiko Chen