Hawaiian Style Chicken Katsu is my most constant cravings of all cravings. Hawaiian style BBQ is my comfort food. Mainly, because Ono Hawaiian BBQ was right down the street from my San Francisco apartment and it was a part of my weekly routine.
Bad day? Hawaiian BBQ. Lazy day? Hawaiian BBQ. Grocery shopping? Hawaiian BBQ. Great day? Hawaiian BBQ. It just goes with everything.
So since we moved to Montana. I have been missing my Ono action. And when I miss a food item, I spend hours upon hours researching how to make the perfect replication. Here’s what I came up with. I combined 3 recipes to make the 1 perfect meal for myself and for you at home.
Crispy, tender, juicy chicken is the center of this whole meal. Accompanied by the sauce, white rice and mac salad. Don’t be mistaken, it is all about the chicken. The key is chicken thighs and panko, there is no substitute. This recipe is a few steps and a few ingredients but you won’t believe how easy it is to prepare once you have it down.
Wine Pairing Recommendation: Bubbles! Sparkling wine always goes with fried chicken. Always.
Hawaiian Style Chicken Katsu
The key here is 350 degree F oil {an oil/candy thermometer is a good investment} and draining the chicken as soon as it comes out of the oil. Have your mis en place ready and your pan fitted with a rack handy. Everything will come together quick so the important thing to remember when frying anything is to have everything prepped and ready to go.
Ingredients
- Mac Salad
- 1 box {16 ounces} Elbow Macaroni, cooked, drained and rinse with cold water to cool down
- 1/2 small Sweet Onion, grated
- 2 whole Carrots, grated
- 2 cups Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
- Tonkatsu Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- Chicken Katsu
- 4 whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1/4 cup Water
- 3 whole Eggs, whisked
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 cups Panko
- Canola Oil, for frying
- Steamed White Rice, to serve
- Toasted Sesame Seeds, for garnish
- Green Onion, chopped for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Make the mac salad ahead of time. Cook macaroni according to package, drain and rinse with cold water to cool down. In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add in the pasta, onion, and carrots, toss to coat pasta evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge up to a hour or until ready to serve. Before serving stir in the 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream.
- Step 2 For the Tonkatsu sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, heat to simmer to dissolve sugar. Pour in a small serving dish at room temperature until ready to serve.
- Step 3 For the chicken katsu, on a meat safe cutting board cover chicken thighs with plastic wrap, flatten using a meat mallet or heavy bottom pan, about 1/2 inch thickness. Remove plastic wrap and season with kosher salt.
- Step 4 In a shallow dish whisk together water, eggs, cornstarch and kosher salt. Place panko in a separate shallow dish.
- Step 5 In a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pot fill with canola oil to {about 2 cups} and heat to 350 degrees F {always use a oil/candy thermometer to monitor temp}. Have a separate sheet pan lined with a rack handy for the chicken after frying.
- Step 6 Dip the chicken thighs into egg mixture until coated. Dip into the panko and coat both sides. Fry in oil about 6 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to the pan lined with a rack to drain.
- Step 7 Slice chicken and serve immediately with mac salad, tonkatsu sauce and steamed white rice, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Enjoy!
Savor and Enjoy!