Mi Goreng Graduate: Chicken Katsu

Mi Goreng Graduate: Chicken Katsu

Serves: 5

Time: 40 mins (max!)

Price: $$

Difficulty: 1/5 (so easy yet so delicious!)

Chicken katsu is such a simple and delicious meal that I guarantee will become a fan favourite. In my house we love any excuse to slather dinner in kewpie mayo, so this really is a winner all round. Taking only as long as the rice and chicken does to cook, you can have dinner on the table for hungry academic weapons in under an hour! To serve, I’ve provided a recipe for a cheap and healthy slaw. If you are in a pinch for time you can get a bag of coleslaw from the supermarket, BUT I strongly suggest you give this a go and step away from the dry ass salad in a bag. Have a go and make it just once and I promise you will be converted to the homemade stuff forever!

Ingredients

  • Approx. 1 kg of crumbed chicken tenders/burger patties etc. (anything along these lines would work as long as you’ve got enough to feed everyone! )
  • Kewpie mayo 
  • Sweet chilli sauce 
  • Rice to serve 

Simple Slaw

  • ½ red cabbage (finely shredded) (take out any thick parts of stem, we only want the tender white/purple bits in the salad) 
  • 1 carrot (grated)
  • ½ red onion (finely sliced)
  • 1 small handful Parsley (optional)
  • ½ lemon
  • 2 Tbsp Oil 
  • Salt 
  • Pepper

Method

  1. Place your chicken on a lined baking tray and put into a 180C oven for approx. 30 mins or until sizzling and crispy. 
  2. From here put your rice on to cook. If you have a rice cooker, follow the cooking instructions for the correct amount of servings. If you have not got a rice cooker, you can cook your rice on the stovetop using the method in step three.
  3. For 5 servings of rice, place 2 cups of white rice into a large pot with 3 cups of water (1.5 cups of water for each cup of rice). On a medium-high heat, bring the pot of rice to a gentle boil (the surface of the water should be bubbling for around 2 mins), give the pot a quick stir so nothing sticks to the bottom. From here, put a tight fitting lid on the pot and turn the heat down to a very low temperature, cook like this for 15 mins. Do not lift the lid! After 15 mins, turn off the heat and leave the rice with the lid on for a further 10 mins. Again, do not lift the lid! After 10 mins is up you may remove the lid and break up the cooked rice gently with a fork. 
  4. While the chicken and rice is cooking, prepare your slaw. Finely slice your cabbage, red onion and parsley, grate your carrot and place into a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice onto the salad and add the oil. Add a pinch of salt and a decent amount of pepper. Toss together until all the vegetables are mixed and coated in the dressing.
  5. When the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and cut into bite sized chunks/strips.
  6. Plate your katsu with the rice on the bottom, a layer of slaw, then your chicken. Top with sweet chilli and kewpie mayo and enjoy!
This article first appeared in Issue 19, 2024.
Posted 4:55pm Saturday 17th August 2024 by Ruby Hudson.