This chiizu torikatsu is a crowd pleaser with its light and crunch breading, tender chicken, and Harvarti cheese oozing out.
The chiizu torikatsu, or chicken cheese katsu, from the Rintaro cookbook by chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett is becoming a regular dinner staple for our family. Chiizu translates to cheese, tori means chicken, and katsu refers to fried cutlet. Pieces of chicken breast are pounded flat, stuffed with cheese, seasoned, coated in flour, whisked eggs, and panko, then fried until golden. We love the juicy, tender chicken with cheese oozing out, nestled in a crunchy panko crust. My kids like the chiizu torikatsu with rice and a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce while my husband and I enjoy it with a heap of shredded cabbage and drizzle of lemon juice. This is an easy, weeknight dinner that takes less than 30 minutes and appeals to both adults and kids.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Chicken thighs would make a great substitute.
- Cheese: use any melting cheese like Havarti, provolone, or mozzarella.
- Panko bread crumbs: this ingredient is essential to getting a crunchy, yet light coating. Panko is lighter and more flaky compared to regular breadcrumbs.
How to Make Chiizu Torikatsu
- Place the chicken breasts in between two pieces of parchment paper and pound until you get an even thickness of ½ inch.
- Cut a slit horizontally to the cutting board big enough to stuff the cheese.
- Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the breading station with three separate bowls containing all purpose flour, whisked eggs, and panko.
- Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge it in flour, shake off excess, coat it in egg mixture, then panko. Don't be afraid to put a bit of pressure on the chicken to make the panko stick. Repeat with remaining chicken and set aside.
- Bring a large frying pan over medium heat to 310-325 degrees F. Gently lower the chicken in the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes until golden. Flip the chicken and fry the other side for 45 minutes. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack over a baking sheet to let the excess oil drain.
- Serve the chiizu torikatsu with thinly sliced cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, lemon wedge, and rice.
Make Ahead and Storage
For the chiizu torikatsu, you can bread the chicken a day ahead, lay it in a single layer in a lidded container until ready to fry. It’s best eaten the same day to maintain its crunchiness.
For more Japanese food inspiration:
Chiizu Torikatsu (Chicken Cheese Katsu)
Ingredients
- 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces Havarti cheese, cut into 4 3x1-inch batons
Breading
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups Panko
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
For Serving
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- ½ cup Tonkatsu sauce
- 4 slices of lemon
- 2 cups cooked white rice (optional)
Instructions
- Place a piece of chicken breast between two parchment papers and pound it with a meat mallet until you get ½-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Cut a slit horizontal to the cutting board and place a piece of cheese in the slit.
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large, shallow bowl, add flour and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In another large, shallow bowl, add eggs and water. Whisk until eggs are broken up with no streaks of egg white.
- In another large, shallow bowl, add the Panko.
- Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally the panko mixture until evenly coated, gently pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken so they stick. Place the breaded chicken on a plate in a single layer.
- Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat until 310-325ºF. Lower the heat to medium to maintain it at that temperature range.
- Add the chicken to the hot oil in a single layer and fry until cooked through and light golden-brown, 4-5 minutes per side. I usually cook 2 pieces at a time.
- Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack set over a baking sheet. Skim off any breadcrumbs in the oil between each batch. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
- Divide the chicken between serving plates. Serve immediately with tonkatsu sauce, thinly sliced green cabbage, lemon wedge, and rice if desired.
Jonathan
I've had torikatsu before but not with cheese. So good. I won't be making regular torikatsu again!
Colleen
It was a little tricky trying to get the cheese in. Turned out delicious with the cheese.