I adore Katsu curry; tender chicken breast encased in a crispy Panko breadcrumb & coated in a mild gingery garlic curry sauce. (Panko breadcrumbs are incredibly light giving a crunchy coating once cooked). However, conventional Katsu curry is deep-fried, rendering it unhealthy.

I have therefore experimented & come up with this oven bake method, which tastes just as good (if not better, as it is good for you!). The tip is to gently crisp the breadcrumbs in a pan prior to coating the raw chicken breasts before baking in the oven. Simple! Adding ground flaxseed to this coating makes this even healthier.

By making your own curry sauce, you can make lashings of it as I find restaurants never give you enough! Delicious Japanese cuisine for in your own kitchen!

Breaded Chicken Curry in a Panko Crumb

Serves: 2

Preparation: 35 mins

Cooking time: Approx 30 mins plus 30 mins to chill breaded chicken in fridge (Trust me, this is worth it!)

Ingredients:

The chicken:

2 chicken breasts (approx 175g  x 2)

1 large egg

50g of  panko breadcrumbs

15g ground flaxseed

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

25g plain or wholmeal flour

The sauce:

1 tbsp coconut oil 

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

30g fresh root ginger, peeled, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1.5 tbsp medium curry powder

1/2 tsp star anise

3/4 tsp ground tumeric

20g plain flour

500ml stock (I use bouillon powder)

2 tbsp tomato purée

1.5 tbsp milled chia seeds

black pepper

The sauce:

Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan & then add the chopped onions & brown for 10 mins until soft. Add the chopped ginger and crushed garlic & simmer for 5 mins.

Stir in the ground star anise, medium curry powder, ground turmeric, 1 tbsp of soy sauce (or tamari if you prefer) & black pepper.  Add plain flour & then tomato puree. Mix well & continue to simmer for 5 mins. Add the milled chia seeds. Whizz up in a blender to make a smooth curry sauce. If you like it a little hotter, you can stir in 1/2 tsp of chilli powder. Set aside.

Chicken

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 180C fan.

Wrap each chicken breast in cling film or a plastic food bag & bash it with a rolling pin so that the chicken breast is about 2cm in thickness throughout. This ensures the chicken will bake evenly i the oven.

Pour Panko breadcrumbs* a frying pan with a little spray oil (I use coconut). Add a pinch of salt & on a low heat toast the breadcrumbs until golden brown. Pour into a large bowl or plate. Add ground flaxseed & mix.

Beat an egg in a bowl.

Put wholemeal flour into another bowl.

One by one, dip each chicken breast in the flour, shake off any excess flour, then coat in the beaten egg & lastly in the toasted Panko breadcrumbs/ flaxseed mixture. Repeat & then chill the coated chicken breasts in the fridge for about 30 mins to help the crumb stick to the chicken.

Gently place the coated chicken breasts on a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Slice diagonally & serve with the Katsu curry sauce.

Serving suggestion: Basmati rice with a vegetable stir-fry as pictured)

*Tip: If you cannot get Panko breadcrumbs, gluten free cornflakes are a good alternative. These also crisp up nicely.

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.