The Tip You Should Always Remember For Crispiest Air-Fried Chicken Katsu

In this day and age, air fryers have garnered a reputation for simplifying countless recipes. Once you have mastered the art of air frying chicken breasts for flavorful results, you may be inspired to prepare more involved recipes like chicken katsu. Katsu is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of meat or vegetables that are covered in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried in oil. These crispy foods are typically served alongside shredded cabbage and a sweet and savory curry or tonkatsu sauce. Thanks to your air fryer, you can skip the hassle of deep-frying and still produce satisfactory results. All you need is a small amount of cooking oil and a handy can of cooking spray to make delicious and simple chicken katsu. 

Before dredging cutlets in the necessary flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, stir a bit of neutral oil into the panko. Mixing them with fat ahead of time promotes browning and gives the cutlets an extra crunchy exterior. Once the chicken pieces are evenly coated in flour, egg, and panko, take a minute or two to pat extra breading firmly into each portion, ensuring each piece of chicken is evenly coated. Then, all you need to do is lightly spray your chicken with cooking spray to achieve crunchy air-fryer chicken katsu. 

Before preparing chicken, consider going one step further and toasting the panko in the accompanying oil. Pre-toasting the breadcrumbs guarantees your air-fried chicken katsu will have a rewarding texture. Additionally, you can stop breadcrumbs from falling off your chicken by placing fully prepared cutlets in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before air-frying. 

Once your chicken is chilled and breaded, give the cutlets a small spritz of oil. Cooking spray promotes even crispiness and helps you achieve a deep-fried effect. However, since some non-stick sprays contain soy lecithin, they may potentially damage the lining of your fryer basket, spray the chicken on a plate before putting them into the machine. 

After air-frying at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 10 minutes, remove your fryer basket, flip the chicken, and add another layer of spray. Just make sure you spray the chicken outside of the basket during the flipping process. You can then cook your chicken until each piece is perfectly tender and crispy. By oiling panko breadcrumbs ahead of time and using a cooking spray, you can create delicious and crispy chicken katsu conveniently in your air fryer.