Skinnytaste: Chicken Katsu with Sesame-Pineapple Slaw in the Air Fryer

I got some money for my birthday in October and gifted myself with an air fryer.

I’d considered getting one before after thinking they were unbelievably stupid for some reason. I took the plunge after my friend, Andrea, gave me Skinnytaste One & Done, also for my birthday.

This cookbook has an entire chapter devoted to air fryer recipes, and after much consideration, I settled on this one.

My friend, Aaron, came over for dinner and a movie (The Great Muppet Caper, which Aaron had never seen, and if you haven’t seen it, go watch it immediately). I made this chicken, and we were both kind of floored by how good the chicken came out.

The air fryer will likely be making many appearances in my recipe plans in the near future.

One note: The sauce…wasn’t great. It literally tasted like nothing. I think it’s possibly because I used a lower-sugar pineapple juice, but you can make your own judgments. The rest of it is bangin’. A nice, tropical-type meal in the dead of winter!

Chicken Katsu with Sesame-Pineapple Slaw in the Air Fryer

Serves 4
From Skinnytaste One & Done

Ingredients

Slaw

• 1 ¹/₂ Tbsp. pineapple juice
• ¹/₂ Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• ¹/₂ Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1 ³/₄ cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 ³/₄ cups shredded green cabbage
• ³/₄ cup diced pineapple, either canned or fresh
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, sesame oil, mustard, and salt & pepper to taste.
2. Add the green cabbage, red cabbage, and pineapple, toss to combine, and add the sesame seeds as garnish.

Tonkatsu Sauce

• ³/₄ cup ketchup
• ¹/₄ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (I used ginger powder.)
• 1 garlic clove, minced

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and well-combined.

Chicken

• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose or wheat flour
• 1 large egg, beaten lightly
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• ³/₄ tsp. kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 2 8-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make 4 pieces total
• Olive oil spray
• Scallions, sliced, for garnish
  
  

1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
2. Place the flour on a plate and the egg in a shallow bowl. On a separate plate, combine the bread crumbs, ¹/₄ tsp. of the salt, and pepper to taste.
3. Season the chicken with the remaining salt and pepper to taste. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then the egg, and finally in the bread crumb mixture and shake off excess as you go. Spray each side of the chicken with oil.
4. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 8 minutes, turning halfway, until crisp and golden. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the chicken.
5. Return the first batch of chicken to the basket and cook for 1 minute, until everything is hot.
6. To serve, put 1 cup of slaw and one piece of chicken on each plate. Top with 2 Tbsp. tonkatsu sauce and garnish with the scallions.