Crispy Baked Chicken Katsu

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6, then take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Add the chicken breast portion[s] to a chopping board and cover with a sheet of cling film

Bash the chicken with a rolling pin until evenly flattened and approx. 1cm thickness

Add a handful of flour to a plate and season with salt and pepper

Crack your egg[s] into a shallow bowl and beat with a fork

Add your panko breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] vegetable oil to another plate

Coat the flattened chicken in the flour, tap off the excess, then add them into the beaten egg and finally press them into the breadcrumbs firmly to evenly coat all over

Add the breaded chicken to a lightly oiled oven tray and put the tray in the oven for 15-18 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!) and crisp

While the chicken is in the oven, rinse your white long grain rice until the water runs clear, then add it to a pot with a lid with 175ml [230ml] [350ml] cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 12-15 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once done, remove from the heat and set aside (lid on) to steam until serving

While the rice is cooking, boil a kettle

Peel and grate your brown onion[s] and apple[s]

Peel (scrape the skin off with a teaspoon) and finely chop (or grate) your ginger

Top, tail, peel and grate your carrot[s] and chop your coriander finely, including the stalks

Dissolve your chicken stock mix in 300ml [450ml] [600ml] boiled water

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] vegetable oil over a medium heat

Add the grated onion, apple, ginger and carrot and cook for 3-4 min

Add your curry powder and chopped coriander and cook for a further 1 min or until fragrant

Add 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] flour and cook for 1 min, stirring to coat the vegetables evenly

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5-7 min or until the sauce has thickened to a curry-like consistency – this is your katsu sauce

Meanwhile, cut your red chilli[es] in half lengthways, deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) and chop finely

Wash your salad, then pat it dry with kitchen paper

Slice the cooked breaded chicken