My version of a katsu-ish chicken sandwich pulls from various traditions, without fidelity to any. It borrows from both schnitzel and tonkatsu heritages, to make my personal ideal. It has Chef Alex Cohen’s addition of potato flakes in the crust, and a distinctive hit of spice, as deemed necessary by Brett Howson, chef at Tennessee Tavern,, with sambal oelek bringing a thrum of heat to the slaw, and the added speckle of Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese “seven flavor chile pepper” with seaweed, seeds, chile flakes, and citrus peel). The dates in the sauce are inspired by the prune paste that is traditional, as I usually have dates but not prunes in my pantry. If neither are on hand use two tablespoons of applesauce or brown sugar instead, or purchase the sauce readymade.
The recipe is part of a larger story on pounded, breaded, cutlets, and it was such fun to write.