Crispy pork tonkatsu is made with only 5 ingredients and can be deep fried or air fried. The golden exterior has great crunch, and within its crunchy beauty, lays the tender pork cutlet, seasoned to perfection. This meal is a HIT in my home, and I bet it will be popular in yours as well! All you need is: boneless pork chops, thin sliced, available at major grocery stores, panko bread crumbs, flour, Greek yogurt, oil and water. Does water count as an ingredient? 🤣 and of course, salt and pepper to season the meat and four.
I have loved tonkatsu for many years, so naturally I have adapted my recipe to use NO eggs. We can’t have eggs in the house due to allergies, but that’s not going to stop me from making this delicious dish! Another wonderful thing about crispy pork tonkatsu is that it can be made quickly and easily. If you are too afraid of using the deep fry method, you can air fry it with similar results (though I do strongly recommend frying in oil.)
How to serve this delicious dish? Tonkatsu is great on its own, just seasoned with salt and pepper and it can definitely be a stand-alone meal as is, but it gets a huge upgrade when you add Bull-dog tonkatsu sauce (‘vegetable and fruit sauce’.) You can also serve this with a great Japanese curry. It’s a very versatile dish. It’s amazing alongside short grain rice (Japanese have it), asian slaw and pickled vegetables. Most of the time I serve it with rice and garlic-broccoli. Even my kids love it and that’s saying a lot. Do not skimp on the Bulldog sauce; you can find it on Amazon or in local Asian markets/grocers, if available to you.
How to achieve this Crispy Pork Tonkatsu:
Prepare the breading: gather 3 separate plates or dishes.
Measure out flour, sprinkled with salt and pepper in one dish; mix to combine.
In a second dish add the Greek yogurt, oil and water and mix well;
Lastly, add the panko to your third plate.
Set aside.
I feel like I need to put a trigger warning any time I post pictures of raw meat hahaha well here’s your warning!
*incoming raw meat photo*
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On a cutting board, pat the the pork with paper towels to remove wetness. Snip along the edges of pork chop, about 1 cm apart, and 1 cm deep (see picture for a guide.) Season pork with salt and pepper.
Take a pork chop and dredge both sides in order:
1-flour mixture,
2-Greek yogurt mixture,
3-panko. Repeat process with all pieces of pork and set aside.
Heat a dutch oven or tall walled cast iron with about 1-2 inches of oil, target temperature of oil between 325-350°F. If you don’t have a food thermometer, dip a wooden chopstick in and watch for bubbles to sizzle around it. If no bubbles arise, the oil is likely too cool and not ready.
One at a time, slowly lower dredged pork into hot oil. Carefully turn pork over halfway through cooking time, usually 2-3 minutes per side. Internal temperature of cooked pork should be around 150-160°F. Set on wire rack to let grease drip off. Immediately salt the hot pork chop straight out of the fryer. Repeat process with remaining pieces.
Serve warm alongside rice, veggies or add to a curry! Voila, you have achieved crispy pork tonkatsu!
Things that helped in the kitchen for this recipe, and can help you too:
Food thermometer (amazon) to check the temperature of basically everything and anything. One of my most used and underrated kitchen tools.
Le Creuset dutch oven – Amazon – Mine is old as sin, and still gets used weekly. If you can invest in one, I highly recommend it. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Williams and Sonoma outlet, you might find one for a good deal!
Tonkatsu Bulldog sauce- must have for this recipe! Think of it like a Japanese barbecue sauce (amazon.)
Wire Rack – for cooling, baking and roasting; this size is great for the USA half sheet pan, making it an excellent choice for Pullman pan bread loaves. (Amazon or HomeGoods)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no cost to you, just like a free Disney travel agent. I’m only here to make suggestions that hopefully help you 😀
Crispy Pork Tonkatsu
Ingredients
- 1 Pound boneless pork chops, thin sliced
- 2/3 Cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Cups Plain Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 Cup Plain Greek yogurt, OR sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons Canola or other neutral oil
- 1 Tablespoon water
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
Prepare the breading
- Prepare the breading: gather 3 separate plates or dishes. Measure out flour, sprinkled with salt and pepper in one dish; in a second dish add the Greek yogurt, oil and water and mix well; Lastly, add the panko to your third plate. Set aside.
Prepare the pan:
- Get a half sheet pan, cover with parchment or tin foil, and add your wire rack on top. This will be for your cooked pork to drain and rest.
Pork
- On a cutting board, pat the the pork with paper towels to remove wetness. Snip along the edges of pork chop, about 1 cm apart, and 1 cm deep (see picture for a guide)Season pork with salt and pepper.
- Take a pork chop and dredge:1-flour mixture, 2-Greek yogurt mixture, 3-panko. Repeat process with all pieces of pork and set aside.
- Heat a dutch oven or tall walled cast iron with about 1-2 inches of oil, target temperature of oil between 325-350°F. If you don’t have a food thermometer, dip a wooden chopstick in and watch for bubbles to sizzle around it. If no bubbles arise, the oil is likely too cool and not ready.
- One at a time, slowly lower dredged pork into hot oil. Carefully turn pork over halfway through cooking time, usually 2-3 minutes per side. Internal temperature of cooked pork should be around 150-160°F. Set on wire rack to let grease drip off. Immediately salt the hot pork chop straight out of the fryer. Repeat process with remaining pieces.
- Serve warm alongside rice, veggies or add to a curry! Voila!
Looking for a similar recipe to Crispy Pork Tonkatsu? Why not try amazing egg free chicken Parmesan!
