Last week, I told you about one of my favorite ways to make oven “fried” foods. This week, we’ll talk about another way to make those oven cooked foods even crispier – panko!
If you’ve never heard of panko, panko is Japanese breadcrumbs. Panko is made from bread without crusts and has a lighter, airier texture than the breadcrumbs you normally use. It is very popular as a coating for fried foods, but it works just as well using the technique I told you about last week – baking in the oven on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. I love to make chicken this way:
1 – set up a breading station. Flour in the first dish, a lightly beaten egg with a little milk in the second dish, and the panko in the third dish. You can also season the panko with any herbs or spices you like.
2 – dip the chicken in the flour, then in the egg/milk mixture, then cover thoroughly with the panko. Then place the chicken on a cooling rack that is set on a baking sheet.
3 – spray the coated chicken with a bit of cooking spray (such as Pam).
4 – cook the chicken in a preheated oven (I usually just set it to 350) until it is cooked through.
Couldn’t be simpler, and you get a crispy piece of chicken without the fat from frying!
Want some other ideas for using panko? Here are some – some healthy, some not!
- Panko Crusted Cod from Foodista
- Panko Chicken Nuggets from Food Network
- Panko Pasta from Veggie Option
- Panko Crusted Shrimp from White on Rice Couple
- Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms from Handle the Heat
Have you used panko breadcrumbs before, and if so – what’s your favorite way to use them?
Deborah, I love panko too. What a wonderful, and often over-looked ingredient. Great idea for a post!