Panko breadcrumbs are made from dried flakes of crustless white bread. They are lighter and crispier than regular breadcrumbs because they are dryer and flakier and absorb less oil during the cooking process. And they don't just taste better, they are healthier too because they are lower in calories, sodium and fat.

How do you get panko to stick to chicken?

Coat the chicken in flour, then dip it into beaten egg before coating it in panko crumbs. The flour will stick to the chicken, and the egg sticks to the flour and the panko crumbs stick to the moist egg. Skip one of these 3 steps and it's likely the panko crumbs will fall off.

How do you cook panko?

Panko breadcrumbs are cooked by frying or baking at a high temperature. Frying tends to yield the crispiest results whereas baked panko chicken is a healthier option.

Is panko chicken gluten-free?

Regular panko breadcrumbs are not gluten-free, although there are gluten-free varieties available. You can also make your own using rice cereal.

Panko Chicken (perfectly crispy)

Name: Panko Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Western
Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts; ¼ cup of plain or all-purpose flour; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ¼ tsp onion powder; ¼ tsp garlic powder; ¼ tsp mustard powder; ¼ tsp white pepper; 1 tsp sea or kosher salt; 1 egg; 120g (or 1 cup) of panko breadcrumbs; 150ml (or ⅔ cup) (approx) Vegetable oil. To fill a frying pan with 0.5cm or ¼ inch.; Lemon wedges (to serve)

Description

Perfectly crispy and insanely tasty panko chicken in just 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale

2 chicken breasts
¼ cup of plain or all-purpose flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp mustard powder
¼ tsp white pepper
1 tsp sea or kosher salt
1 egg
120g (or 1 cup) of panko breadcrumbs
150ml (or ⅔ cup) (approx) Vegetable oil. To fill a frying pan with 0.5cm or ¼ inch.
Lemon wedges (to serve)

Instructions

Prepare the chicken breasts. Remove any fat and tenderise them by pounding them with a meat tenderiser until 5mm-7mm (1/4-1/3 inch) thick. This makes the chicken thin enough for shallow frying as well as improving its texture. (Note 1)
Mix the flour, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, white pepper and salt in a bowl.
Crack the egg into another bowl and beat.
Place the panko breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
Place each chicken breast into the flour until coated, then dunk them in the beaten egg and finally place them in the panko breadcrumbs until they are covered.
Place a frying pan on a high heat and fill with 0.5cm or ¼ inch of vegetable oil. Add one breadcrumb to check the oil is hot. If it sizzles and quickly burns up you are good to go, but it sinks you need to wait a little longer for the oil to become hot.
Place the panko-coated chicken breasts into the pan and fry for 1.5 to 2 minutes on each side. (note 2)
Place the chicken breasts onto a board and allow them to rest for a few minutes. (note 3)
Slice and serve immediately with lemon wedges and your desired sides.

Notes

If you do not have a meat tenderiser you can use a rolling pin instead. Put the chicken into a plastic bag first to avoid contamination.
You might need to fry the chicken in batches depending on the size of your pan and you may also need to top up the oil as you go.
If you have followed the directions the chicken should be cooked. If you want to check the doneness cut into one piece with a sharp knife to check the meat is white. If it is red it is not done and will need to go back into the pan. You can also use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. Cooked chicken should be 165F or 75C.

Category: Chicken
Method: stove-top
Cuisine: Western

Keywords: panko chicken