11 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I have made this now 10-15 times over the past year and my kids recently told me that it's one of their favorites.  It just kind of came to me once and I wasn't sure how it was going to come out but it was exactly as I envisioned.  If you have ever used Panko bread crumbs before, you know that they're different than your standard "dust" crumbs.  The Panko creates a huge crunch when you cook with it.  Panko is a style of bread crumb, not a brand so you might find varying Panko products in your store.  I have been using Progresso Italian-style Panko on this chicken and they make a plain variety too.  I've seen other brands so just try to get "Panko" and you're good.  If you get the plain Panko and think you want some flavor in it, I could see adding garlic powder, dried, minced onion or whatever seasoning you think would work.

 

I take boneless chicken breasts and I cut them lengthwise to make them thinner.  You can sometimes find the chicken already cut thin at the grocery store.  Heat the oven to 425° and get some glass casserole (9x13?) dishes ready.  It could work on metal baking pans but I always use glass.  Coat the bottom of the pans evenly with olive oil.  Take your thin chicken breast and coat it in egg and then cover it with Panko.  Put the Panko in a bowl or a bag or whatever but make sure it's coated well.  Put it in the glass pan and keep going until all the chicken is breaded.  I sometimes have to use 3 or 4 glass dishes depending on how much chicken I'm making... you don't want the chicken all on top of each other, they need some room.

 

Get them in the oven on the middle rack.  Let them go until you see the Panko is getting a little browned.  Take them out and flip them and put them back in the oven.  I might rotate the pans if one is looking more done, etc.  They typically take about 20-25 minutes.  Take them out when you think they are done to your liking.  This comes out like a chicken schnitzel... thin, crunchy, awesome.  My wife might take some pasta sauce and parmesan cheese and turn it into chicken parmesan.  I always end up making too many and the leftovers work well for sandwiches too.

 

Cheers Beerheads! 

[TehFury]

Pro-tip: add some sweetened coconut flakes to the panko and serve with a sweet chili dipping sauce for a nice variation.

[TimE]

Also brine the chicken in a buttermilk mix with lots of hot sauce before dipping.  When we do this I take the buttermilk coated chicken, dredge in flour, then egg and finally panko.  This is basically the America's Test Kitchen method for oven-fried chicken except they use a mix of Panko and crushed corn flakes as their breading.

[Big Nake]

Sounds great. When you use the hot sauce with the buttermilk, does a lot of the heat come through? I'm usually making this for the whole family so the heat level would get the eyeball if it were too high.

[TehFury]

Sounds great. When you use the hot sauce with the buttermilk, does a lot of the heat come through? I'm usually making this for the whole family so the heat level would get the eyeball if it were too high.

 

I add hot sauce until the milk is a paleish pink. Something simple like Frank's. It gives some warmth, but even my super-picky spice-adverse 7 y/o loves it.

[Big Nake]

Okay, I'm totally trying this. I have the chicken, the panko and the sauce(s)... I have something called SMOULDER, Valentina's, Louisiana Wing Sauce and Tapitio. I just need the buttermilk. I assume buttermilk is a key ingredient and can't be subbed out for standard 2% milk, right? Thanks for the ideas!

[Gumbo Leviathan]

Do you find that by cooking it in a glass dish that the bottom gets soggy at all?

 

I do something very similar: marinade for hours in buttermilk, then bread with panko.  However I found when I did this in a glass dish before that they came out soggy on the bottom.  I started baking them on a wire rack so they were held in air space.  They come out perfectly this way.

[TimE]

You can make a buttermilk substitute with regular milk and some plain yogurt (assuming you have that).  Just add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt per cup of milk. 

[Big Nake]

Do you find that by cooking it in a glass dish that the bottom gets soggy at all? I do something very similar: marinade for hours in buttermilk, then bread with panko.  However I found when I did this in a glass dish before that they came out soggy on the bottom.  I started baking them on a wire rack so they were held in air space.  They come out perfectly this way.

After they have cooked about halfway, I turn them so the side with most of the oil is on top and the top gets nicely browned and crisp. I have not noticed that the bottom gets "soggy" but I could certainly see it. They pretty much go from the glass pan to plates to mouths but if it sat around on a flat plate for long, I assume it would get soggy. If you bake them on a wore rack... are you using EVOO or something? I can't see how to make them on a wire rack without using oil of some kind on a surface.

You can make a buttermilk substitute with regular milk and some plain yogurt (assuming you have that).  Just add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt per cup of milk.

That's great. I have relatively quick access to buttermilk and I would probably rather use the real stuff as opposed to making something else. I'm trying this next week for sure.

[Big Nake]

Okay, check it out... I picked up a package of 3 good-sized chicken breasts today (not the giant, mutant-sized jobbies but pretty big) and after slicing them thin and cutting off the underside "tender", I ended up with 10 separate pieces. I took the 4 biggest ones and made them the old way (dipped in egg and then I used Progresso Italian-style Panko). On the other pieces, I put them in a bag with buttermilk and enough Valentina hot sauce to turn the milk pink. I also took a couple of green onions and chopped them up and threw that in there too, for good measure. When it was time to get things rolling, I took those pieces out of the milk, dredged them in flour, then put them in the egg and then into plain Panko crumbs. I could smell the Valentina when the chicken was cooking and thought it might be overpowering. I took everything out of the oven and put the pans on the island, got everything else out (pasta, some steamed broccoli, Tuscan bread) and then told everyone that the "lighter" ones were sitting in buttermilk and hot sauce most of the day and the other ones were the "regular" ones. Everyone took the buttermilk and Valentina pieces. I had one too and when I went back over to grab another piece, the ones I normally make were all still there. At some point my wife said, "Mmm, these are really good. I already have one but I'm going to get another one because they're really good". I think I could even bump up the Valentina a bit. The only thing I noticed was that the buttermilk/flour/egg/panko pieces did not hang onto the breading as well. It was not a huge trainwreck but it was a little messier. Thanks for the tips gentlemen!

[Trub L]

Valentina

[Big Nake]

Valentina

Literally 75¢ for a 12.5oz bottle at The Mart of the Wal. Can't pass that up, no sir.