Food Talk And Fabulous Finds - Panko bread crumbs

I've heard if you use panko bread crumbs to do a " baked " chicken that it's a healthier alternative to get the same crispiness as fried chicken. Is this true?

I do love panko for breading and baking chicken - it's a key ingredient in my oven-fried chicken parmesan (drool). It's not quite like fried, but it IS really crispy and delicious.

I found whole wheat panko and it's really awesome, too, but difficult to locate.

I'd love your recipe if you have the time! :)

Acheiving crisp texture without frying has always been difficult. Japanese bread crumbs, called Panko, solve this problem. This is great alone, or served with whole wheat spaghetti and a salad.



4 pieces of chicken breast, 4 oz each, pounded very thin

½ cup panko (japanese) breadcrumbs

¼ cup regular italian style breadcrumbs

¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

½ cup egg substitute

½ cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese

1⅓ cups homemade or bottled tomato sauce

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper, to taste



Pound the chicken breast pieces to about ¼ inch thickness. In a large, flat dish, combine both types of breadcrumbs, the flour, and the grated parmesan cheese. In a separate dish, mix the egg substitute with salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg substitute and shake off the excess. Dredge to cover in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet with a rack (a broiler pan works well for this - i recommend lining with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier). Spray the top of each chicken piece with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until breading is just beginning to brown. Top each piece with ¼ of the mozzarella cheese and return to oven 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, breading is browned, and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and serve topped with ⅓ cup of the fat free spaghetti sauce.

Yields: 4 servings

Time to make: 35 min