[Smilette31]

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?

[mandalinn82]

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.

[Smilette31]

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

[mandalinn82]

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

[Shannon in ATL]

Just found this thread and have a question... Is there any way to make the panko stick without egg? DH doesn't eat egg, and unless I bread it with him not home he probably wouldn't eat it....

[nelie]

Shannon - I've seen vegan recipes using panko bread crumbs, so you should be able to work it out somehow. This recipe I've made before is pretty good:
http://donteatoffthesidewalk.com/?page_id=68

Tempeh Wingz

These are my version of hot wings, with a slightly more mellow sauce.

Panko are japanese bread crumbs, They’re bigger than regular bread crumbs, but if you can’t find them regular bread crumbs are fine.

■ 1 8 oz package of tempeh
■ 1/3 c rice milk
■ 1/3 c flour
■ 1/2 t salt
■ 2 t thyme
■ 1 t paprika
■ fresh ground pepper, to taste
■ 1/2 t garlic powder
■ 2/3 c panko

Sauce:

■ 4 T margarine, melted
■ 2 1/2 T hot sauce
■ 4 T ketchup
■ 2 T agave nectar

In a small saucepan, boil about three cups of water. Cut the tempeh into four equal blocks, then cut those blocks into triangles, and carefully slice the triangles in half lengthwise. Put the tempeh in the boiling water and cover, for about fifteen mintes or until tempeh is softened. Pour the pan into a colander and rise with cold water. Allow the tempeh to cool enough that you can handle it.

While the tempeh is cooling, make the sauce. In a large pot, combine all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Make your assembly line for the wings. Put your soymilk in the first bowl, your flour and spices in the second, and your panko in the third. At the end of the line, have a greased baking sheet waiting.

Hopefully by now, the tempeh is cool enough to handle. Take a triangle, and dip it in the milk, then coat in flour. Then another quick dip in the milk before thoroughly coating it in the bread crumbs and placing it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the tempeh.

Spray the tops of the wings with cooking spray, and bake in the oven for ten minutes. Remove, flip over, and bake for ten more. Just before you take the wings out of the oven, heat the sauce over a medium heat until just warm – there’s no need to boil it, we’re just trying to make sure the sauce isn’t cold.

When you take the wings out, immediately transfer them to the pot and coat in the sauce. Serve immediately.

[nelie]

Oh and I found this recipe that uses soy milk and starch (tapioca, arrowroot or corn) as a sticker for panko bread crumbs.
http://www.goodbaker.com/free-recipes-tofutenders.html

[Jennifer 3FC]

Whole Wheat Panko!

[Shannon in ATL]

Thanks Nelie!

[Pita09]

Panko is one of my favorite things to use when oven "frying" meat or veggies. I also use it when I make vegetable fritters to give the veggies a nice bit of crisp to the outside.