My New Obsession: Panko Bread Crumbs

I had heard a lot about panko bread crumbs from various blogs I read and the Food Network...but I never had the chance to try them. Until now

Let me start this discussion by confessing something: I love fried chicken. I think it's delicious, but every time I eat it, I feel so unhealthy...especially since a lot of the fried chicken around here is super oily and not very crunchy. I bought panko bread crumbs recently in the hopes of creating a crunchy oven fried chicken, and my goodness, it worked EXCELLENTLY. The chicken was cooked well, but more importantly, it was so crunchy and delicious! I loved how crisp the coating was, and unlike other oven fried chicken recipes I've had, the coating stayed on very well. If you've never had panko bread crumbs and you love crispy fried food, try them.

Oven Fried Chicken

Chicken thighs, skin removed (I used bone-in, so if you use boneless, you'll have to adjust the cooking time)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2-3/4 cup flour
1 egg
2 Tbs. water
Spices (I used a couple dashes of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and pepper)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread bread crumbs on a plate.
3. Put flour in a plastic bag and add spices.
4. Beat egg and add water to make a light egg coating.
5. Dredge chicken in egg, then coat with spiced flour. Dredge again in the egg, then place into bread crumbs. Coat entire thigh with bread crumbs.
6. Repeat with remaining pieces.
7. Cook 35-40 minutes in oven, or until juices run clear.

Note: Cooking times came from this oven fried chicken recipe from the Food Network.


I have yet to try the panko bread crumbs as a substitute for normal bread crumbs in any other recipes...but I plan on making oven fried shrimp and tilapia in the same manner as the chicken. Anyone else have any success making oven fried foods/using panko bread crumbs?