Redefine “Breading” Using Your Favorite Snack Foods
If I were a boneless, skinless chicken breast, my biggest aspiration would be to become a crispy cutlet. In my opinion there is no better future for that basic cut of meat than to be dredged, breaded, and pan-fried to golden brown perfection. But even as a piece of chicken, I imagine I’d have a pretty high opinion of myself and probably not settle for plain breadcrumbs (no matter how well-seasoned). Instead, I’d ask nicely for an outfit made entirely of snack foods, ground to bits to create a bold, distinctive, and seriously flavorful crust. In my dreams I’d be a cutlet made with Flavor-Blasted Pizza Goldfish.
Maybe you’ve never ventured out beyond panko or Progresso, in which case it’s important that you learn this now: Any chip or cracker can take the place of breadcrumbs in your standard breading procedure. The flour-egg-breadcrumb process is easily disrupted by substituting your favorite flavored snack in for the final step; just as you would the plain stuff, you press the crunched-up snack food onto your protein (or any other ingredient destined for a shallow fry) to adhere in a layer of even coverage. The result is a cutlet turned up to 11, with a texture and flavor unlike any other. Need more convincing? Consider the facts:
It’s easy.
Can I be counted on to have panko in my pantry or fresh breadcrumbs in my freezer at any given moment? No, I cannot. But there has never been a day, in the history of days, where I *don’t* have a bag of chips, crackers, or pretzels on hand for mindless snacking. Add eggs, flour, oil, and an item to dredge, and you’re well on your way to dinner.
If you’ve ever made a graham cracker crust, you’ll recognize the method for turning crunchy snacks into a breadcrumb substitute. The options are identical: Either blitz a bunch into tiny pieces in a food processor or seal a few handfuls into a ziptop bag and smash them to bits with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. Unlike a press-in crust, however, where you’re really after crumbs, it’s ok to keep your broken down snack foods slighter coarser, to give your finished dish a little texture. Simply aim to keep the pieces smaller than your pinky fingernail.
Snack Food Chicken Tenders - PROCESS INSET
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza JernowIt’s flavor-packed.
Yes, you could absolutely zhush up your standard breading procedure to make it more flavorful without subbing in chips or crackers. Adding spices or dried herbs to your dry ingredients or sauces like Worcestershire or sriracha to your beaten egg goes a long way in making plain pan-fried protein something more. But using your favorite snack foods means you have a ton of flavor—sometimes a wild, punchy, very specific flavor—built right in to your breading ingredient.
Potato chips are a great place to start, because of the sheer breadth of flavor you can access in just one grocery store aisle. Salt and vinegar, barbecue, honey mustard, jalapeño, sour cream and onion—it feels silly to list them because truly any variety would make a killer breading. And beyond spuds, other chips and crunchy snacks work too: Cheez-Its, pretzels, Cool Ranch Doritos, Funyuns, pork rinds, Fritos, shrimp chips, Hint of Lime Tostitos, Ritz crackers, somebody stop me, I could do this all day. If you like to eat it plain, you’ll like it on a chicken cutlet, so turn to your snack shelf for inspiration.
Just remember that snack foods are much saltier than plain panko or breadcrumbs—and likely even beat seasoned breadcrumbs (like “Italian-style” varieties) in that department. Usually you’d season all three components of the standard breading procedure in order to yield the most flavorful end result. To account for the increased salt in your snacks, don’t season the crushed chips or crackers, and add just a touch of salt to your flour and egg dishes.
It’s not just for chicken.
Chicken cutlets are a classic breaded protein for good reason: the tender meat and crispy exterior are hard to beat. But you shouldn’t feel limited to that style when breading with your snack food crumbs—cut smaller pieces to make nuggets or longer to make tenders or strips—or forgo chicken altogether. Pork katsu is a great candidate for a snack food crust, as are mild white fish fillets like cod, tilapia, catfish, or pollock (I love potato-based snacks on fish, as they make an all-in-one fish and chips situation). Don’t forget about tofu cubes and shrimp as well; each take readily to being breaded in chip bits or cracker dust.
Snack food breading isn’t just for protein, either. Sub in something fun in place of panko the next time you make arancini, fried green tomatoes, or even onion rings—I’ve made batches with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with great success.
It’s gimmicky, but actually good.
The early-aughts internettiness of the phrase “Takis chicken nuggets” is not lost on me; this technique is absolutely fodder for a site called Craziest Snack Kitchen Hacks Dot Tumblr Dot Com. But the twist (of Honey Barbecue Fritos) is that this isn’t just a gag invented for laughs and clicks—it’s actually extremely good. Breaded chicken cutlets are successful because of the way the many individual crunchy breadcrumbs coalesce in a hot pan into one, golden brown, crispy, solid outer layer. Your favorite snack foods can achieve that same greatness, creating what feels like chicken wrapped in a Zapp’s Voodoo hug. And depending on how you’re feeling and what you’ve got stocked in your pantry, you can take your cutlet—or anything else that could use some breading—in any flavor direction you please. For a boneless, skinless breast, there could be no greater honor.
A few favorite crunchy things for breading inspiration:
Kettle Potato Chips Farmstand Ranch
$3.00, Amazon (5 oz)
Flamin' Hot Crunchy Cheetos
$17.00, Amazon (1 oz, pack of 40)
4505 Meats Sea Salt Chicharrones
$12.00, Amazon (7 oz)
Originally Appeared on Epicurious
