This Fried Panko Chicken Recipe checks all the boxes with moist meat, mouthwatering flavor, and delicious crispy, crunchy texture! The icing on the cake is that it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
Easy Fried Chicken Recipe
Sink your teeth into this Panko Crusted Chicken that’s juicy on the inside yet perfectly crispy on the outside! A delicious texture combination that brings lots of flavor to your taste buds with an effortless recipe that calls for minimal ingredients!
This chicken hits the table in just 30 minutes, making for a quick and easy dinner that’s still absolutely phenomenal! Whip this up for a simple weeknight dinner or use it to impress your in-laws with your cooking skills – though this recipe doesn’t actually take much skill 😉
Panko Crusted Chicken Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Paprika
- Onion Powder
- Large Eggs
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- Vegetable Oil
We love the flavor that this simple recipe brings to the boneless skinless chicken breasts! You can trade the chicken cutlets in for your favorite cut of chicken or use whatever chicken you have on hand.
To pack in the flavor, the chicken is taken through a dredging and dipping process that starts with being covered in a mixture of cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. Then, the coated chicken is dipped in beaten eggs and then a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.
From there, the panko chicken is seared in a skillet of vegetable oil and then baked to perfection in the oven!
Substitutions And Variations
- Cuts Of Chicken – Chicken strips would make for a fun chicken tenders meal that the kids would absolutely devour! I also think chicken thighs and drumsticks would make for a tasty variation to this chicken panko recipe.
- Meat – Try making this recipe with pork chops or steak! However, you’ll still want to pound the pork and steak down to about 1/2-inch thickness for a more even cook.
- Flavoring – Feel free to increase or decrease the paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder to fit your taste buds!
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch can be replaced with all-purpose flour.
- Vegetable Oil – This is used to fry the chicken before it goes into the oven to finish baking. If you don’t have vegetable oil, canola, peanut, or even avocado oil will work fine.
How To Make Panko Chicken
Step 1: Pound the chicken breasts down to about 1/2-inch thick. Try for even thickness among the chicken breasts for more accurate cooking.
Step 2: Whisk the cornstarch, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder together in a shallow dish.
Step 3: Beat the large eggs in a separate shallow bowl.
Step 4: In a third shallow dish, mix the panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together.
Step 5: Dredge chicken in the cornstarch mixture, shaking off any excess.
Step 6: Dip the chicken into the beaten eggs.
Step 7: Then coat them in the panko breadcrumbs. Be sure to press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken to adhere.
Step 8: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the coated chicken in the skillet to sear on each side until golden brown and crispy.
Step 9: Transfer the seared chicken onto a baking sheet. Then, transfer the baking sheet to the oven to bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 10: Remove the crispy panko chicken from the oven and allow it to cool before serving!
How To Serve Fried Chicken With Panko
To start, you can serve this fried panko chicken with a variety of delicious sauces for dipping! Try any dipping sauce from honey mustard to BBQ sauce or even this Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce, though you can also just keep it simple with ketchup.
From there, I love pairing this chicken recipe with a starchy side such as rice or my favorite Mashed Potatoes recipe! However, double-fried Homemade French Fries are always a great side to fried chicken as well.
To balance the meal out, add a fresh salad as a side dish or some steamed broccoli. And of course, don’t forget dessert!
Storing Panko Breaded Chicken
Store leftover Panko Breaded Chicken in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Then store it in the fridge to enjoy for 3 to 4 days.
For the best results, I’d recommend reheating leftovers in a skillet or the oven in a baking dish.
Panko Chicken Recipe FAQs
In this recipe, the chicken is first dipped in a mixture of dry ingredients such as cornstarch, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. The cornstarch encourages the egg wash to stick to the chicken, which in turn makes for a better surface for the panko to adhere to.
To help the panko stick to the chicken better, I’d recommend using the back of a spoon or fork to firmly press the crumbs onto the chicken.
This particular recipe doesn’t call for flour. However, the chicken will get dredged in a dry ingredients mixture before being dipped in the beaten egg.
Panko and breadcrumbs are made from white crustless bread that is then processed down into dry fine flakes. Whereas breadcrumbs are made using the crust, giving them more texture.
Panko breadcrumbs create a fried chicken that has a lighter, crunchier texture, while fried chicken coated in breadcrumbs produces a thicker coat that isn’t as crunchy.
Yes, panko breadcrumbs do absorb less oil due to their dry, flaky consistency. This, in turn, results in a perfectly crispy, crunchy fried coating on the chicken.
More Chicken Recipes
- Fried Chicken with Buttermilk
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken
- Smothered Chicken and Gravy
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Fried Chicken with Panko
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6-8oz each)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Pound the 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts to even thickness – about ½-inch thick each.
- In a shallow dish, mix together the c½ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- In another shallow dish, beat the 2 large eggs.
- In a third shallow dish, mix together the 1 cup panko breadcrumbs and ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch mixture, shaking off any excess. Then dip the chicken pieces in the beaten eggs. Then coat them in the panko breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs onto the chicken to adhere.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. (You might need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your pan).
- Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Shannan says
SO good!! This was restaurant quality! I will make on the regular!
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!