Panko Crusted chicken breast - not crispy :(

[danhole]

I tried to make Crispy panko breaded breast, but they came out with a good flavor but a bit soggy. I dusted the breast with flour, dipped in egg, and then pressed the panko into them to cover. I cooked in the oven at 350 until the chicken was done. What did I do wrong. We like them crispy, but this is my first try with panko. Oh and it says on the package that it is honey & butter flavored. Is that common?

[kjonyou]

Realize I am late to the party here, but I have had good results by toasting Panko for a few minutes in a dry pan. Similar to how people toast nuts to bring out flavor, the Panko turns a perfect golden brown to be used later. Only a minute or two, they will burn fast.

[RoxyGrl]

2nd this - I use maybe a teaspoon of olive oil in a couple of cups of Panko and toast it in a skillet. Egg wash on the chicken, coat in panko, lightly spray with olive oil or cooking spray and then bake it on a rack (I use a cooling rack, like for cookies) set on a pan

Comes out crispy and tastes very close to fried

[Megiac]

In addition to the other suggestion, I would not press the panko into them, since it has a lighter, more delicate texture than regular breadcrumbs and you are going to lose that if you mash them down.

[lafoodie7]

Agree with many of the posts - panko is used in Japan primarily for DEEP FRYING...not baking in the oven, so you absolutely need more oil and higher temperatures. Also do not flour the meat - use flour as a coating OR bread crumbs, not both. The egg wash is to make the crumbs stick to the meat. I find foodnetwork to have good tips and recipes - they may have panko-crusted tips in general (for baking). www.foodtv.com

Good luck - to get a nice brown crust on meat/fish, high temperature is a must! I understand if you don't want to deepfry, but you may want to stick to 'regular' bread crumbs if baking..hope this helps! ;P

[porkchop]

I tried it once with regular pankow crumbs and it did not brown; so I don't think pankows brown in the oven. If I'm making oven fried chicken I'll use regular bread crumbs, but if I'm going to fry them, definately use pankow. They not only brown perfectly in a skillet, but if you have leftovers, they'll do well reheated in a toaster oven.

[lucidz]

Just a thought, but couldn't you underbake them in the mixture, then finish them on the stove in some simmering oil to give it that crispiness? Kinda like finishing in reverse?

I'm seriously asking here :0

[danhole]

Believe it or not, I did try that. My problem was that I did NOT undercook them, but when we had the leftovers, I put them in a cast iron skillet with a bit of olive oil, to crisp them up. Alas, but the time they got crisped the meat was a bit tough and dry. My DH said that it tasted good, but please make some gravy!

[oakjoan]

I never use flour when I coat with panko crumbs, just beaten egg. Flour AND crumbs seem like overkill. I agree about all the other stuff folks said above about higher oven heat. If you're going to brown them later or also, why not just do that instead of using the oven. Or brown them and then put them in the oven to finish cooking and keep hot.

[pharmnerd]

"Oh and it says on the package that it is honey & butter flavored. Is that common?"

For Japanese brands, honey-flavored is common but I've never come across honey and butter. What brand are you using?

[danhole]

It is Hituji brand. It just says "with honey and butter." When I googled panko I noticed there were other brands that had honey in them, as well. But when I googled this particular brand it was mostly in japanese, which I am not familiar with.

[delong99]

I have a scallop recipe that calls for mixing the panko with olive oil before coating and they come out nice and crispy.

[danhole]

How would that work with the egg? Should I skip the eggs?

[Smileelisa]

I always spray my baked chicken with olive oil spray and that gives the chicken a nice crispy coating. I usually coat my chicken with mustard instead of flour and egg. It gives it a wonderful zing.

[dutchdot]

hotter oven, less juices and I would use plain Panko. I did one that I found somewhere with buttermilk parmesan and Panko and it was the soggiest worst mess I ever pulled out of the oven. Ick.

[Romanmk]

Too much egg/moisture maybe? The sides of the pan used to roast the chicken should be low so that the air circulates. Roasting them on a rack would might help. Try a 400 degree oven.

[danhole]

I was thinking about using a rack next time. I did spray them with olive oil to help crisp them up, but maybe I used too much.

[jolivore]

More oil if you're not going to pan fry them, and a higher temp.

[caviar_and_chitlins]

Honey Butter flavored? I think you may have your answer right there. I've only used plain. I wonder what exactly is in them...

[danhole]

When I bought them I had no idea that there were flavors. In small print at the top it says "with honey & butter." The ingredients are wheat flour, dextrose, shortening, yeast, salt & honey. It didn't have much of a honey flavor at all. I need to look for plain ones, but I want to use up this bag first.

[caviar_and_chitlins]

I agree with the others about the heat. That was my first impression until I saw the flavor part- I need to look closely to avoid that! When I saw the bit about them being flavored, I thought that something in there might be weighing the crumbs down, and it still might be the case.

Try the higher heat, and if it doesn't work... toss 'em. :p