This recipe’s great because it’s quick and there’s very little mess; mainly because there’s no eggs or milk to worry about. You’ll find lots of other onion ring recipes however, that do call for those ingredients. In fact, I have other recipes right here on this sight that use eggs and milk.
But I wanted to share a quick recipe that calls for the onions to be dipped in a simple batter of flour, corn starch, paprika, salt, and “club soda”. After that, the onions get a nice coating of panko breadcrumbs before being fried in oil. You can use whatever frying oil you like best. Many people use peanut oil, and many people use vegetable oil. I’m not sure I’d use coconut oil though. Unless you’re looking for a particular flavor.
We recommend using chilled club soda for this recipe because it produces some pretty good results. I’m no scientist, but I’m pretty sure what’s happening is that the carbon dioxide bubbles become trapped in the batter and then expand when they come in contact with the hot oil. The crust of the onion rings then becomes covered with all kinds of tiny pores, leaving a much lighter crust.
Club soda will play a more prominent role however, in different onion ring recipes; namely onion rings that are only battered and won’t be breaded with panko or regular breadcrumbs. In those cases, having a lighter batter will be of much more importance. In the case of these onion rings, the most notable aspect is going to be the panko breading.
In other words, don’t worry too much about it if you don’t have any club soda laying around. You can easily replace it with regular tap water or even milk if you want.
Try not to over mix the batter either. Just whisk it until it’s combined.
When dropping the onion rings in the hot oil, it’s always better to work in small batches. This means a less drastic temperature drop when the food is added to the oil, and it helps ensure that every part of the onion ring will cook at an even pace.
Onion Rings – Quick Battered With Panko Breading
By: Semiserious Chefs
Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients:
- 2 large onions cut into 1/4 inch- thick slices and then separated into rings (I prefer yellow for onion rings, but you can use whatever kind you want)
- 1 cup chilled club soda
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs, or more if needed
- Oil for frying
Directions:
- Begin preheating the frying oil over medium heat until it reaches 350° F (roughly 175° C). Cast iron dishes work well because they retain heat and keep the oil a consistent temperature. Just make sure you have enough oil to completely cover the onion rings. An inch or so of oil should be fine.
- While oil is heating, whisk together flour, corn starch, paprika, and salt. Add club soda and whisk together to form a batter. Don’t over mix.
- In a separate bowl, add panko breadcrumbs.
- Begin placing a couple onion slices in the batter, fully emerging them.
- Remove onion rings from batter and dip in the panko breadcrumbs. Flip onions to coat both sides. The panko should stick fairly well.
- Fry a few rings at a time for 2 -3 minutes or until golden brown, and then remove and let drain on a wire rack. Remember, frying in small batches is much better than trying to fry everything at once.
- When ready, serve with sides of blue cheese and barbecue sauce.
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