Easy Panko Chicken recipe made with juicy, tender chicken cutlets inside and crispy panko coating outside. You can bake, air fry, or deep fry it. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce. It's quick, tasty, and budget-friendly, too!
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Crispy Panko Outside Juicy Chicken Outside!
Crunchy light, panko-crusted coating with succulent chicken is irresistibly delicious. This fried chicken panko is a regular at our dinner table, and my family never leaves leftovers!
Made with simple ingredients, both kids and adults will love it. With this foolproof recipe, you can create your own chicken panko at home perfectly in no time!
If you love Asian crispy fried chicken recipes, our popular Taiwanese Fried Chicken, Sweet Chilli Chicken and Tori Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) are worth trying.
Ingredients You'll Need
Following is a quick guide with photos. Please scroll and see the measurements on the recipe card.
- Chicken breast: We usually use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe. Instead of chicken breast, you can use chicken thigh.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb made of crustless white bread and is larger and flakier than traditional Italian or English breadcrumbs. You can find it at Japanese or Chinese grocery stores or supermarket Asian aisles.
- Seasonings: salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Flour
- Eggs
- Cooking oil or oil spray
Little Secrets for Perfect Crunch
- Tenderize the chicken slightly before breading for a juicy, tender result.
- Preheat the air fryer to ensure consistent cooking temperature and cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the air fryer.
- Lightly spray the coated chicken with cooking oil for the best crispy texture.
- Place breaded chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket without overcrowding.
- You can check for doneness with a meat thermometer; the internal temperature should be 165°F (74°C).
- Do not throw away leftover panko breadcrumbs; you can use them in other Japanese panko recipes, like Chicken Katsu Curry and Chicken Katsu Burger.
Fun Twists You Can Try
- Panko Parmesan Fried Chicken: Mix panko breadcrumbs with grated Parmesan for added cheese flavour.
- Spicy Panko Chicken: For a kick of heat, add cayenne pepper, paprika, or dried crushed chilli flakes to the breading.
- Sesame-Coated Chicken Panko: Combine sesame seeds with panko breadcrumbs before breading the chicken.
- Curry Panko Chicken: For a unique flavour, sprinkle Japanese or Indian curry powder in the flour mixture.
- Teriyaki Glazed Chicken: Brush the fried panko-coated chicken with teriyaki sauce after air frying for extra umami flavour.
How to make Panko Chicken
Prepare chicken and breading:
- Flatten the chicken breast using a meat tenderiser or rolling pin. If it is too big, butterfly it using a sharp knife. Season the chicken with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Whisk two eggs in one bowl. Combine plain flour, cornstarch, and garlic powder in another bowl. Place panko breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
- First, dredge the chicken in the flour mix.
- Then, dip it in the whisked egg.
- Next, coat it with panko breadcrumbs by gently pressing it with your hands.
- Air fry the panko chicken:
- Preheat the air-fryer to 190°C ( 375°F ) for 2-3 minutes. Place the panko-breaded chicken breasts over the rack and leave enough space between each piece.
- Spray a generous amount of cooking oil. Fry for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is crispy. Flip halfway through and spray cooking oil.
- Remove from heat and let it sit for 3-4 minutes, then cut it into medium slices before serving.
How to Deep Fry it
If you wish to deep-fry, make sure the oil temperature is 350°F (175°C) for perfect frying. Cook each piece for 4-5 minutes until crispy golden brown. Depending on the thickness and size of the chicken piece, frying time can be varied.
Use natural-flavoured high-smoke-point oil for the best flavour and texture. Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding the frying pot, which can lower the oil temperature.
Dipping Sauce Suggestions
- Panko chicken can be served with a flavorful Japanese dipping sauce called tonkatsu sauce. Tonkatsu sauce is a sweet and tangy condiment that perfectly complements the crispy chicken.
- If you're looking for a tonkatsu's homemade alternative, you can mix Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and a touch of sugar to create a similar taste.
- Additionally, you can also enjoy it with barbecue sauce marinara for an Italian flair, tangy ranch, sriracha mayo for a spicy punch, and honey mustard for a sweet-tangy balance.
- Simply serve with ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or hot chilli sauce. It also goes well with gravy or a Japanese katsu curry sauce and rice. You can check out our Prawn Katsu with Curry and Rice for the easy Japanese curry sauce recipe.
Storage & Reheating
Freezing: Yes, you can freeze fried panko-coated chicken. Allow it to cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. Place it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Reheating: To maintain its crispiness, fried breadcrumb chicken should be reheated in the oven or air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 5-6 minutes. Avoid the microwave, as it may result in a loss of texture.
FAQs
Panko breadcrumbs are recommended for their superior crispiness, but you can use regular breadcrumbs. Panko coating creates the best texture.
Ensure the chicken is coated evenly in flour, egg, and panko. Refrigerating breaded chicken for 20-30 minutes before frying helps the breading adhere better.
To prepare panko-coated chicken a day ahead, follow these steps: Bread the chicken with panko crumbs and refrigerate uncovered on a wire rack to retain crispness. Store in an airtight container, and deep fry or air fry just before serving for maximum freshness and crunch.
What we love to pair with this chicken
This panko chicken goes well with just about anything! From Garlic Fried Rice, Tomato Egg Drop Soup to simple Japanese Cucumber Salad. Here are some of my go-to pairings:
More Tasty Crispy Starters
From Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Chicken Katsu Curry Burger to Battered Sausage, the following are our family's favourite crispy fried chicken and seafood recipes you might love!
If you've tried this easy panko chicken recipe, please share your feedback in the comments and give me star 🌟 ratings!
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Panko Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breast Boneless skinless chicken breasts about 100 grams/3.5oz each breast
- 6-8 tbsp Plain flour All-purpose flour
- 2 Egg whisked
- 100 gram Panko breadcrumbs Japanese breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp Salt or salt to taste
- 1 tsp Black pepper powder
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Oil spray or cooking oil to brush/spray the chicken
Instructions
Prepare chicken and panko coating
- First, trim off excess fat from the chicken breast and flatten it by using a meat tenderiser or rolling pin. If the chicken breast is too big, you can butterfly it by using a sharp knife.
- Season the chicken with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Whisk two eggs in one bowl. In another bowl combine plain flour, cornstarch, and garlic powder. Place panko breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
- First, dredge the chicken in the flour mix. Then dip in the whisked egg. Next, coat them with panko breadcrumbs by gently pressing them in your hands.
How to air fry?
- Preheat the air-fryer to 190°C for 2-3 minutes. Place the panko-breaded chicken breasts over the rack and leave enough space between each piece. Spray a generous amount of cooking oil.
- Fry for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is crispy. Flip the chicken halfway through and spay more oil.
- Remove from heat and let it sit for 3-4 minutes then cut it into medium slices.
Notes
- How to serve panko chicken? Serve with tonkatsu sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, hot chilli sauce, gravy, salad, fries, or Japanese curry sauce and rice.
- Air frying time can vary depending on the chicken breast size and the type of air fryer you use.
- Deep Frying Option: To deep fry the panko chicken, fill the frying pot or pan with neutral-flavoured oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and fry the coated chicken for 4-5 minutes or until crispy by flipping halfway through.
- Nutritional fact is approximately 433 kcal per serving without any salad or sauces, and it can be varied by the different products you use.
- Pair it with steamed rice, noodles, or a choice of steamed vegetables or salad.
Gary Lamb says
I seem to be missing the instructions for baking in the oven if you do not have an air frier. Can you help? Thank You.
Khin says
Hi Gary, I've updated the oven cooking options. Hope that helps. Thanks for your feedback.
Joe says
Tried it yesterday. My grandkids enjoyed it. We air fired it. So crispy and delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Will be trying more of your recipes.
Khin says
Thanks, Joe. So glad that you and your family enjoyed this recipe.