when breading chicken what goes first flour or egg

Learn How to Bread Chicken with this simple technique that wows everyone in the house and keeps the mess to a minimum. Then pan-fry, air-fry, or bake your cutlets to golden, juicy perfection.

There’s nothing quite as good as a breaded chicken cutlet, served hot and crisp on, well, anything at all. Crispy chicken tenders, or baked breaded chicken, Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Milanese, or Chicken Piccata—they all rely on a coating of breadcrumbs for their mouthwatering, crunchy texture.

Once you get all your culinary ducks in a row and your ingredients organized, known in the culinary world as mise en place, you’ll be breading chicken like a sous chef in no time. This how-to keeps it simple and as mess-free as possible so you can get on with enjoying your night.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe. Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Dip each breast into the flour, then shake off the excess. Next, run the breast through the egg to coat it lightly and hold the chicken over the liquid to let any excess fall back into the bowl. Finally, lay the chicken in the bread crumbs, turn it over and press it into the breading to coat.
when breading chicken what goes first flour or egg

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 4 breaded chicken cutlets.
  • Storage: Store leftover cooked chicken cutlets covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Make ahead: The cutlets can be pounded out, breaded, and stored covered in the refrigerator one day in advance. Unfortunately, they cannot easily be frozen and then reheated in a pan or oven.
  • Seasoning: Spice up your breading with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, or anything else that sounds tasty.
  • Other crumbs: Substitute finely-crushed corn flakes or walnuts instead of bread crumbs.

when breading chicken what goes first flour or egg

You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breast. Just pound out, bread, and fry in a similar fashion.

Made from crustless white bread that is baked using an electrical current and ground into uneven pieces. Panko crumbs are light, crispy, and great for pan-fried foods.

when breading chicken what goes first flour or egg

What is the best meat tenderizer?

To get your chicken super flat and tender for cooking, I love using the Oxo Steel Meat Tenderizer! It’s my top choice in my roundup of the best meat tenderizers and the one I personally use for cooking and in my test kitchen. You can get it for $16.80 at Amazon.

When frying chicken do you dip in egg or flour first?

FAQ

Do you put chicken in flour or egg first?

You should always start with a layer of flour. This helps absorb moisture on the surface of the chicken, which would keep the breading from sticking and make a mess in the hot oil. The flour also gives the egg something to cling to—otherwise it would slide right off the chicken.

Do you put the egg before or after the flour?

Remember – flour first, then egg, then crumbs… The flour creates a dry surface on the wet or moist food and it’s this dry surface that the egg will hold on to in the next step. If you didn’t coat a chicken breast in flour, for instance, the egg would just slide right off the slippery chicken.

Do you dip egg or flour first in fried chicken?

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge it in the flour, and then shake off the excess. Submerge the chicken in the egg wash. Remove the chicken from the egg wash and dredge it in the flour a second time. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken skin-side down in the hot oil.

What is the correct sequence for breading?

The standard breading technique includes three steps: dredging in flour, moistening in egg wash (beaten egg plus a tablespoon or two of water or milk), then coating in crispy breadcrumbs like Panko.

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