Incredibly crispy panko fried chicken ready in less than 30 minutes, this panko chicken recipe is genuinely addictive. An easy meal made with pantry staples.
And you will not even have to deep fry the pieces; shallow frying is sufficient for perfectly crispy and delicious panko-fried chicken.
If you would like to use the oven, check out the Crispy Panko Breaded Chicken or the Baked Panko Chicken without Eggs.
Table of contents
Why will you love this easy recipe?
- The panko fried chicken breast is tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Healthier: You will need less oil than you would if you were to deep-fry the crusted chicken pieces, yet the results are equally delicious, if not better!
- Quick: Despite having to crumb the chicken, dinner will be ready in 20-30 minutes.
Recipe ingredients
- Chicken breast:
- I prefer to butterfly each breast to get two thinner slices which will need less than 10 minutes of cooking time.
- Chicken tenderloin (tenders) or similar chicken cutlets are great as well.
- Panko breadcrumbs
- These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are made of crustless white bread baked using an electric current. They are perfect for any fried food making the breading much crispier than it would be when regular breadcrumbs are used.
- Mayonnaise, mustard, and egg: You will need them to coat the meat; they add flavor and help keep the fried chicken wonderfully moist.
- Spices: Sweet paprika for mixing with the breadcrumbs. Garlic powder, onion powder, fine sea salt, and black pepper for mixing with the all-purpose flour needed for the flour coating.
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying the panko chicken.
Step-by-step instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts (1).
- Breading stations (2):
- Mix flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Mix mayonnaise, mustard, egg, salt, and pepper in another bowl.
- Mix panko and paprika in a third bowl or baking dish.
- Bread the chicken:
- Turn the pieces in the flour until coated all over (use tongs to turn them around) (3).
- Place them in the mayo-egg mixture and turn them around to coat all over (4).
- Pick up each piece with tongs and place it into the container with the panko crumbs. Turn on both sides to coat it, and press down with your palms to adhere (5).
- Fry:
- Heat the oil in a large, slightly deeper frying pan or cast-iron skillet. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the breaded chicken breast pieces and fry them on each side for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through (6,7).
- Place the fried panko chicken on paper towels to absorb the excess fat and serve immediately.
Expert tips
- Use tongs to turn the pieces in the flour, mayo mixture, and panko breading; this way, you can keep your fingers clean.
- Press the coating with your palm to ensure that the crumbs adhere properly to the chicken.
- Make sure that the chicken pieces are thin; I don’t recommend trying to fry whole thick breasts, they will need too long to cook, and the breading will be too dark by the time they are ready.
- You can also add 2-3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the panko mixture.
Recipe FAQ
Online and in most grocery stores. They’ll probably be with the Japanese products in the Asian section or the section storing other types of breadcrumbs.
Yes, but panko breadcrumbs are superior; the pieces will be crunchier and crispier.
It depends on the size of the pan. It should be large enough for you to cook at least 4 pieces of chicken in one batch, and its bottom should be covered with about ½ cm/ ¼ inch of oil. In my case, I needed about 100 ml/ ½ cup.
About 190°C/ 375°F. The oil should be hot but not smoking.
The best way to check is with a meat thermometer; the internal temperature should be 72°C/165°F.
Otherwise, cut one piece in the middle; the meat should be white; no pink allowed.
Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Reheat them in a skillet or the oven.
You can also serve the leftovers cold; they are the perfect cut for a delicious chicken sandwich.
Sure. Spray the breaded pieces with cooking oil and cook in the preheated air fryer at 190°C/375°F for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through.
How to serve?
They are best served immediately; they will still be delicious the next day, but they will not be very crispy anymore.
Serve with Potato Wedges with Sweet Chili Dip, Air Fryer Potato Wedges, Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Sweet Potato Slices, Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes or Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, and so on. You can also serve it with rice dishes, for instance, Simple Buttered Rice with Garlic, Pumpkin Rice, Nando’s Spicy Rice, BBQ Rice, and so on.
Serve the tender, juicy chicken with marinara sauce, honey mustard sauce, sweet chili sauce, BBQ sauce, or any other favorite dipping sauce. Try the Easy Yogurt Mint Sauce.
Slice the pieces, serve them on top of a crunchy salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette or balsamic vinaigrette or Yogurt Dressing, and make sandwiches or burgers.
More recipes using panko breadcrumbs
Crispy Panko Fried Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Large frying pan
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts about 130-150 g each/ 4.5-5.5 oz
- 100 ml vegetable oil about ½ cup, Note 1
Panko mix:
- 100 g panko about 1 ¾ cup/ 3.5 oz
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Flour mix:
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Dipping mix:
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard or similar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Chicken: Butterfly the chicken to have two thinner slices from each breast. Set them aside.
- Flour mix: Mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Dipping mix: Lightly whisk mayonnaise, mustard, egg, salt, and pepper with a fork in another large bowl. Set aside.
- Panko mix: Mix panko and paprika in a baking dish or another large shallow container.
Bread the chicken:
- Flour: Place the chicken breasts into the flour bowl. Turn the pieces around using tongs until they are nicely floured.
- Dip: Lift the pieces with tongs, shake them gently over the flour bowl to remove the excess, and place them into the mayo-egg bowl. Turn them around to coat all over.
- Breadcrumbs: Pick up each piece with tongs, shake it gently over the mayo-egg bowl to remove the excess, and place it in the panko-mix container. Turn it around to coat it with the breadcrumbs and press down with your palms to adhere.
Fry panko chicken:
- Heat the oil in a large, slightly deeper frying pan or cast-iron skillet. The oil should be hot but not smoking (Note 2).
- Fry the panko chicken breast pieces in two batches for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through (Note 3).
Notes
- How much oil you need depends on the size of the pan. The pan should be large enough for you to cook at least 4 pieces of chicken in one batch, and its bottom should be covered with about ½ cm/ ¼ inch of oil. In my case, I needed about 100 ml/ ½ cup.
- About 190°C/ 375°F.
- The best way to check is with a meat thermometer; the internal temperature should be 72°C/165°F. Otherwise, cut one piece in the middle; the meat should be white; no pink allowed.
Nicole
Thursday 1st of December 2022
So delicious! The mayo-mustard layer really adds to the flavor. I had a couple pieces that didn’t get cooked all the way. Next time I’ll use a meat thermometer.
Adina
Thursday 1st of December 2022
I am so happy to hear you liked the chicken, Nicole. I am a big fan of the meat thermometer, it takes the guessing out of cooking, and it's so easy to use.
OliverG
Monday 7th of November 2022
Great chicken recipe, it looks amazig, thanks for sharinG!
mjskitchen
Saturday 16th of July 2022
What a tasty and easy chicken to throw together and there is nothing better than a crispy bite of chicken. Love it!