Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

 

We have been missing the decadent foods that you can eat when dining out. Dining out? What is that? Does anyone remember? I've always had bad luck with getting the same crunch and feeling when trying to bake typically fried food.The coating was always falling off the baked versions. I was traditionally using buttermilk and my coating stuck on the pan. Not anymore now that I found the secret! Mayonnaise! Acts like glue and adds a little extra flavor. Try it - you will see. Change up the spice, using creole or za'tar.

I would have liked to include a plating picture, but we ate them right off the sheet tray. 😊 

The inspiration for this recipe came from the justataste website

Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

Ingredients
2 large Vidalia onions
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus garlic salt and freshly ground pepper to season)
4 large egg whites
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup plain or Italian-style Panko breadcrumbs (fine works best but you can crush up the larger kind,using food processor or putting in ziploc baggie and running a rolling pin over)
Cooking spray

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Slice the onions into 1/2-inch wide rings then place the rings in a bowl of water (this dilutes the sulphur content, making them sweet and mild)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites and the mayonnaise (adding a little water if too thick). Add the breadcrumbs to a third medium bowl.
4, Remove each onion ring from the water, shaking off any excess and then placing it immediately into the flour, tossing until thoroughly coated, then dip the onion ring into the egg white mixture and then in the bread crumbs until  thoroughly coated, pressing firmly onto all sides of the onion ring. Place the onion ring on the prepared baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining onion rings.
5) Spray the onion rings with cooking spray (this is optional, but it helps them brown more evenly). Bake the onion rings 10 minutes then flip them and bake an additional 5 minutes until they' re golden brown and crispy. 

(I'm planning on trying this in my air fryer and see if they turn out even crispier)

Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce, see below for an option:

Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients. Whisk together in small bowl - 1/2 cup mayonnaise. 1/2 cup hickory smoked barbecue sauce. 1 tablespoon Tabasco Chipotle Sauce. 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper. 3 or 4 shakes Worcestershire sauce.