USA · Appetizers and Sandwiches

Onion Ring Chips

40 min4 servings215 kcal

Onion rings cut thin and baked instead of deep-fried, so they crisp all the way through and eat like a chip rather than a side dish.

Onion Ring Chips

Ingredients

  • sweet onions2 pcs
  • panko breadcrumbs120 g
  • all-purpose flour60 g
  • eggs2 pcs
  • buttermilk60 ml
  • parmesan40 g
  • smoked paprika1 tsp
  • garlic powder1 tsp
  • salt1 tsp
  • black pepper0.5 tsp
  • olive oil2 tbsp

Method

  1. 1Trim both ends of the onions and peel them. Slice into 6 mm rounds — half the thickness of classic onion rings, which is what turns them into chips. Separate the rings and keep the ones between 3 and 7 cm across; save the small centres for another dish.
  2. 2Set up three shallow bowls. First: flour with half the salt and the black pepper. Second: eggs beaten with the buttermilk. Third: panko, parmesan, smoked paprika, garlic powder and the remaining salt.
  3. 3Coat one ring at a time — flour, tap off the excess, egg mixture, then panko. Press the crumbs on with your fingers so they hold. Move the rings with a fork rather than your hands; caked fingers stop picking up crumbs after the third ring.
  4. 4Lay the breaded rings in a single layer on a lined tray and freeze for 15 minutes. Skip this and the coating slides off the onion as it steams in the oven.
  5. 5Heat the oven to 220°C with a rack in the upper third. Brush or spray both sides of the rings with olive oil — dry panko stays pale and tastes of raw flour.
  6. 6Bake 12–14 minutes, turning once halfway, until the coating is deep gold and audibly crisp when tapped. Thin rings colour fast, so check at 10 minutes.
  7. 7Salt them the moment they leave the oven, while the surface is still hot enough to hold it, and serve within 15 minutes. They soften as they cool.