Oven Baked Onion Rings

Onion rings are something I crave allllll the time. They were easy to get when we lived in a big city, but now that we're in the middle of nowhere in the mountains I have to get my fix another way. If you've seen my previous instructables you've probably read about how much I hate frying things at home, so of course I went with the oven baked option.

Through experimenting, I found out regular breadcrumbs were no good, "wet" batters never dried out enough, and cornmeal got pretty gross to eat if you let them cook long enough to brown. But then I saw this oven baked onion ring recipe using Panko breadcrumbs and I decided to give it a try!

I have to say that oven baked onion rings will be something I make all the time now. They're fairly simple and always turn out nice and crunchy. I can't say they compare to the best fried onion rings, but they are pretty dang good. :D

Step 1: Ingredients + Tools

ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups+ Panko style breadcrumbs
• cooking spray

tools:

• baking sheet
• Ziploc or paper bag for flour
• small bowls
• aluminum foil
• an oven preheated to 450 F / 230 C

The cooking spray and Panko are really the keys to getting nice onion rings.

Step 2: Slice Your Onion and Put It in a Bowl of Water

Cut the ends off the onion and then slice into thick rings. I can normally get 4-5 slices. You want the slices to be about a half inch thick.

Separate the rings gently so you don't break them. I use everything but the smallest inner ring. :)

Place the onion rings in a bowl of water as you finish them. You can also use buttermilk, but it doesn't make much difference, honestly. You just want the onion rings to be wet so that you can dredge them in the seasoned flour.

Step 3: Get Your Breading Area Assembled

Preheat the oven to 450 F / 230 C.

Combine the flour and seasoned salt. I know a tablespoon seems like a lot, but this is our only chance to get the onion rings seasoned. I tried it with much less a couple times and they were never good enough!

Beat two eggs well in another bowl.

Pour two cups of Panko breadcrumbs into a medium sized bowl.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the aluminum foil well with cooking spray.

Step 4: Bread the Onion Rings

I may be using glass bowls for the photos to make it look nice, but I actually recommend using a Ziploc or paper bag to dredge the onions rings in the seasoned flour. It is so much faster and easier and coats the onion rings better.

Steps for breading:

1. Remove an onion ring from the water and place it in the bag with the seasoned flour. Shake well to coat.
2. Shake the onion ring lightly to remove excess flour and then dip it into the beaten eggs. I use a fork to move it around and make sure both sides are coated.
3. Allow some of the excess egg to drip off and then place the onion ring into the panko. Scoop some Panko on the top of it and press down. Coat it well all over!
4. As you finish with each ring, lay them on the aluminum foil/cooking spray coated baking sheet.

Step 5: Spray and Bake at 450 F / 230 C for 10-15 Minutes

Once all your onion rings are on the sheet, give them a light coating with your cooking spray.

Then pop them in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. I like to turn mine halfway, but you don't have to!

You just want the onions to soften and for the Panko to get nice and golden. If you're not sure after 15 minutes, take out the fattest onion ring and taste test it. That'll let you know if you're done. :D

And now you can eat awesome onion rings whenever the hell you want without burning yourself or smelling like cooking oil the rest of the day!! YAY!!

Though be warned, you will end up with Panko crumbs everywhere. ;)