13 Types Of Batters And Breadings For Frying Food

Batters and breading offer two ways to protect chicken or any other food you intend to fry from searing hot oil. Batters are liquid mixtures typically involving the combination of all-purpose flour with a leavening agent and liquid ingredients like eggs or milk to create a runny consistency. You could also incorporate various types of spices and seasoning.

Breading, however, is a bit more complex and often consists of multiple layers. You may begin by dusting the food item with flour or cornmeal to help the subsequent layers stick better. Next up is a liquid layer, usually eggs or milk. Finally, the last layer of coarse breadcrumbs or other substitutes finishes the coating.

Despite their differences, fry batter and breading share the common goal of creating a flawless outer crust while preserving a moist center. While they provide a protective cover on the outside, the air bubbles within this coat allow effective heat transfer to cook the food uniformly within. Furthermore, a well-executed batter or breading brings its own unique flavor, often allowing you to customize it to create your own desired taste. For anyone eager to explore the various ways to coat food for frying, here are some fantastic types of batters and breading that you could try — soon enough, you'll be cooking up restaurant-quality fried chicken at home!

Adding beer to batter incorporates tiny bubbles in the mix, making it lighter than traditional batter for fried foods. This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, baking powder, eggs, seasonings, spices, and the star ingredient, beer.  For extra flavor, add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, and other dry ingredients to the flour as well. Next, add the eggs and pour in a cold can of beer until you have the right consistency — thin and a little runny, like you're making classic pancakes. The final step is to dip your fish, onion rings, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables and fry until golden.

You don't have to choose any specific beer brands, but it's better to pick one with a flavor you like. Beer often adds a nice malty note to the fried food, enhancing the taste profile. Keep in mind that dark beer has a richer flavor than light beer.

Now, you don't have to worry too much about alcohol in beer batter as most of it will be burnt off during frying. However, if you're strict about not taking any alcohol, you can simply just swap it out for non-alcoholic beer. Alternatively, you could use other carbonated drinks like club soda or seltzer for the same leavening effect.

Standard breadcrumbs provide fried food with a beautiful golden color and a satisfying crunchy texture. Since making breadcrumbs is easy, they're a pantry staple for home cooks and professional chefs alike. Start by grabbing any stale loaf of bread lying around. Most people use white bread, but you can use anything, even specialty bread. You could also use fresh bread, but you might want to have it sit in the oven for a while to become dry.

Throw some bread slices in the food processor and pulse to make fine or coarse crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can just toss the bread in a plastic bag and crush it with a rolling pin. Now that you have the breadcrumbs, the next stage is drying. Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 18 minutes. Remember to toss the crumbs at intervals so they don't burn.

After preparing the breadcrumbs, it's smooth sailing from here on out. Just follow the traditional three-step process of dredging in flour, followed by eggs and, finally, a layer of breadcrumbs. Fry your breaded shrimp, chicken, or fish until crispy and enjoy.

Panko crumbs are a variety of breadcrumbs used in various Asian dishes, especially Japanese tonkatsu and chicken katsu. The first noticeable difference between these and traditional breadcrumbs is the size. Regular breadcrumbs are cut into smaller pieces, while panko crumbs are usually coarse, which is why they're the best breadcrumb when it comes to achieving maximum crunch. Panko crumbs are also made from a special steamed crustless bread.

Since panko crumbs are light and airy, they don't soak up too much oil during frying. It also creates a crispier coat for fried foods than traditional breadcrumbs. If you can't find real panko crumbs in stores, you could try making them at home using regular white bread. Remove the crust of the white bread and make coarse crumbs using a shredding disk or food processor. Bake it in the oven at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about seven minutes or until dry, but don't let it turn brown or burn. Once it's cool, you can put this away in an air-tight jar for later use or use it to coat shrimp, chicken, pork chops, and vegetables for frying.

Want to give your breadcrumb-coated fried chicken a delicious twist? Bring out the sesame seeds. These toasted sesame seeds add a distinct sweet yet nutty flavor to fried chicken, fish, and vegetables. You could start by dredging the chicken slices in flour before dipping them in eggs. For the third coat, you could just use plain sesame seeds. However, if you want to make it crunchier, mix sesame seeds and breadcrumbs for the final coat.

Another way to make sesame-crusted fried chicken is to combine eggs, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, mustard, dill, and pepper to create the batter. Dip the chicken breasts in this batter before rolling them in a tray of sesame seeds, ensuring enough seeds stick to the entire surface. Fry for a few minutes, giving each side enough attention so as to achieve an even finish. But be careful not to burn the sesame seeds; otherwise, your fried chicken will taste bitter.

If you have stale pretzels lying around your house, don't toss them out yet. Instead, you can use them as breading when making fried chicken or fish next. The pretzel coat gives a unique, slightly salty flavor and a delightful crispy coat—a total game-changer.

Prepare the pretzel coat by crushing it to coarse crumbs. If you have breadcrumbs at home, you can combine them with the pretzels. Plus, if you add some seasonings and spices like salt, cumin, and onion powder to the pretzels, each bite will be bursting with flavor. The next stage just involves following the three-step routine of dredging chicken strips in flour, eggs, and finally, the pretzel breadcrumbs mix.

Alternatively, you can use a two-bowl method: one for milk and the other for the pretzel crumbs with spices like paprika and salt. The milk helps the pretzel crumbs stick better to the surface of the chicken. Fry your fully breaded chicken strips until golden brown, drain the excess oil, and enjoy.

Making cracker-coated chicken or fish is one of the many innovative ways to use crackers in the kitchen. Don't knock this recipe until you've tried it, because it might just be one of the most crispy yet tender fried chicken you'll ever try. Furthermore, this type of crust is suitable for anyone with dairy or gluten food restrictions. If you have a batch of crackers sitting in your pantry for too long, it's time to put them to good use with a recipe sure to impress anyone.

The first step is hitting the crackers with a heavy object, but don't crush them into a smooth powder. You'll need coarse lumps for the iconic crunchy crust. Add salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and any other spices of your liking. You could also mix the crackers with panko or traditional breadcrumbs. Then, in a separate bowl, whisk some eggs.

Dip the chicken cutlets in the egg bowl and then into the cracker crumbs. Repeat the process until the chicken has a generous coat of breading. You can bake or fry it until golden brown. Another great alternative to crackers in this recipe is tortilla chips. Just crush the chips and follow the same process.