Firecracker Onion Rings

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword firecracker-oniion-rings

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 364kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

1 jumbo sweet onion OR 2 large onions, sliced
1 ½ cups buttermilk
2 tablespoon hot sauce
3 ½ teaspoon Creole Cajun or Old Bay seasoning, divided
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs beaten
1 ½ cups self rising flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoon canola oil
cooking spray

Instructions

Peel onion and slice into ¼ inch slices. Separate the rings.
In a bowl, or large plastic storage bag, mix together the buttermilk, hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning.
Add the onion rings. Soak for 30 minutes in the refrigerator turning occasionally.
To prepare: Preheat the oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spray liberally with cooking spray. (Have nearby an extra pan, if needed)
Remove onion rings from marinade. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade. Add to beaten eggs. Discard the rest.
On a plate, mix 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper with flour.
On a separate plate, mix 1 ½ teaspoon seasoning, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon kosher salt into panko breadcrumbs. Toss mixture with canola oil. Mix thoroughly.
Dip the onion rings into seasoned flour, then into egg-buttermilk wash, then into the panko bread crumbs.
Arrange side by side on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly spritz breaded onion rings with cooking spray.
Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully turn and continue to bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until golden and crispy. Rotate pans from top to bottom shelves, if needed.
Sprinkle with additional seasoning immediately after baking, if desired. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
To deep fry: Follow the same procedure and cook in small batches in peanut oil or canola that is at 350-360°F.
Place onto a baking sheet on paper towels to drain and into a 225°F oven to keep warm while frying additional batches.

Notes

When preparing a dish that requires dredging, use one hand for the dry ingredients and one hand for the wet ingredients. Otherwise, if you dip a wet hand into the flour and bread crumbs, they'll become too moist and begin to clump. Clumpy breading won't adhere to the food, in this case, the onion rings.

Nutrition