How to bread chicken without eggs

Looking down on a crumbed chicken cutlet that has been cut in half on a wooden chopping board.

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Crumbed chicken with all the flavour and crunch you love but without using any eggs.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Family Dinner Ideas

Cuisine: New Zealalnd

Keyword: how to bread chicken without eggs, crumbed chicken no eggs

Servings: servings

Calories: 252kcal

Author: Stacey

Ingredients

450 grams chicken breast x2 boneless breasts

Wet ingredients

3 Tablespoons cornflour (corn starch)
2 Tablespoons water
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese (powdered, finely grated)

Seasoned Breadcrumbs

1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs The recipe usually needs 1.5 cups of bread crumbs but I find it easier to use 2 cups and discard the excess at the end.
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius (400 F)
Slice the chicken breasts horizontally so that you end up with four thin chicken cutlets or chicken steaks.

Wet ingredients

In a medium mixing bowl combine the cornflour and water to create a slurry.
Add the parmesan cheese and mustard to the cornflour slurry.
Add the chicken cutlets to the slurry, you want each chicken cutlet well covered in the slurry.

Bread crumbs

Place the panko bread crumbs, paprika, thyme and garlic powder in a large bowl or dish, and mix to combine.
Transfer a cornflour dredged-coated chicken cutlet one at a time to the breadcrumb bowl. Use your hands to ensure each cutlet is well-crumbed.
Place the crumbed chicken on a baking paper-lined tray
Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, flip the chicken and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Enjoy

Notes

Chicken breast: Any boneless skinless chicken can be used including chicken thighs, This breading technique also works for vegetables and firm white fish.
Cornflour (corn starch): In New Zealand, we call it cornflour but in many countries, it is called corn starch. It is a finely milled flour with a light texture that is white and is known for its thickening abilities.
Water
Panko bread crumbs: Any breadcrumbs including gluten-free bread crumbs can be used.
Dijon mustard: This can be substituted for American mustard, any smooth mild yellow mustard will work. This is a flavouring and can ultimately be left out of the recipe if desired.
Parmesan cheese: I use powdered parmesan cheese in my crumb. Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free alternative. This is a flavouring and can ultimately be left out of the recipe if desired.
Paprika, Thyme, Garlic powder or Onion powder: These ingredients are flavorings and can ultimately be substituted for other herbs and spices or left out of the recipe if desired.
The slurry needs to be used straight away after you have made it. Over time the slurry can become dry, if your slurry is behaving like oobleck i.e. hardens you can just add a little water to loosen it again.
This breading technique will work with firm white fish, or smaller pieces of chicken if you want to make chicken nuggets.
You will get the best tender chicken and even cooking if all the chicken pieces are approximately the same thickness.
Oil spray: If your crumb coating is crisping but not going golden give the outside a quick spray of oil before returning to the oven.
Salt and pepper: I don't add extra salt and black pepper to my breadcrumbs as the other seasonings take their place. If you are cutting out the other flavours it might pay to season your breadcrumbs with a little salt and pepper.

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