OVEN BAKED ONION RINGS with spicy dipping sauce

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients
  • 1 large white or yellow onion, peeled, sliced, and separated into rings
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups bread crumbs or panko (see best baked onion rings)
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • salt + pepper, to taste
  • cooking spray*
fry sauce
  • ⅓ cup mayo
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon hot Chilli sauce (such as Sriracha)

1. Soak the raw onion rings in buttermilk first, before coating them – for 2 hours: cover tightly in fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray heavily with cooking spray.
3. In a bowl whisk together egg whites and milk.
4. Place breadcrumbs in a second bowl.
5. Combine in a large zip lock bag: flour, salt and pepper to taste, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Seal the bag and shake to mix seasonings.
6. Open the bag and add the onion rings. Seal and shake to coat the rings well.
7. Take onion rings out and dip one at a time into egg-milk mixture making sure to coat all sides, then into the breadcrumbs, also coating all sides.
8. Place rings in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Spray heavily with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes (depending on how crispy you want them).  Flip and rotate til golden brown.
8. While onion rings are baking, prepare the dipping sauce. Mix together mayo, ketchup, and hot chilli sauce. Chill until ready to serve.

* If you line the pan with parchment paper or wax paper, that can cause a lot of smoke.

NOTES FROM OTHERS:  I skimmed too quickly and made the mistake of combining all the spices with the flour in one bowl.  I dipped the onions in the egg mixture and then the dry ingredients. They still turned out great but were not as well coated as the pictures shown.

Best Baked Onion Rings

These baked onion rings are incredible! There is no way that you feel like you are eating healthy and low fat when you eat these.  I dip mine in ketchup but my husband is a purist who prefers his plain. And while the prep time can be a little long, make it a social time. I talk to everyone in the house while I make these, and then sit back and enjoy how great they smell as they cook!

INGREDIENTS – Servings: 4

    • 2 peeled onions
    • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 -3 egg whites
    • 3/4 cup nonfat breadcrumbs or 3/4 cup lowfat breadcrumbs*
    • 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
    • 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
  3. Slice the onions width wise and then break them apart into rings.
  4. Put the flour in 1 bowl, the egg whites into a second, and into the third put the breadcrumbs and all the spices (all the rest of the ingredients).
  5. Dip each onion ring into the flour, then the egg whites, and then the bread crumbs.
  6. Place them on the baking sheet and then repeat with the next ring.
  7. Bake them all for about 20 minutes or until crispy.

NOTES FROM OTHERS:  can be dry.
I tried putting the first flour into a bag and throwing all the onions in there and shaking it up. That worked well… my 6yr old daughter helped to put them from the bag into the egg and then I put them into the crumbs. The one onion made 3 batches and I experimented with added oil on top or not and definitely got a better response with a little oil on top (or you could generously oil the bottom and turn them half-way thru.)

* Panko was suggested. Alternatives to this: toasted shredded bread, cracker crumbs, crushed melba toasts, matzo meal, crushed tortilla chips, crushed dry stuffing mix, crushed pretzels, crushed cornflakes, or crushed potato chips.

Or make your own whole wheat breadcrumbs:    Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread.
Tear the bread into pieces & process in a food processor until very fine.
Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes.
One slice of bread makes about ⅓ cup dry breadcrumbs.T