Alternative for shake and bake?

Question

I want to make my own shake and bake at home. The shake and bake you buy at the store is full of unpronounceable, non-organic ingredients and seasoning.

I'm looking to make a good crust out of something that has whole grains any suggestions?

Oh p.s. this is for Chicken.

Answer

The way restaurants do it is simple, straightforward, and also very easy to make organic by using organic ingredients.

Standard 3-bowl breading

1) Bowl One: Seasoned flour -- flour, salt, pepper, and seasonings (for me: thyme, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley flakes)

2) Bowl Two: Egg wash -- Beaten egg with a 1-2 TBSP milk per egg yolk added

3) Bowl Three: Panko (or other bread crumbs) -- alternately, add some salt, pepper, and seasonings to them

Procedure: Dredge the item to bread through the bowls in order, then repeat if desired to build up a thicker layer. You only need to change your seasonings to switch from breading chicken, fish, or even doing fried green tomatoes.

If you make your own bread and breadcrumbs, the ingredient list will read: flour, water, milk, eggs, yeast, salt, and spices. Hard to get more straightforward than that!

It's simple, fast, and works beautifully every time. Here's why it's the best way: the flour sticks to the wet surface of your item, leaving a dry, starchy surface for the egg wash to adhere to. The egg wash allows the panko to stick. For the next layer, the four fills in the gaps between bread crumbs and absorbs residual moisture from the egg wash.

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