CEiMB - Baked Onion Rings

I know this is actually last week's Craving Ellie in My Belly asignment. I got so wrapped up in baby shower preparations last week that I never got to make these onion rings. I could have just skipped it and made this week's Cobb Salad, but I really wanted to try these.

Other than being a tad dry, I really liked these. Nice and crispy on the outside with a perfectly cooked sweet onion in the middle.

I substituted panko breadcrumbs for the called for crushed up potato chips. I also used a tablespoon of southwestern seasoning mix and a teaspoon of ground chipotle to season the panko.

I'd definitely make these again.

Here's the recipe.

Oven Baked Onion Rings

Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
4 cups baked potato chips (I used panko breadcrumbs)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I used a combination of southwestern seasoning mix and ground chipotle pepper)
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside. (I skipped this step and instead used a baking sheet lined with a silpat) Place potato chips in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs, about 20 seconds. (Since I used panko, I skipped this step.) Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne, and set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of onions for other uses). You should come out with about 12 to 14 rings.

Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then dip into potato chip crumbs and place on baking sheet. Spray canola oil evenly over rings (I did not do this) and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp. Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

A lot of the members said they had trouble with the coating coming off the onions during the baking process and suggested putting the coated rings into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before baking. I did not do this and the coating stuck to the onions beautifully, so it may have had something to do with the potato chips, I don't know.