Katie
I have loved fried pickles ever since I first had them at the State Fair four years ago. I have always been a huge pickle fan (I mean, my favorite shot is even a pickle back!), so the thought of coating them in a batter with breadcrumbs and frying them really excites me. They are hard to find on menus around here though, so I don’t get to have them that often. (A local Houlihan’s had them on their menu for a while and I was super excited. Sadly, they took them off. It was very upsetting to me and my friends!)
A couple of weeks ago, I was having a few girlfriends over for dinner (some of the same girls who are missing the fried pickles at Houlihan’s as much as I am!). So I decided to go ahead and try to recreate fried pickles. I do not have a deep fryer though, so I looked for an oven “fried” version. I ended up finding this recipe on Pinterest. And, boy, was it a hit! There was a slight hint of heat from the hot sauce and the cajun seasoning (I used my homemade recipe), and the panko made the pickles super crunchy. The pickles were gone in no time! Even my one friend who hates pickles tried them and liked them! I definitely will be making this recipe again!
The best part of this recipe (besides the deliciousness) is that it was super easy to make. I actually had all of the ingredients in my house already. I used Claussen Dill Pickle Sandwich Thins (I couldn’t find the round slices), and just stacked them and cut them into thirds. They worked perfectly and were the perfect thickness. I was also able to coat the pickles ahead of time and place them on a baking sheet. I then set them aside until I was ready to put them in the oven. It was a great time saver.
Preheat your oven to 450°…
- Cut about 12 pickle sandwich thins into thirds.
- Place the cut pickles onto a paper towel.
- Place another paper towel on top of the pickles and gently press down to absorb any excess moisture.
- Crack 2 eggs into a bowl.
- Add ⅓ cup flour.
- Whisk to combine.
- Pour in 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
- Add 1 teaspoon hot sauce. (I used Tabasco.)
- Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon each of ground black pepper and garlic powder.
- Add 1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning. (Don’t waste your money buying it at the store. You probably have all the ingredients you need at home already to make it. Here’s my recipe.)
- Whisk the mixture again to combine everything.
- Pour some panko breadcrumbs out onto a shallow dish.
- Dip each pickle piece in the egg mixture, coating both sides.
- Toss the dipped pickles into the panko, making sure each piece is completely covered in the breadcrumbs.
- Place each pickle on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes.
- Flip the pickles.
- Bake for 5-10 more minutes, until crunchy and golden brown. (You can turn the broiler on high for a minute or two to really add some crunch. Make sure you watch them very carefully though so they don’t burn!)
Serve with ranch dressing for dipping. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Scallops over Spinach, Beans, and Bacon
Oven “Fried” Pickles (serves 4)
INGREDIENTS:
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 15 dill pickle sandwich thins, cut into thirds
- nonstick cooking spray
- ranch dressing, for dipping
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat your oven to 450°.
- Whisk the flour and eggs together in a small bowl.
- Add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and black pepper.
- Whisk again to fully combine all ingredients.
- Pour the panko into a shallow dish.
- Dip each pickle slice into the egg mixture.
- Press the pickles into the panko breadcrumbs and coat on both sides.
- Coat a baking sheet with the cooking spray.
- Place the pickles on the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes.
- Flip the pickles over and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until golden brown.
- Serve with the ranch dressing.
