WHAT Is An Egg Substitute For Breading Chicken?

Why Substitute Egg in Chicken Breading

Breading chicken is one of the most straightforward ways to give your chicken a delicious twist. Over time, there has been a great need to use an egg substitute for breading chicken. The egg always acts as a binder, and without it, your batter for breading chicken is likely to be too thin or not clingy enough hence detaching from the chicken.

Why substitute such a perfect recipe for chicken breading? One reason could be that you could be allergic to eggs or lead a vegan lifestyle. Such reasons may necessitate your need to seek an alternative to the egg for breading and give you what to use if you don’t have eggs that morning. These foods’ substitutes won’t taste like eggs, but they should provide the binding quality of an egg for perfect chicken breading.

Breaded Chicken

How to Bread Chicken Without Eggs

Breading chicken without eggs should not worry you as a chicken lover because there are substitutes for binding. One pro tip is to allow the first coating layer to dry before dipping it in the second. A teaspoon of vinegar gives the batter a lovely color. 

There are many ways to make breaded chicken without eggs. For example, you could use milk, yogurt, or even gelatin to hold the batter together. However, gelatin could be a bit fussy. In its place, try egg replacer, a fake egg substitute for breading made from potato starch, tapioca, cellulose, leavening, gum, and a pinch of salt.

Breading aims to make the chicken crispy and crunchy. Egg substitutes may not achieve it, but they can leave the chicken moist and juicy with crispiness.

You can use breadcrumbs for bread, but you wonder how they can stick to the bread without the egg. We found out that they stick well without any flour or egg. So first, bash out the chicken to form thin cutlets and press each side 2-3 times in the breadcrumbs until you thoroughly coat the chicken cutlet.

You will achieve a much lighter coating than if you used flour and egg, resulting in a lovely crispy outside, the juicy chicken inside, and no floppy, soggy crumbs falling off either. Serve these delicious cutlets with Italian roasted potatoes, Peas, and Pancetta or Fagioli all’uccelletto (beans in tomato sauce).

Can You Fry Chicken Without Eggs?

Can you fry chicken without eggs or any egg substitute? Yes, you can. You can achieve this with straightforward ingredients, including chicken, flour, oil, and salt and pepper. The fried chicken does not require overnight marinades, fancy preparations, or special equipment. 

The best-fried chicken without egg needs a bird with some specifications for the recipe to work. Your chicken should weigh about 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms). That’s pretty hard to find in the supermarket, primarily that chicken has been bred for more breast meat, making them overweight. So try to at last find the lightest bird. Alternatively, you coil by a whole chicken and cut it up yourself if you have the skills. 

The process of making this kind of chicken is quite simple.

  1. Dry all the chicken pieces thoroughly and place them in a single layer in a pan.
  2. Season chicken with salt and pepper liberally. You could consider other seasonings at this point.
  3. Sprinkle all the flour on the pan and dredge the chicken in flour.
  4. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
  5. Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil. Carefully cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the skin is pale golden brown.
  6. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 10 minutes on the second side.
  7. Turn your chicken pieces over, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook the chicken pieces for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender
  8. Remove the hot chicken to a plate lined with a paper towel and allow it to drain for about five minutes.

How do you get breading to stick to chicken without eggs when deep-frying? First, dip the chicken breast in melted butter before rolling it in spices or coating. Another vegan egg substitute for frying that will suffice is yogurt. If you want to use breadcrumbs for heavier coating, it is advisable to dust the chicken with flour first.

You could be wondering whether to cook chicken before frying it. After baking, let your chicken cool down for a bit before deep-frying it. Preferably postpone the deep frying till the next day or two and rest easy knowing each piece is well cooked. If you like the extra-crisp, double fry it. 

If you wonder whether to use milk for breading before frying, know you are right. Milk is another egg alternative for frying with the fat, moisture, and right consistency to help your flour or breading stick. Regular milk works well, but buttermilk is even better as it adds more moisture and texture. You may not like cow’s milk; consider almond, soy, and rice milk, for they have the right consistency and enough fat for your breading to stick.

You could soak the chicken in milk before frying it because milk makes the meat tender. Did you know that lemon or vinegar that’s loved by many can dry out your meat? Buttermilk, on the other hand, helps to tenderize the meat.

Are you making fried or deep-fried vegetables, crispy burger patties, chicken nuggets, or meat recipes? It is possible to have breading without eggs and get that crisp and consistent texture. Cornstarch adds a layer of crust and flavor and produces a more vibrant hue than simply using salt and pepper. So that’s pretty tasty! However, you can leave out the paprika and other spices.

Breaded Chicken

Egg Substitutes for Breading Chicken

We want to share what to use instead of egg for breading chicken. These binders help if you are seeking to reduce the amount of protein in a dish or just cut back on eggs.

Butter

Butter is one of the simplest substitutes that readily come to mind when seeking an alternative for breading with an egg. It may not be one of the healthiest options, but you could use a low-fat, heart-healthy butter which will work just as well.

How do you use butter as a substitute for egg for breading? First, whip up your batter without eggs just as you always do, and then prepare your chicken with butter. Next, rub the melted butter all over your chicken, ensuring that all the parts are well coated. A little goes a long way for butter; ensure you cover all sides of the meat in butter. Finally, coat your meat with batter and cook as usual. 

One point to note is that any spots you don’t cover with butter may lose their batter once they start to cook. 

Butter may not be your to-go-to substitute if you love your chicken with a heavy coating. However, butter works well with a light coating and will hold well the light coating once it hits the oil instead of a heavy coating. First, cover the chicken in melted butter and coat it in a thin layer of flour to get the heavy coating to hold. Next, knock off the excess flour and add your batter coat. The purpose of the flour is to help the batter maintain better, and the butter can still do the job.

Heavy Cream

This substitute for those allergic to eggs works very well for breading but has one thing against it; it is pretty fattening. Regular dredging for batter or breading coat happens in three steps. You start with flour, cover the chicken meat, then cover in egg, and then cover in batter or breadcrumbs. The egg serves to bind the other ingredients to the chicken as it fries. You can use Heavy cream in much the same way.

Heavy cream is a superb substitute, keeping the batter or bread crumbs chicken and helping the outer layer adhere better than anything else.

Gelatin

If you are going for a dairy-free substitute due to lactose intolerance or vegan eating habits, gelatin is the way. Once you remove dairy from the list of replacements, gelatin remains the only option, and a few other methods you can try. 

Gelatin is a decent substitute. It is not as sticky as eggs or heavy cream when cooked, so it won’t have a similar effect, but it makes for a suitable replacement.

The upside to using grain is that it won’t alter the flavor of the batter at all. Your chicken will still taste like chicken, so that’s a big plus. It is, however, one of those substitutes that are fussy to use. It will require you to do some prep work. 

First of all, bloom the gelatin in water for about 5 minutes by dropping it in the water, letting it sit there, and then heating it. Once it gets hot, mix the gelatin in the water to dissolve. Let it cool, and then coat the chicken with it.

So, the gelatin will work, but it’s a lengthy process. However, it does a decent job holding the batter or breadcrumbs in place, so it is a fair substitute.

Egg Replacer

Another substitute for egg in chicken breading is called an egg replacer. It is fake eggs made from potatoes, tapioca, cellulose gum, and leavening. The taste of an egg replacer is close to that of an egg. It makes for an okay binder, but the least from the list of substitutes.

The egg replacer is a little patchy and won’t stay on the meat like it would when using eggs.  

Other Tips for Egg Substitutions

We have talked about the most effective and most commonly used ingredients to substitute for eggs. However, there are some other substitutes that you can use that will give you a patchy-looking chicken. 

Milk is one of those substitutes for people looking to get an alternative to eggs. It is not very good at binding, but it’s better than nothing. Coat your chicken with milk, and then add bread crumbs or butter.

Depending on your recipe and taste preferences, other substitutes include applesauce, water, tomato paste, and mayonnaise. Anything wet in breading will do, but sticky wet stuff is much better. 

Our Top Tips for Egg Substitution

When substituting for the egg while making chicken, ensure your pieces are dry before coating them. Use cornstarch instead of egg if you want a crispy and crunchy chicken. This alternative has been tried and tested and has passed the test of time in Asian cuisine. Use cornstarch as a substitute for egg wash.

Even if you’re creating fried or deep-fried vegetables, chicken nuggets, crispy burger patties, or meat recipes, breading without eggs can achieve that crisp and consistent texture. The cornstarch adds a layer of crust and flavor. And it produces a more vibrant hue than simply using salt and pepper. So that’s pretty tasty! However, you can leave out the paprika and other spices.

Breaded chicken fillet

Conclusion

There are many binders that we could come up with for you. So if you do not use eggs for whatever reason, now you have a couple of options hoping that one of these alternatives will work for you as a reasonable substitute for the egg.