Baked Chipotle Onion Rings

February 29, 2012 • Alaska from Scratch, Appetizers & Snacks, Recipes

Weather: 19 degrees
What I’m listening to: the whir and slosh of the dishwasher

Happy Leap Day!

One morning recently I woke up to a happy suggestion on my Alaska from Scratch Facebook page from my best friend/adoptive sister in Massachusetts. “Chipotle Onion Rings,” she said. “Oh yes!” was my response. She knows just how to speak my language. What she didn’t know was that I’d had my sights sets on a baked onion ring concept for a while now and that I had a jar of chipotles in adobo sitting in my refrigerator waiting to be used. It was just meant to be.

The smoky kick from the chipotle is delightful with the sweetness of the onion, the tang of the buttermilk, and the saltiness of the Panko and breadcrumb coating. A little crunch, a little heat, a lotta yum. And they’re baked – so much healthier, so much easier. I recommend some Buttermilk Dressing on the side as a nice cooling accompaniment or perhaps a sweet barbecue sauce.

Baked Chipotle Onion Rings

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Base baked onion ring recipe adapted from [Skinny Taste|http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/low-fat-baked-onion-rings.html]

  • 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
  • 2-1/4c buttermilk
  • 2T-3T adobo sauce from a can of chipotles (2T for a smoky heat, 3T for more of a spicy kick)
  • 3/4c Panko crumbs
  • 1/3c bread crumbs
  • salt and pepper
  • Cooking Spray (like Olive Oil spray or Canola Oil Spray)
  • coarse sea salt

In a large bowl, mix buttermilk and adobo sauce until combined. Soak onion rings in adobo buttermilk in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the Panko, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Set half of the breading mixture aside.

Using tongs, dip soaked onions into breading mixture, thoroughly coating on both sides. Place onions onto parchment paper. When breading is used up (or too wet to stick to onions), switch to the other half of breading mixture. Repeat until all the onion rings are coated. Spray entire pan of rings generously with cooking spray.

Bake in 450 oven until brown and crispy, 12-15 minutes.

Season with coarse sea salt. Serve.