Instructions:
- Prepare 4 different shallow deep plates. In the first plate, combine the flour, paprika, and ½ tsp salt together and set aside. In the second plate, combine buttermilk or milk and vinegar/lemon juice, and egg, with a ¼ cup of the flour mixture from the first bowl, then set aside.
- In the third bowl, add together panko breadcrumbs, ½ tsp salt and olive oil and mix with a fork, until the oil is well distributed. Then put half of the panko in a fourth bowl in a way that you can switch to the second bowl after the first gets sticky.
- With a paper towel, dry the onion rings to remove excess moisture from the onion rings. Dredge the onion rings in the flour mixture with a fork, and drop them in the buttermilk mixture and then dredge them in the panko mixture.
- With an oil spray, spray the fryer basket and place onion rings in a single layer in the Air Fryer basket. If you have more smaller rings, you can place smaller rings inside bigger rings but with space between them.
- Allow the onion ring to cook at 400°F for about 11-15 minutes or until it is golden brown and crispy. Then spray with some cooking spray after about 6 minutes, you do not need to flip the onion rings.
- Lift the onion rings with a cookie spatula or fork carefully and serve.
Tips and Variations:
- You can use sweet onions for this recipe to give it that sweet taste.
- For breading, you might not be able to use white and yellow onions because they don’t work well.
- To allow the panko mixture to stick better, you can freeze the breaded onion rings for 15 minutes on a baking sheet.
- You can use normal bread crumbs if you do not have panko bread crumbs available, but it might be as crispy if you use panko breadcrumbs.
- When coating, you should use a fork, instead of hands to coat the onion rings.