The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
Profile photo of Ree | The Pioneer Woman

Panko Mozzarella Sticks!

Posted by in Step-by-Step Recipes

I first discovered panko bread crumbs back in 1999. Please don’t ask me how I know that; I just do. I remember vividly reading a recipe that contained panko bread crumbs, and I remember vividly that I was nursing my second baby, and I remember vividly that I was hormonal and desperate, and the next thing I knew I was ordering panko bread crumbs from some market in Chelsea that the magazine recommended. On the phone, of course, because although I had a computer at the time, I certainly wouldn’t have been cool enough to use it to order panko bread crumbs. Plus, I was nursing. Not enough hands.

Panko bread crumbs, in a word, are delicious. They’re indispensable. They’ve saved the word. And they’ve really burst into the mainstream in the last few years, and are available in most larger supermarkets—even stores in my neck of the woods!

Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs, and are lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs. They absorb less oil, too, so after frying they result in an incredibly crunchy texture. I just love panko. They’re a wonderful creation!

When I set out to make a recipe with panko bread crumbs, I started in the direction of something Asian/exotic. But Erika set me straight and said, simply, “Why not just make something simple…like mozzarella sticks?”

So guess what I did? I made mozzarella sticks!

Let me back up: my family LOVES fried mozzarella sticks. Loves them. Even Marlboro Man. I make fried mozzarella quite a bit, but I’ll tell you that without fail, they love the panko version the best. The panko crumbs are so light and incredibly crispy, which is such a necessary contrast to the soft, melted mozzarella inside. Coating the mozzarella adequately is the key; I’ll show you the best way I’ve found to get it all to stay put. And the great thing is, you can use this same method—and same recipe—with lost of other fried items. Zucchini spears would be perfect. I’ll wait till my garden is exploding with them!

Here we go: Panko Mozzarella Sticks!

Grab the panko breadcrumbs.

 
TPW_8900

You’ll need a bunch of string cheese—one string cheese per two fried mozzarella sticks you’d like to make.

 
 
 

TPW_8897

You’ll need a bowl of flour…

 
 
 

TPW_8896

A couple of eggs…

 
 
 

TPW_8909

A little milk…

 
 
 

TPW_8903

And some dried parsley flakes.

 
 
 

TPW_8918

Add the parsley flakes to the panko crumbs…

 
 
 

TPW_8922

And stir them together with a fork. Now, you could certainly sprinkle in a little salt, garlic salt, or other seasoning mix—even a little cayenne pepper—but I wanted to keep things simple. I don’t think the crumbs really need much help.

 
 
 

TPW_8912

Next, splash a little milk into the eggs…

 
 
 

TPW_8914

And whip it together with a fork.

 
 
 

TPW_8916

Finally, unwrap as many pieces of string cheese as you need…

 
 
 

TPW_8917

And just slice them in half with a sharp knife.

 
 
 

TPW_8924

Now, this is just a great, basic way to bread basically anything with panko crumbs. Use this method for everything from chicken tenders to zucchini spears. In this case, just set one of the pieces of mozzarella in the bowl of flour…

 
 
 

TPW_8926

And roll it around to lightly coat.

 
 
 

TPW_8929

Next, dip the flour-coated mozzarella in the egg/milk mixture.

 
 
 

TPW_8930

Coat it completely…

 
 
 

TPW_8932

Then place it straight into the seasoned panko crumbs.

 
 
 

TPW_8934

Rather than roll it around and disturb the coating, I just use my hand to scoop panko crumbs on top of the mozzarella so that it’s adequately coated.

 
 
 

TPW_8935

Pat it gently to make sure it’s all coated with crumbs, then gently remove from the crumbs…

 
 
 

TPW_8938

And place on a clean tray or cookie sheet.

 
 
 

TPW_8942

Repeat until all the pieces are coated.

 
 
 

TPW_8944

Now—this is an important step: Place the tray, uncovered, directly into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. This will flash freeze the mozzarella sticks (at least partly), which will help them stay together better when it’s time to fry, and will also keep the mozzarella from melted too quickly when it hits the hot oil.

 
 
 

TPW_8950

When you’re ready to fry ‘em up, heat a good inch to an inch-and-a-half of canola oil over medium heat. Medium high or high, at least on my stove, proves to be a little too hot for panko crumbs. Medium’s about right, but you can sort of gauge your stove and see what you need to do.

 
 
 

TPW_8955

Pull the frozen sticks out of the freezer…

 
 
 

TPW_8963

And carefully add a few to the hot oil.

Oh! And I always feel like saying this: be careful with pans of hot oil if you have cute little roly poly kids walking around the house. I always, out of habit—even now that my roly poly kids are getting bigger—keep pans on the back burner of the stove (handles far out of reach) if I’m going to fry with oil. It’s just one of those things that crawled into my brain at an early stage of parenting, and something I’m going to keep bugging you about anytime I share a recipe that involves frying with hot oil.

Hope you don’t mind.

 
 
 

TPW_8965

Things will move quickly—be ready to roll them over to the other side when the first side gets brown. The trickiest part of making these is getting the oil to just the right temp in order to melt the cheese without burning the crumbs, but it isn’t difficult to get the swing of it right away. Keep in mind that the cheese will continue to soften/melt after you remove them from the oil.

 
 
 

TPW_8973

When they’re nice and golden, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.

 
 
 

TPW_8975

Yum! Look at the yummy panko breading. If I took a bite of this, you could hear the crispiness in Yonkers!

 
 
 

TPW_8959

Pretty dish.

 
 
 

TPW_8961

Pretty dish filled with marinara sauce.

 
 
 

TPW_8986

My kids and husband were gathered around as I was taking these photos. I had to beat them away with my tongs.

 
 
 

TPW_8993

Because I wanted to try one first.

 
 
 

TPW_9004

The Verdict: Perfection. These are not your typical run-of-the-mill fried mozzarella sticks. The panko crumbs absolutely make them. They add a much-needed crispiness and texture to this widely loved (but sometimes tired) bar-and-grill food. You’ll love them!

Here’s the printable recipe:

Panko Mozzarella Sticks

 
 

TPW_8984

And remember: use this flour-egg/milk-panko breading process on any number of things:

chicken tenders
zucchini spears
raw, deveined shrimp
sweet potato sticks

The list goes on!

171 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

Deirdre on 5.25.2010

Now you have done it. Let me just say thanks from the kids now!

Profile photo of mnheather

mnheather on 5.25.2010

You MUST try this with fresh cheddar cheese curds!

Sven on 5.25.2010

How can it be fried mozzarella if you use string cheese?

Katie on 5.25.2010

Ahh, fried cheese, I love you.

Tracy on 5.25.2010

Better than Sonic? REALLY???

Bethany @ More Fruit Please on 5.25.2010

Oh yum!! I was already thinking of making mozzarella sticks tonight, thanks for sharing! I love the tip about freezing them before frying.

Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen on 5.25.2010

YUM! I love that you used string cheese. I can eat the stuff all day long. These look amazing and super easy. I’m in love!

Profile photo of Twinks

Twinks on 5.25.2010

Woah! I just checked out the Kikkoman section on Tasty Kitchen and there are loads of recipes that look divine.

Profile photo of sharrieboberry

sharrieboberry on 5.25.2010

I absolutely CAN NOT make these. They look very addictive! Well, okay, maybe I’ll try it once.

I’m sure my 16-yr-old son would approve.

Michelle on 5.25.2010

I do this with tilapia and a thin layer of oil (olive or canola). Makes the best fish sandwich!

ChristieRS on 5.25.2010

I was thinking–how yummy would it be to mix some cayenne pepper in with the flour.

Profile photo of tessks

tessks on 5.25.2010

I’m not a fan of mozzarella sticks–they usually taste bland and have a rubbery texture to me. But. . .I’ll give the homemade version a try. I just happen to have some panko in my pantry (used to make mashed potato cakes) that needs using up!

Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) on 5.25.2010

These look amazing! I never thought about using panko for them. That’s brilliant! :)

Jenn

JessicaM on 5.25.2010

Another idea – breaded and fried goat cheese! I started doing that after getting little fried rounds of goat cheese on a salad at my favorite movie theater (of all places!) and it is divine! A tip if you do that, freeze the breaded goat cheese for a few minutes so it maintains it’s shape when you fry it.

Susan on 5.25.2010

I love Panko Shrimp. I never thought about mozzarella sticks, but now I have to try it. Thanks, Ree!

Jackie W. on 5.25.2010

Yum! My husband makes incredible fried cheese. Since I just recently fell head over heals in love with panko bread crumbs, I have been thinking about having him make me some with panko breadcrumbs. And you just convinced me!

Anisa on 5.25.2010

Aaahh! I am SO hungry for these right now!

Kati on 5.25.2010

Looks SO yummy and those dishes are very cute!! :)

Liza (Jersey Cook) on 5.25.2010

What an excellent idea! I love how crispy, crunchy, tasty, flaky, and amazing panko crumbs are.

I stopped keeping regular breadcrumbs around when I realized the magic of panko.

Another great use is to incorporate them into meatballs or burgers in place of regular breadcrumbs. It makes the texture divine with just a slight hint of crunch in the background.

Jessica @ How Sweet on 5.25.2010

I love using panko for chicken tenders. But mozzarella sticks? I think I just felt my pants tighten. Yum!

Jessica @ How Sweet on 5.25.2010

I always use panko for my chicken tenders. But mozzarella sticks?? I just felt my pants tighten. Yum!