How to Bread Chicken Without Eggs

Article by Emily Saladino

If you’re curious how to bread chicken without eggs, the Food Network Kitchen team has you covered. Our recipe developers tested several approaches and ingredients before landing on this foolproof method.

How to Bread Chicken Without Eggs Like a Pro

After trying an array of substitute ingredients and techniques, the Food Network Kitchen team determined that this is the best way to make breaded chicken without eggs.

The best egg substitute for breaded chicken. Vegan mayonnaise is Food Network Kitchen’s top choice for frying chicken without eggs. Not only is vegan mayo easy to find, but it’s also neutral-flavored so it goes with all sorts of sauces, salads, and condiments. Plus, using it to coat the breaded chicken helps it fry up super crispy and beautifully golden brown.

How to get breadcrumbs to stick to the chicken. Thinning vegan mayonnaise with a quarter-cup of water gives it a consistency similar to beaten eggs. The panko adheres evenly and securely.

Use panko in the breaded chicken mix. Panko is made from steamed crustless bread with lots of air pockets, so it fries up extra crunchy. It also absorbs less oil and stays crispy for longer than breadcrumbs.

Pound the chicken into thin pieces. Flattening the chicken helps the meat cook evenly. Line a cutting board with plastic wrap, place the chicken tenders on top, and then cover them with a second piece of plastic wrap. Use a mallet or heavy-bottomed skillet to pound each tender into equally thin pieces.

How to keep the breaded chicken warm. After you fry the chicken cutlets without eggs, keep them warm by placing them on a wire rack-lined baking sheet in a 250-degree F oven for up to 30 minutes.

Other Options for Frying Chicken Without Eggs

If you’re not a fan of vegan mayo, or curious how alternative ingredients might fare, these are other options that our recipe developers tried.

Full-flavored substitutes for frying chicken without eggs. Buttermilk and Dijon mustard are solid options that coat the chicken without eggs and fry up crispy, but they have strong flavors. Food Network Kitchen only suggests using these if the tang of buttermilk or bite of Dijon complements your dish.

Back-up possibilities. Aquafaba, or chickpea liquid, is a successful alternative but less convenient. Plain yogurt sticks to the breading without eggs, but it tastes tangy and browns quickly. Caesar dressing has a strong flavor and greasy consistency.

What our recipe developers don’t recommend. Because heavy cream is thinner and slicker than vegan mayo, the breaded chicken mix didn’t adhere evenly or stay put while frying. Similarly, our recipe testers found that a slurry made from equal-parts flour and water didn’t stick to the chicken or cook evenly.