How to Make Burger King-Inspired Onion Rings
Burger King onion rings are satisfying in a way that french fries can’t be—it’s the texture. The crunch and flavor signal your brain into some sort of euphoria! Fortunately, it’s possible to make a spot-on version of Burger King onion rings at home. The King will be so proud.
How to Make Onion Rings Like Burger King
Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced into 1/4″ rings (We recommend Vidalia or Walla Walla—the sweeter the better.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 cup milk (the higher the fat content, the better)
1 cup bread crumbs (You can use homemade bread crumbs or store-bought.)
Canola oil, for frying
Seasoned salt
Instructions
1. Set up a breading station
From left to right, have a separate deep plate or bowl for each of the following:
Flour, baking powder and salt
Egg and milk
Bread crumbs
Then, gently whisk each bowl of ingredients to combine.
Editor’s Note: Some other copycat recipes for Burger King onion rings save the seasoned salt for post-frying. We recommend generously mixing it in with your bread crumbs so that it’s fried with the onion, encasing it in flavor.
2. Prep a holding area
Place paper towels on a sheet tray, with a wire rack on top. You’ll need a place to set your battered rings before frying; this will be a nice holding area to help you keep the process moving.
3. Heat the oil
Using a candy thermometer, monitor the oil’s temperature as you slowly heat it. We used an induction burner; however, you can easily execute this recipe on the stovetop or in a deep fryer.
The key is to keep the oil at roughly 365° F. As you cook, the oil’s temperature may dip, so you may need to wait between batches for the temperature to come back up. Just be sure to keep a close eye on the temperature and resulting rings, and adjust the element/gas accordingly. Here’s our guide to deep-frying at home with confidence.
4. Coat the onion rings
Many recipes out there recommend you dip your onion rings in a flour mixture, then the wet batter and finally the bread crumbs. However, we find a different approach leads to a much more coated, consistent and Burger King onion ring-y experience.
Take each ring and dip it as follows, thoroughly coating in each step:
Flour mixture
Milk/egg
Flour mixture
Milk/egg
Bread crumbs
It may seem like overkill, but take a look at the comparison images. You’ll see that the multiple dips make for a more appealing Burger King onion ring. You eat with your eyes first!
When you reach the bread crumb phase, gently press the bread crumbs around the edges of the rings (don’t forget the inside of the ring). We found that this keeps the bread crumbs better attached, resulting in a more consistently coated onion ring.
5. Cook the onion rings
Place the coated rings, a few at a time, into the hot oil and cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Once they have a golden brown exterior, remove the rings with a spider or tongs and place on paper towel-lined plates to drain and cool. While they’re freshly out of the oil, sprinkle with more seasoning salt, to taste.
Once the onion rings are cool enough to handle, serve and enjoy.
Final Thoughts
Great for an occasional treat, these Burger King onion rings can’t be beat. To be honest, while they are inspired by Burger King, we think they taste even better than the original!
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The post How to Make Burger King-Inspired Onion Rings appeared first on Taste of Home.
