If it's not a scientific fact that breading immediately improves any food, it should be. So don't let your mom's seasoned fine breadcrumb-baked chicken breast restrict your imagination. Experiment with these other breadcrumb substitutes next time you need some of that crispy goodness. But if you're cooking for your mom—well, that's your call.
Nothing brings the crunch quite like panko, coarse Japanese breadcrumbs you can often find in the bread aisle. If you want a finer crumb without sacrificing the crispiness, just whirr them in a food processor before using. And don't think that cutlets run the game here—panko also makes an excellent coating for vegetables, like roasted cauliflower. Season it with salt and pepper before using, because while crispy, it's also quite bland.
Cornflakes are classic breading material, but any grain-based, not-too-sweet cereal works great as a stand-in for traditional breadcrumbs. Corn or rice Chex, Wheaties, and even savory granola and oat-based cereals would make a great crust for your chicken breast or fish filets.
Frankly, we'd eat a shoe if you coated it with salty crushed pretzels. Thankfully, it doesn't have to come to that. Best to go with straightforward rods or twists and avoid any wacky flavors like honey-mustard, delicious though they may be.
Blitz almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, in the food processor, and you can use them as breading material. But be careful: These delicate nut flours burn quickly and at lower temperatures than grain-based flours. Mix them with AP flour or panko to ensure against bitter and burnt flavors.
Get that wild rice outta your pilaf and onto your seared halibut. Puffing uncooked rice in a hot pan (kind of like popcorn), then pulverizing it in a food processor, will yield a fresh, beautifully fragrant alt-flour that's a perfect match for lighter proteins, like fish. It crisps up beautifully when fried, thanks to its light-as-air texture.
They're pre-seasoned, they're crunchy, they're crispy…chips of all ilk make for a surprisingly perfect breading ingredient. Potato and corn chips are both good options. Don't skip the flour/egg strep in the dredging process, because crushed chips won't adhere to the ingredient without a little moisture. Use a food processor to crush them or just place them in a sealed thick plastic bag and bang on them with a rolling pin to crush them (if using the rolling pin method, be sure to mix up the bag a few times to ensure they're evenly crushed and very fine—sharp shards are kind of a buzzkill). For the few, brave, and not faint-of-heart: Go extreme with your chip choice. BBQ-flavored Lay's, Nacho cheese Doritos, and dare we say Cheez-Its are just weird enough that they work.