By Chris ,June 2,2020

Who doesn’t like crispy zucchini sticks? They make a great appetizer or side dish. This recipe is a great way to use up the bounty of zucchini that grow in spring and summer, when farmers markets are lined with them . In this recipe I will show you how to get perfectly crispy zucchini sticks without frying. Yes , you read that right! They achieve their wonderfully crispy coating by being baked in the oven on a rack. That is the secret to getting them nice and crispy without using all that oil. Resulting in a lighter, crispy texture without sacrificing flavor and being drenched in oil!

Let’s get started!

It all starts with your dredging station and prepared baking vessel. I have a few small zucchini that I cut into sticks, a bowl of flour, 3 separate dredging bowls .One for flour, one for beaten eggs and one for panko breadcrumb. The panko is what gives the zucchini their crispy exterior , along with placing them on a well oiled rack that is placed on a baking sheet just like i have pictured here. baking them in this way ensures the heat and air to circulate all around resulting in a nice crispy texture while cooking the zucchini inside evenly, so there is no flipping. That makes life easy, doesn’t it?
once you have dredged all the zucchini sticks , and placed them on the rack, make sure to leave space in between each one . Baked at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes…….Boom! crispy zucchini sticks! It’s that easy. I will admit they are addicting. I made two pans ..So the time it takes to dredge that endless mound of sticks is soo worth the wait , once you taste these bad boys!

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 small zucchini quartered lengthwise and then cut each quarter in half to make smaller sticks.
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup-3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place a large baking rack fitted onto a large baking sheet and spray the rack with non stick cooking spray. This will ensure cooking all the way around and result in a crispy zucchini stick without frying and the best part….There is no flipping involved!. Place the flour in a bowl, the beaten eggs in a separate bowl and the panko breadcrumbs in another bowl combined with salt, pepper, seasonings and grated cheese. Dredge each stick one at a time first in flour, then in egg and lastly in the seasoned breadcrumb. Be sure to shake off excess after each. Arrange them on the baking rack making sure they do not touch each other. Use more than one rack set up if necessary. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes:

  • Serve with marinara for dipping.
  • Ranch tastes great as a dip for these zucchini sticks too!!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you try it , drop me a line and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you !!!

Thanks,

Chris