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These bread crumbs start with pork panko, which is crushed pork rinds. I add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a little salt to make a savory coating that's ready to use in about 2 minutes.
The coarse crumbs give breaded food a different texture from finely ground flour. Press them onto your food using the egg wash or other binder called for in the recipe, then cook as directed. My keto chicken katsu is one example of a pork panko coating.
You can buy pork panko or crush plain pork rinds. The seasoning is simple enough to mix just before you need it. If you're making extra, keep the unused dry mix separate from your breading plate so the jar never comes into contact with raw meat or egg.
This batch starts with 4 ounces of pork panko and makes eight portions. The listed nutrition is for one-eighth of the seasoned batch. How much ends up on an individual cutlet depends on its size and how much coating sticks.
If you don't eat pork, choose a coating made from ingredients you do use. Almond flour, parmesan, and crumbs made from low carb bread have different textures and absorption; they won't all behave like pork panko in the same recipe.
Pork panko is pork rind crumbs used as a dry coating, topping, or binder. Plain products may contain just pork skin and salt; flavored versions can add other ingredients.
This recipe adds herbs, garlic, and salt to that base. The nutrition estimate is for the seasoned mix, not a universal figure for every brand of plain pork panko. Check your package for its ingredients and serving weight.
Almond flour gives a finer coating than coarse pork panko. Use a recipe written for almond flour so the binder and cooking method suit it.
Grated parmesan can form a cheese crust and adds salt as well as flavor. A parmesan crust is different from a thick breadcrumb coating.
Crumbs from low carb bread are another option when you want an actual bread crumb. Check the bread’s ingredients if you avoid wheat, gluten, nuts, or other allergens; low carb does not mean free of those ingredients.
Compare nutrition by the same weight and amount used in your meal. Spoonfuls of different flours, seeds, and crumbs do not weigh the same, so a list of carb counts per tablespoon can be misleading.
Pulse low carb bread in a food processor to the crumb size you want. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet and dry in a 300°F oven, stirring partway through and checking from about 10 minutes. The time depends on the bread’s moisture and how thickly you spread the crumbs; look for dry crumbs rather than relying on the clock alone.
Cool completely before using. This is a separate bread-based option, with the nutrition and allergens of the bread you choose. It does not share the nutrition or storage directions of packaged pork panko.
Use seasoned pork panko as a coating for cutlets, pork chops, or vegetables, following a complete recipe for the egg wash and cooking method. It can also add crunch as a topping.
For meatballs or meatloaf, follow a recipe that calls for pork rind crumbs as a binder. The amount needed depends on the meat, eggs, and other ingredients. Ready-made cocktail sausages do not need a breadcrumb binder.
Serve breaded chicken with keto Chick-fil-A sauce for dipping.
Keep unused dry seasoned crumbs in a clean, airtight container, stored as directed on the original pork panko package. Retain the package’s storage instructions and date. Mixing in dry seasoning does not restart its shelf life, and homemade pork rinds should follow the storage directions of the recipe used to make them.
Use a cool, dry cupboard if your product’s label permits pantry storage, away from stove heat and steam. Make only as much seasoned mix as you expect to use before the base ingredient’s storage limit.
Pour a portion onto a separate breading plate before handling raw food. Discard crumbs that have touched raw meat, poultry, or egg. Never put them back in the jar, even if they still look dry.
Stir the pork panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt together until evenly mixed. Plain pork rinds vary in saltiness, so taste the dry mix before it touches raw ingredients if you want to adjust the seasoning.
For breading, pour only what you need onto a separate plate. Pat the food dry, use the egg wash or other binder from your chosen recipe, then press the crumbs on firmly. Follow that recipe's cooking temperature, time, and doneness checks.
Keep a coarse crumb for a crunchy coating. If a meatball or meatloaf recipe calls for finely ground pork rinds, use a finer grind and the amount in that recipe. Crumbs do not provide one universal binder ratio for every mixture.
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Mix together pork panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt in a small bowl.
Per serving: 1/8 batch (1/2 oz pork panko plus seasoning)
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Follow the amount in a meatball recipe developed with pork rind crumbs. There is no single binder ratio for every mixture of meat, eggs, and other ingredients. A finer grind blends into a meatball more easily than coarse coating crumbs.
Yes, as the coating in a recipe written for air frying. Press the crumbs firmly onto the food using the binder in that recipe. Time and temperature depend on what you are cooking; for chicken, check that the thickest part reaches 165°F.
This recipe makes a dry crumb coating. Use it with the egg wash or other binder in your chosen breading recipe. Adding it to a wet batter or adding psyllium creates a different mixture, so use a recipe developed for that method.
Only save dry mix that stayed separate from raw food and used utensils. Discard crumbs from a plate that has touched raw meat, poultry, or egg. Store untouched dry mix according to the pork panko package directions.
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4.9 from 14 ratings, 13 written
Hands down my favorite thing I’ve made off this site. Made it for dinner last week and it was amazing. So easy.
My store quit carrying pork panko so all I have on hand is a bag of crushed pork rinds. What’s the best way to use them for air frying chicken cutlets?
Consuelo, that’s the same thing, just pulse them a few times so they stay coarse. I dip the cutlets in egg wash, press the crumbs on firm, then spray with avocado oil before air frying.
Didn’t think about pulsing them first, mine came out closer to dust last time. Doing the egg wash and spray this week.
I made this yesterday and I’ve already used half the jar!!
Ha, that jar goes fast around here too. So glad you’re using it!
I left a jar of this on the counter with no label and my daughter came home and breaded her own chicken tenders while I was out, I just found a note that said ‘used the breadcrumbs.’ She has never once reached for something I made without me explaining it first, so her not asking questions is pretty much the review. The batch was supposed to last me months. It lasted four days.
Patting proteins dry before pressing in the panko makes more difference than you’d expect. Any moisture at the surface and the coating slides, so what looks like good coverage going in comes out patchy. I’ve been using this on zucchini, shrimp, all kinds of things since I found it, and the one thing to watch is the Italian seasoning amount for seafood. At the full 2 tablespoons it’s more herb coating than crust, which is exactly right on chicken but too much for more delicate proteins. I split the batch now, one portion at full seasoning for poultry and one pulled back to a tablespoon for fish. Both work. The pork panko is the real reason this holds where other coatings don’t.
Bought the pork panko just for this. Worth it.
Seasoned pork panko is handy for cutlets. Store unused dry mix according to the package directions and date, away from stove or air fryer heat and steam. Pour a separate portion out for breading and discard any crumbs that touch raw meat or egg.
making this for my sister’s visit next weekend
Chicken cutlets are what I’d do for company. Press the panko on firm and you get that real crackle, even if you fry them an hour ahead.
Chicken cutlets it is. And I was definitely not pressing the panko on firm, that explains so much.
My mother used to make baked stuffed mushrooms every Christmas Eve, packed with seasoned breadcrumbs and just barely golden on top. I stopped trying to recreate them after I went keto because nothing I used held together the way real breadcrumbs did. This changed that. Made a test batch last week and the texture was there, that slightly dense crispness instead of the hollow crunch I always got with almond flour. Going to try her full recipe in December and I’m actually hopeful for the first time in years.
Stuffed mushrooms are one of the first things I tested with this. Pork panko holds when it hits mushroom moisture, where almond flour turns to paste. December is going to work out.
I’ve tried every keto breadcrumb workaround out there (almond flour, crushed pork rinds straight, even flaxseed once) and none of them survived reheating. The seasoned pork panko mix holds up in a way none of the others do. I air fried chicken cutlets last week and they were still crunching the next day when I pulled them out for lunch. Never happened with any other version I’ve tried.
Air fryer leftover test is the hardest one to pass. Almond flour never made it, flaxseed I abandoned after one try. Pork panko is just different.
My husband doesn’t eat pork, so pork panko is off the table. Would crushed almonds or almond flour work as a sub, or will the coating not get crispy?
Almond flour can make a coating, but it will have a different texture from pork panko. For a pork free version, use a recipe written for almond flour or another coating you can eat, and check its ingredients. The pork panko nutrition estimate will not apply to that substitute.
Never heard of pork panko before this recipe. Now I want to try it for chicken cutlets this week but have no idea where to actually buy it. Is this something I can find at a regular grocery store, or is it more of an order-online situation? Also, does it taste noticeably porky once cooked, or does the Italian seasoning cover that? I’d rather know before I serve it to my family and get a bunch of confused faces.
Most regular grocery stores don’t carry it, but Amazon is the easiest. I order mine there and it’s usually cheaper than specialty stores anyway. Once it’s seasoned and cooked, the pork flavor pretty much disappears. Your family won’t notice.
I’ll be honest, I kept scrolling past this one because pork panko sounded like it would taste exactly like what it is. Finally caved last week because I was doing chicken cutlets and had nothing else. The Italian seasoning and garlic powder actually transform it into something that doesn’t taste like ground up pork rinds at all, which is what I was afraid of. I’ve tried two other keto bread crumb recipes and both had this weird aftertaste I couldn’t shake. This one doesn’t. Used it on a batch of chicken strips and got that actual crunch on the outside that I stopped expecting from keto cooking. Making a big batch to keep in the pantry now.
Seasoned pork panko is handy for cutlets. Store unused dry mix according to the package directions and date, away from stove or air fryer heat and steam. Pour a separate portion out for breading and discard any crumbs that touch raw meat or egg.
Six batches in and this is still one of the only things I keep stocked long-term. I’ve been mixing in a little smoked paprika with the Italian seasoning, maybe half a teaspoon, and on chicken cutlets specifically it makes the coating noticeably more savory. Didn’t change anything else. Four stars for the base recipe, five if you add the paprika.
Smoked paprika on cutlets specifically – that tracks. Savory without tipping into smoky.
Made a batch a few weeks ago to use for chicken cutlets, and I keep reaching for it on things I didn’t plan on. Coated some zucchini last night and air fried them, and the pork panko held up the same way it does on meat. I keep the jar right next to the air fryer now. It’s just easier to have it made.
Seasoned pork panko is handy for cutlets. Store unused dry mix according to the package directions and date, away from stove or air fryer heat and steam. Pour a separate portion out for breading and discard any crumbs that touch raw meat or egg.
Tip if you’re using this for air frying: press the pork panko into the chicken instead of just rolling it. I was losing half the coating to the basket before I figured that out. Complete difference in how the crust holds.
Press and spray. I hit mine with avocado oil right after and the coating doesn’t budge.
threw some parmesan in the breading mix and the coating actually stuck this time. dunno if that’s a real trick but it worked
Parmesan fat helps the panko grip. I’ve done the same thing with pecorino. Works especially well on chicken cutlets.
Half a carb per serving for bread crumbs that actually crisp up. Pork panko is underrated.
Agreed, pork panko doesn’t get enough credit. Once you start using it you won’t go back to almond flour for breading.
Keep a jar of this in the pantry at all times. Used it on chicken cutlets last night and the coating stayed crunchy even after sitting on the counter for 10 minutes.
Seasoned pork panko is handy for cutlets. Store unused dry mix according to the package directions and date, away from stove or air fryer heat and steam. Pour a separate portion out for breading and discard any crumbs that touch raw meat or egg.
How much pork panko do you use in recipe? Don’t see it listed in ingredients.
Sharon Harris
4 oz of pork panko…not xanthan gum. Big goof on my part.
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