Description
Crispy golden fried cheese sticks loaded with mozzarella and cheddar, coated in a flavorful seasoned breadcrumb crust. Perfect as a quick appetizer or snack, these fried cheese sticks offer a gooey center and a crunchy exterior with a delicious homemade marinara dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese Sticks
- 16 oz string cheese sticks (mozzarella and cheddar)
Breading Mixture
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs (plain or regular Italian bread crumbs)
- 1 teaspoon Italian Herbs seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Wet Mixture
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
Other
- Oil for frying (about 2 inches deep)
Instructions
- Heat Oil: Fill a deep frying pan or skillet with about 2 inches of oil and heat over high heat until the oil is sizzling and reaches around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare Wet Mixture: In a shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, salt, and pepper until well combined. Set aside.
- Prepare Breading Mixture: In another shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with Italian Herbs seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Bread the Cheese Sticks: Unwrap the string cheese sticks. Dip each cheese stick into the buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Then toss in the breadcrumb mixture, dip again quickly in the buttermilk mixture, and coat one last time in the breadcrumbs to create a double layer of breading.
- Fry Cheese Sticks: Carefully add the breaded cheese sticks into the hot oil, frying in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Deep fry for about 1 minute total, cooking 20-30 seconds on one side and then 20-30 seconds on the other, just until the crust turns golden brown and crisp.
- Drain and Serve: Remove the fried cheese sticks from the oil and place them on paper towels briefly to drain excess oil. Serve immediately with homemade marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the cheese sticks; keep oil temperature steady at around 350 degrees F using a high-quality deep-frying or candy thermometer for best results.
- Make sure each cheese stick is fully and tightly breaded with no coating leaks to prevent cheese from leaking out.
- For extra crispy cheese sticks, keep cooked ones warm in a 200 degrees F oven on a baking pan with a rack while frying the rest.
- Freeze the cheese sticks for one hour before breading to help them stay firm and prevent softness during frying.
- Allow excess coating (both wet and dry) to drip off before dipping in the next layer to avoid clumps and sogginess.
- Do not overcrowd the pan to ensure the sticks fry evenly and stay crispy.
- Keep oil temperature between 350 and 360 degrees F for the best texture.
- Use a freezer bag to coat the sticks in panko crumbs to reduce mess, but avoid using bags for the buttermilk mixture as it's too wet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cheese stick
- Calories: 197 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
