Description
Crispy and delicious Fried Cheese Sticks coated in seasoned bread crumbs and fried to perfection. These cheesy appetizers are quick to make and perfect for dipping in marinara sauce, offering a classic American snack with a satisfying crunch and gooey cheese inside.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese
- 16 oz string cheese sticks (mozzarella and cheddar)
Breading
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs (plain or regular Italian bread crumbs)
- 1 teaspoon Italian Herbs seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked 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)
Frying
- Oil for frying (enough to fill a deep pan 2 inches deep)
Instructions
- Heat the oil: Fill a deep frying pan or skillet with about 2 inches of oil and heat over high heat until sizzling and reaching about 350 degrees F.
- Prepare wet mixture: In a shallow bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, salt, and pepper until fully combined. Set aside.
- Prepare breading mixture: In a separate shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Italian Herbs seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Bread the cheese sticks: Unwrap the string cheese sticks. Dip each one into the buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat in the bread crumbs mixture. Repeat dipping quickly again in the buttermilk mixture and then again in the bread crumbs to ensure a double coating.
- Deep fry: Carefully add the coated cheese sticks to the hot oil in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry for about 1 minute total, cooking 20-30 seconds on each side until the crust is golden brown.
- Drain and serve: Transfer fried cheese sticks to paper towels briefly to remove excess oil. Serve immediately with homemade marinara sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- To prevent cheese from leaking, ensure sticks are well coated with no exposed areas.
- Maintain oil temperature between 350 and 360 degrees F using a high-quality deep-frying thermometer for best results.
- Avoid overcooking; frying longer than 1 minute can cause cheese to dry out or leak.
- Freeze cheese sticks for one hour before breading to help keep them firm during frying.
- Allow excess coating to drip off between dippings to avoid clumps.
- Cook cheese sticks in batches to avoid crowding, which can make them soggy.
- For keeping cooked sticks crispy, place them in a warm 200 degrees F oven on a baking pan with a rack while frying the remaining sticks.
- Using a freezer bag for bread crumb coating can make the process less messy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cheese stick
- Calories: 197 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
