Description
These Fried Cheese Sticks are a crispy, golden-brown appetizer featuring mozzarella and cheddar string cheese coated in flavorful seasoned bread crumbs and deep-fried to perfection. Serve them hot with homemade marinara sauce for a deliciously satisfying snack or party treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese and Coating
- 16 oz string cheese sticks (mozzarella and cheddar)
- 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)
For Frying
- Oil for frying (vegetable or canola oil recommended)
Instructions
- Heat the oil: Fill a deep frying pan or skillet with about 2 inches of oil and heat over high heat until it reaches around 350 degrees F and is sizzling.
- Prepare wet mixture: In a shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, salt, and black pepper. Set this mixture aside.
- Prepare dry mixture: In a separate shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs with Italian herbs seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Set aside.
- Bread the cheese sticks: Unwrap the string cheese sticks. Dip each one into the buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off, then coat thoroughly in the bread crumbs mixture. Repeat dipping in buttermilk and then bread crumbs again for a double coating.
- Fry the cheese sticks: Carefully place the breaded cheese sticks into the hot oil. Deep fry them for about 1 minute total, cooking approximately 20-30 seconds on one side and 20-30 seconds on the other side, until the crust is golden brown and crispy.
- Drain and serve: Remove the fried cheese sticks and place them briefly on paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve immediately with a homemade marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Avoid overcooking to prevent cheese from leaking or drying out; keep oil temperature steady at 350 degrees F using a high-quality deep-frying thermometer.
- Ensure the cheese sticks are fully coated with no gaps in the breading to prevent leaks.
- For extra crispy texture, keep finished sticks warm in a 200 degrees F oven on a baking pan with a rack while frying the rest.
- Freezing the cheese sticks for one hour before breading helps maintain firmness and reduces softness during frying.
- Allow excess coating to drip off before the next dip to ensure even and crunchy breading layers.
- Don't overcrowd the pan during frying as it lowers oil temperature and causes sogginess.
- Using a freezer bag for bread crumbs coating can make the process less messy and easier.
- Avoid using a bag for buttermilk mixture to prevent messiness; use a bowl instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cheese stick
- Calories: 197 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
