Progresso Panko and A Giveaway!

I was recently sent a Progresso stash from MyBlogSpark consisting of a box of the new Progresso Panko bread crumbs, Progresso chicken broth, a measuring cup, a ladle, slotted spoon, and a baking sheet!

Since I wanted to use the panko right away, I decided on breaded eggplant rolls. I pan-grilled the eggplant and chicken strips ahead of time, simply seasoned with salt and pepper after being brushed with olive oil.

What exactly is panko? It's bread crumbs made using the fluffy white portion of bread slices instead of the crusts. Now I never knew that typical bread crumbs were made using the crust only, though it would explain the darker hue. What do they do with all the fluffy white bready parts? Do they stuff it in a garbage bag and try to pass it off to unsuspecting folks, or do they try and haul it to the dump like in Seinfeld with the muffin tops? This is all very curious.

Anyway, the crumbs were larger than the typical bread crumb, which is ground rather finely, but tastes crispy and light. They also come flavored, too, though this is just the plain version that I'm using.

Here are the ready to bake rolls consisting of the chicken strips and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. After rolling them up in neat rolls, I dipped them in seasoned flour, then a beaten egg, and finally the panko. Messy work!

Here they are, browned nicely and oozing with cheese. I gave these a slight spritz of olive oil cooking spray and cooked them at 400° for about 15-20 minutes. Everything was already cooked and all you're looking to do is brown the coating.

Served with lime rice using some of the Progresso chicken broth and an oregano-garlic-jalapeno tomato sauce for the eggplant rolls, this was a rather quick and simple meal that received high marks from the testers.

My verdict on panko: Good stuff! The topping definitely had a lighter feel versus regular bread crumbs and it was deliciously crispy.

Panko is one of those food stuffs I've never gotten around to trying before (I will not hand over my foodie card!), and although it's a bit shameful that it took until now to do so, I definitely will be using it more often.

Thanks for sending me the prize pack! I don't know if I'm more excited about the baking pan (it has a nice weight to it and is awesome!) or the panko itself! And the measuring cup is cute! And the utensils have a nice handle.

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Progresso Panko and Prize Pack Giveaway

The nice MyBlogSpark folks offered up the same exact prize package to one lucky winner! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me how you'd use panko (visit Progresso Food if you're stalled for an idea) along with your email address (or send me an email) by 12:00 PM on Sunday, the 18th, when the winner will be chosen.

This giveaway is open to anyone! Good luck!

The giveaway has ended. Congrats to Chika!