Fried onions of any shape, size, or kind are a must at least a couple times a year. Onion chips, rings, or even the store bought kind that you toss on green bean casserole can add something really extra to a meal. While all that may be true, this post is specifically a tastee onion chip recipe.
Now, if you're exactly sure what that even means, allow me to explain.
Tastee Inn and Out was a fast food joint dating back to the 60's in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were a loose meat sandwich restaurant that also served onion chips and onion dip. Their onion chips were onion wedges lightly battered and deep fried. The onions were served in a bucket similar to fried chicken and would include Styrofoam containers of the onion dip. The Tastee restaurant closed down in 2013, however now there's The Tastee Trailer in Nebraska serving up the same great sandwiches, chips, and dip as I remember.
Unfortunately, I no longer live anywhere near The Tastee trailer so I had to make my own recipe for fried onions.
After doing some research online it seems like most recipes are pretty similar. So no matter which deep fried onions you make, they'll pair well with a loose meat sandwich and onion dip.
How to make Fried Onions
This particular recipe for the breading is very simple and slightly bland. Salt them after their fried and serve them with the Tastee Onion Dip Recipe. You'll be glad they're a little bland unsalted and prior to being dipped.
When making deep fried onions either rings or chips the process is very much the same.
Start by peeling the onions and slicing them in half then in quarters, creating onion wedges. Separate the layers of the onions and dust them with a bit of flour. To make that easier just toss the onion wedges in a plastic freezer bag with some flour and shake 'em up.
In a large mixing bowl combine all of the other ingredients and stir to combine. Once you have that all mixed, pre heat a deep fryer to 375°, dip the onion wedges in the batter allowing excess to fall off a little, drop them in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove the onions to a paper towel lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with Kosher Salt and Serve.
There you have it!
ENJOY!
📖 Recipe
Fried Onions (Tastee Onion Chip Recipe)
Ingredients
- 5 lb Yellow Onion
- 1 ½ Cups Water
- 1 ½ Cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Crisco, melted
- 3 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon Sugar
Instructions
- Peel Onions and Cut them into wedges, separating the layers.
- In a large mixing bowl or plastic bag cover the onions with a half a cup of flour.
- Mix remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat vegetable oil in a deep fryer set to 375°f.
- Dip the wedges in the batter and fry until golden brown.
- Place the fried onion chips on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet and serve with Tastees and Onion Chp Dip.
Nutrition
In Conclusion
Despite the fact that these onion chips got their inspiration from the Tastee restaurant, they would be fantastic as a side at just about any cookout.
Think, BBQ Bacon Burger topped with Fried onions.
I'd love to hear other creative ways to use and serve these Fried Onions in the comments.
Thank you so much for reading and as usual...
Happy Cooking!
-Jeremy
Bob Gaul says
I grew up on Tastee Inn&Out as it was 1 block from my house in Sioux City. The Onion Chips and Dip are still a favorite of mine when I make it back to Sioux City, IA. Unfortunately there is only one in my home town now but I still enjoy those items.
I made the dip and it was almost right on except I think the dip was a little too spicy from the Cayenne pepper.
Regarding the chips I tried making them with an air fryer. It didn't work out. And the batter for the chips seemed a bit too thick. But I want to try and perfect this. My sister worked at Tastee Inn&Out and she recalls cutting the onions and how she hated that. I'm printing out both recipes and going to share them with her to see if she can recall anything about either of them. I wonder if thinning out the batter for the onion chips would make them more manageable. It seemed like I had a heck of a time coating the chips with the batter. And I'm guessing the air fryer method isn't a good substitute.
I'd love your comments or feedback as I want to continue remembering my childhood thru this all-time favorite of mine.
Jeremy says
Hi, Bob! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the dip! I agree, it is spicier than what is served at Tastee's. The batter is definitely thick and probably not suitable for the air fryer because of that. I think that getting the onion peels floured before hand allows the batter to stick better. The last time I made them I also dumped the onions right into the batter and mixed them all around to ensure they were all covered. It seems to make it a bit easier than trying to do it peel by peel. I would love to know if your sister has any feedback or recommendations. The sandwiches, chips, and dip are so nostalgic and my kids love it when I make them which makes me SO Happy!