If you’ve even been to Chili’s or Outback Steakhouse you’ll likely know how crazy addictive and delicious their blooming onions are. So much so that we made our own, equally delicious, version at home! Whether it’s the perfectly browned breading that lends just the right amount of spice, or the zesty dip that keeps us coming back for more, we knew we wanted to experiment a little more with blooming onion options…which leads us to these tasty, fried onion wedges!

Without losing any of the classic flavor and texture, we broke this appetizer down into something a little more manageable, yet still just as amazing as the original. Cutting your onion into wedges before breading and frying them means you don’t have to stress anymore about flipping an entire onion over – because, let’s be real, that’s a pretty precarious situation, right there – and now you can have people easily serve themselves wedges instead of having everyone frantically grab at the one, huge onion. Win-win! Seriously, this is just as good, if not better than the classic dish, so get your skillets ready and get going!

Blooming Onion Wedges

6-8

30 minutes

Ingredients
  • 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Dip:
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preparation
  1. Whisk together buttermilk and 2 eggs in a large bowl and set aside.
  2. Dip all onion wedges in egg wash and let sit.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour with garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper, tossing together to incorporate.
  4. Heat 1-2 inches of vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until approximately 350ยบ F. Oil is ready when it's shimmering and spits when water is dropped into it.
  5. In a third bowl, whisk together mayo with milk, garlic powder, chipotle powder and pepper. Set aside.
  6. Remove onion wedges from egg wash and shake off excess, then transfer to seasoned flour mixture and dredge onion completely.
  7. Carefully lower dredge onion wedges into hot oil and fry on each side until golden brown.
  8. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, then serve immediately, along with dip. Enjoy!