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Chicken schnitzel has always been a favorite in my family. When my kids were younger, schnitzel was a giant chicken nugget, to be grabbed in hand and dunked in lots of ketchup. Back then I don't think any of us realized the wide global reach and popularity of schnitzel.
The world Loves Schnitzel
Not every country calls it "schnitzel," but they all use a similar recipe:boneless, skinless, beef, chicken, pork, turkey or veal is tenderized by pounding it into a thin cutlet. It's then breaded and baked, sautéed or deep fried. It's crisp on the outside and tender within - totally irresistible any way you serve it!
In Italy they it "Chicken Milanese." A big, thin crispy sheet of chicken schnitzel that practically covers the plate is topped with an arugula and cherry tomato salad with lemony dressing.
The Japanese version is "Katzu." After the chicken is fried to golden-brown perfection, it's sliced into strips and served with a big scoop of steamed rice and a green vegetable.
Chicken schnitzel in Israel has a good amount of sesame seeds in the breading and is sometimes offered as a filling forshawarma.
Wiener Schnitzel is the famed Viennese version, made from veal.
For the ultimate comfort food fix, serve your chicken schnitzel straight up with buttered noodles - just like in the famous song "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music."
"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles Wild Geese that fly with the moon on their wings These are a few of my favorite things!"
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SCHNITZEL FROM SCRATCH
The first step of making good schnitzel is to pound the chicken until it's nice and thin. I don't have a mallet, but my rolling pin works really well. Putting the chicken into a large baggy for pounding, is a great way to keep chicken juices from spraying around your kitchen. Tip: don't zip the baggy or it might pop.
After the chicken cutlets are pounded to ⅓ - ¼ inch thickness, set up a dredging station with a plate of flour, a bowl of beaten eggs, and a plate of bread crumbs.
Coat each chicken cutlet lightly with flour.
Dunk into beaten eggs.
Then coat with crumbs. Your chicken schnitzel is now ready to cook.
You can bread all of your schnitzel ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for a few hours until you're ready to cook it.
Schnitzel is best served right after it's browned.
If you have leftovers, be sure to make a delicious "schnitzelwich" - schnitzel on a roll with lettuce and mayo or Russian dressing.
Cool mornings have started to mingle with the hot August afternoons here in New England. I can feel myself waffling between hanging on to the lazy days of summer and gearing up for a busy Fall. I've already started nagging my kids about getting ready for school. Soon our family will be in full swing of the new season - each of us diving head first into our various endeavors. Coming together around the family table for a good comforting dinner will feel better than ever!
Here's the chicken schnitzel recipe. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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Chicken Schnitzel Recipe
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 2 reviews
Author:Lisa
Total Time:1 hour 20 mins
Yield:6-8 1x
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Description
Thin scallops of chicken, breaded and sautéed until golden brown on the outside, tender inside. Serve with buttered noodles and salad.
Ingredients
Scale
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 ½ pounds)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2-3 cups panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Optional Garnish
1 lemon, cut into eights
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Pound the Chicken Place a chicken breast half inside a large plastic ziplock bag. Lay it on a flat surface. Pound evenly with a meat mallet or rolling pin until you have an evenly thin scallop, ⅓ to ¼ inch thick. Transfer scallop to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Bread the Chicken Cover a large baking tray with foil or wax paper. Pour the flour onto a large plate. Crack the eggs into a large wide bowl and whisk. Pour the breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Season the chicken with salt and several grinds of fresh flack pepper. Lay a piece of chicken onto the flour plate. Turn it over to coat. Shake off excess flour. Then dunk the chicken into the eggs to coat. Let the excess drip off. Then press the piece of chicken into the crumbs. Turn to coat the other side. Lay the breaded chicken on the prepared tray. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Cook Chicken In a large cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. (for speedier cooking, work with two skillets simultaneously). Add 1-2 pieces of breaded chicken to the skillet (or however many fit in a single layer.) Brown each piece for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil when needed. You need a good layer of oil over the bottom of your skillet to get a crisp crust.
Serve with noodles or topped with arugula salad. Sprinkle with lemon juice and freshly grated parmesan cheese, if you like. Enjoy!
Use a neutral tasting oil. I like rice bran as it gives a great golden finish to the crumb. Pour enough oil to come 2cm up the side of the frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Getting the temperature right is an important step.
For the uninitiated, chicken schnitzel is merely a chicken breast pounded thin, breaded, and fried. It's one of those foods that you can't help but love, which is probably why it's so prolific—versions of the recipe can be found in cultures around the world.
Drizzle more olive oil over each piece. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip chicken and continue baking until no longer pink in the center and the breading is lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Place the chicken on a wire rack (this produces the best results, helping the schnitzel stay crispy all over, but if you don't have one, you can use a regular baking tray). Spray with olive oil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with wedges and kale slaw or your favourite salad.
Think vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Don't use olive oil or butter—they both have lower smoke points. The ideal temperature for frying chicken is 350˚ to 365˚, and you'll want to make sure that you bring the oil back to temperature between batches.
schnitzel, a thin meat cutlet, pounded until tender and then breaded and fried, that is a culinary staple in German-speaking countries and communities. The Americanized version of the dish is chicken-fried steak.
The schnitzel tradition was brought from Europe to Israel by Ashkenazi Jews. During the early years of the state of Israel, veal was not obtainable, and chicken or turkey proved to be inexpensive and tasty substitutes. Packaged schnitzels are widely available in the frozen food section of most supermarkets.
Chicken schnitzel is a breaded chicken filet, so if you get down to the nitty-gritty, they're the same thing. How you serve it, meaning garnishes and accompaniments, is what turns a breaded filet into a schnitzel.
The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”
Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.
When pan-frying, the breading won't have enough time to achieve that desirable golden brown color before the chicken is fully cooked. This will result in undercooked breading or overcooked (tough) chicken.
The first step to breading chicken is crucial: Make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy, meaning it will not adhere properly to the chicken.
Do not overcook the schnitzel. If you pound it thinly you will only need to cook it for 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other. If you don't pound it thinly then you will need to cook it for longer.
Heat 1.5cm / 3/5" oil in a heavy based deep skillet over medium high heat. Dip the end of a schnitzel in to check if the oil is hot enough - it should sizzle straight away (see video). Carefully place 2 schnitzels in the oil and cook for 3 minutes until deep golden, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes.
The oil needs to be hot enough (it should be shimmering but not smoking) so that the chicken will cook well and crisp up. If the oil is not hot enough, the chicken will absorb too much oil and give you soggy, oily schnitzel. I use quality extra virgin olive oil, which has a high enough smoke point to fry the schnitzel.
I typically prefer to use olive oil over canola oil because it's healthier (see this article), but I hardly ever use it and it's fine in moderation! Plus it's worth it for me for this one because it really helps give this schnitzel that perfect crispy crunchy outer coating!
Oils with a high smoking point work best for frying because the oil needs to be at a high temperature yet still below its smoking point when frying. Good frying oils include most vegetable oils, peanut oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, grapeseed oil, and canola oil.
It's great for all different methods of frying and all kinds of foods like breaded chicken and fries. Typically a blend of oils, it has a high smoke point of 400 to 450 degrees, and it has a pretty neutral flavor, which deepens the flavor of the food.
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