Chicken Schnitzel

Reasons why you should make Chicken Schnitzel: it’s fun to say, you probably have all the ingredients already, and you’ve likely already made something very similar!

This light and crispy breaded chicken breast and be used in just about ANY way. I love to make sandwiches with it because it is a thin piece of chicken with a satisfying amount of crunchy breading and crispy bread. See original post below.

If you don’t know what schnitzel is, it’s the German version of Chicken Fried Chicken. In Germany, the traditional schnitzel is made with pork or chicken. Surely you’ve heard of wiener schnitzel somewhere along the way (because it's fun to say), which is made with veal (calf beef) and is commonly found in Germany and Austria.

I ate Schnitzel for the very first time in Germany in 2011, and I’ve been jonesing for it ever since. If you’ve ever made fried chicken, you’re halfway there. Actually, you’re all the way there except with schnitzel, you pound the chicken out incredibly thin before you bread it.

And by incredibly thin, I mean the chicken has literally doubled in diameter and is so thin you can almost see through it. A wooden rolling pin works if you don’t have a meat/poultry mallet. But you want to hammer this chicken out to where its no thicker than 1/4 inch. The thinner the better, TRUST ME. The pieces of chicken swell in size with all the delicious breading.

I like to put one piece of chicken on a cutting board and cover it with parchment paper before I pound it out very thin.

(This chicken pictured is almost too thick for my schnitzel preference. If your chicken breasts are super thick, you should probably slice them through the center first, so then you have two identical sized breasts. LOL)

My husband is beaming with pride on that one....

Once the chicken is pounded out evenly thin, thinly even, it’s time to dredge.

You will want 3 shallow dishes lined up: first, flour, salt, garlic powder, pepper & paprika mixed together; next, the egg mixed with a tablespoon of water; and the last for your panko breadcrumbs. Regular (unseasoned) breadcrumbs work just fine too.

Heat 1 cup vegetable or canola oil over medium heat while you are breading your chicken. Cook the chicken one at a time, letting cook on each side until crispy golden brown, about 6-8 minutes.

You could make gravy to put on top and that would be insane; you can dip it in ketchup or bbq, you can put a giant scoop of mashed potatoes on top with said gravy. Do what you want!!!

I served it this with balsamic ranch potatoes, green beans, & arugula on top. I marinated my arugula for 10 minutes in a splash of each: red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Tag me on Instagram if you try this Chicken Schnitzel! More importantly, let me know if you’re a schnitzel master with any better ingredients or tips I’ve talked about here.

Yield: 2

Author: Bailie Saiz

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Chicken Schnitzel

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1/4 C flour
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1-2 C Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 C. vegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1. Pound chicken breasts out to about ¼ inch thick.
2. 2. Line up 3 shallow dishes: mix the flour, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika in the first. In the 2nd, whisk together an egg and 1 tablespoon water. Lastly, pour out panko into its own dish.
3. 3. Dredge the chicken breast in the flour mixture first so that it’s completely coated, shake off the excess.
4. 4. Next, dip in the egg and let excess run off.
5. 5. Last, coat both sides well with Panko breadcrumbs.
6. 6. Add to a pre-heated skillet over medium-high heat with 1 cup of vegetable oil.
7. You may need to add more oil before you add the second piece of chicken.
8. 7. Cook each side until it’s golden brown, and flip and let it be until it’s done. About 6-8 minutes each side depending on your heat.