Chicken Schnitzel

Make tender, crispy yet moist chicken schnitzel in less than 30 minutes. A quick and easy meal that's perfect for a busy weekday meal, lazy weekends or to impress family and friends.

Who doesn't love chicken schnitzel? Though, not everybody calls them chicken schnitzel. My mom made these all the time but didn't call them chicken schnitzel; we just called it breaded chicken breast. Did you know the word 'Schnitzel' is a German word for cutlet? So technically these are chicken cutlets; chicken breast dipped in egg mixture then coated in dry breadcrumbs.

Schnitzel is breaded slices of meat like veal, pork, or chicken. Today, we use thin slices of chicken breast dusted in flour, marinated in an egg mixture then coated with breadcrumbs before being pan-fried. This gives us a nice crispy golden crust

We often serve these with rice or mashed potatoes. Today I have served them with Lemon Rosemary Roast potatoes and salad.

About this recipe

The recipe is fairly simple and easy to make. If you have chicken breast this is a no-fail method to make ensure it is not overcooked, overbaked, or dry. The breadcrumb coating keeps the chicken tender and juicy.

The chicken takes less than 30 minutes to make. Simultaneously, you can also make a starch such as mashed potatoes, roast potatoes or rice such as my turmeric rice or rice pilaf with fruit and nuts

Ingredients and substitutes

• Chicken breast - You want something that cooks quickly and won't burn the breadcrumbs which makes chicken breast the best candidate for Schnitzel.  You can use turkey breasts as well but chicken is more traditional. Most supermarkets these days offer pre-prepared chicken breast for schnitzel or breading. We love using those and they turn out perfect. Sometimes if you ask the butcher, he will prepare it for you as well.
• Parmesan - I love adding Parmesan to my breadcrumbs but I put it in the optional ingredients because here in Israel it's not commonly used.
• Sour Cream - I love serving a little sour cream with my chicken schnitzel which makes adding a little in the egg mixture even more wonderful. You must try; it really does add a nice creaminess to the egg mixture. (again it's not commonly used here so I have put it as optional)
• Mustard - Just a touch of mustard goes a long way with chicken in adding flavor.
• Herbs - Personally I love chopping parsley really fine and adding it to my breadcrumb along with the Parmesan and some Paprika but I'll share that recipe another time.

Step by step instructions (pin)

Chicken

• Cut each chicken breast into two horizontally, so you have 4 slices
• Use mallet, meat tenderizer or rolling pin to flatten the pieces (you can ask your butcher to make these for you too)
• Pat dry the pieces, season with salt and pepper

Flour mixture - bowl 1

• In a third bowl - place flour.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Set aside.

Egg mixture - bowl 2

• In one bowl - whisk an egg with one tablespoon water.
• Season with salt, pepper, mustard.
• Set aside.

Breadcrumb mixture - bowl 3

• In a second bowl - add breadcrumbs and parmesan
• Season with salt, pepper, and herbs - combine well
• Set aside.

Coat chicken

• Coat each chicken piece in the flour mix (bowl 1). Dust off any excess flour.
• Drop the chicken piece into the egg mixture (bowl 2). Use a fork to ensure it's well coated on all sides.
• Then coat it with the breadcrumb mixture (bowl 3). Use your hands to press lightly making sure it's well coated.
• Remove from the breadcrumb mix and place it on a clean plate.
• Do the same with all the pieces and set aside. These can be made up to two days and kept in the fridge

Pan-fry chicken

• To a frying pan (preferably non-stick) add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter
• Place three to four chicken pieces (do not overcrowd the pan)
• Let cook on one side without touching for one minute on medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the chicken for 2 minutes more
• Flip the chicken, add another tablespoon of butter or oil as necessary
• Cook on the second side for one minute on medium-high then lower the heat and cook for another minute on medium-low.
• Tip - The one-minute high cooking is what makes the crust crispy. But, be careful not to burn it.
• Remove the chicken on a clean paper hand towel to absorb excess fat.

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Chicken schnitzel makes perfect freezer meals

I usually make more than what I need for one meal so I can put them in the freezer for busy days.

1. Cook them as we do above. When they are cold just place them in a ziplock bag. These make amazing sandwiches and wraps. If you have teenagers (who are always hungry) these are great to have on hand. Just thaw as many as you need in the microwave.
2. Freeze them uncooked as you see in the image below. All you do is place them uncooked in a ziplock bag, remove as much air and lay them flat in the freezer until frozen. Once they are frozen you can stack them up and store away in the corner of the freezer until you need them.
   To re-use just thaw them in the fridge for a  couple of hours and cook them as we do below.  My kids love chicken schnitzel so I have these on hand for busy cake days and it's such a blessing.

Why pan-fried not baked?

Personally, I'm not a big fan of putting chicken breast in the oven. If you don't take them out at the right time they can be dry. I love cooking them with a little oil in the pan which not just cooks them thru nicely and evenly but also caramelizes them a bit on the outside giving it so much more flavor. If you follow my method as directed you will never ever have a dry chicken schnitzel.

Frequently asked questions

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