Make tender, crispy yet moist chicken schnitzel in less than 30 minutes. A popular Austrian dish, schnitzel, is thinly sliced chicken breast dredged in flour and held together with an egg and breadcrumb breading then pan-fried in a skillet until lightly golden brown.

Table of Content
Not everybody calls them chicken schnitzel. My mom made these all the time but we just called it breaded chicken breast. Did you know the word 'Schnitzel' is a German word for cutlet? So technically these are pan-fried cutlets. Today we use chicken breast but it can also be veal, pork, or chicken.
Why make homemade schnitzel
- Simple and easy - This recipe is simple and easy. You can pan fry them immediately or save them in the refrigerator or freezer for later. So, these are perfect for meal preps.
- Simple pantry staples - Chicken breast is all you need to make this dish because all the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples.
- The breadcrumb coating keeps the chicken tender and juicy. While the oil adds that nice crispness.
- Complete meal in 30 minutes - The chicken takes less than 30 minutes to make. Simultaneously, you can serve with side salads or serve with a side of mashed potatoes, roast potatoes or rice such as my turmeric rice or rice pilaf with fruit and nuts.
- Leftovers make perfect sandwiches, burritos, and wrap for light meals or kids' lunch box ideas.

Ingredients and substitutes
- Chicken breast - Thinly sliced chicken breast or chicken cutlets are the best candidate for Schnitzel. Of course, you can use turkey breasts, veal cutlets, prok cutlets. Most supermarkets these days offer pre-prepared chicken breast slices for schnitzel or breading.
- Wet mixture - Beaten eggs is what helps keep the bread crumbs coating stick to the meat.
- Dry mixture - we use flour to dredge the chicken first then breadcrumbs with seasoning for the special coating.
- Optional ingredients - Traditionally only seasoning such as salt and pepper were used but you can also add other flavorings.
- Onion, garlic - you can add a sprinkle of garlic powder and onion powder.
- Parmesan cheese - 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.

Pan-fried chicken schnitzel recipe
- Chicken - Cut each chicken breast into two horizontally, so you have 4 slices.
Lay the pieces between two plastics or paper hand towels on a baking sheet.
Then using a meat mallet, meat tenderizer, or rolling pin gently flatten the pieces. Season with salt and pepper on both sides
Pro tip - you can also find tenderized chicken schnitzel slices at some butcher shops ready to use

- Flour mixture - In a shallow plate, add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Set aside
- Egg mixture - In another shallow bowl - whisk the egg and season with salt and pepper.
- Bread crumb mixture - In another shallow plate add the breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper.
- Coat the chicken - Coat each chicken breast piece.
- First, dredge them in the flour mix and dust off any excess flour.
- Then dip in the egg mixture making sure to drip off excess.
- Finally, coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Pressing down to ensure proper coverage.

- Set aside - Continue with the rest of the pieces. These can be placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before panfrying.
Pro tip - you can also place them between sheets of parchment paper in freezer-safe bags and freeze them for up to a month. - Pan-frying - In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add one tablespoon of oil. Gently lay the pieces of chicken schnitzel in the oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Then, flip and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes.
Pro tip - do this in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Thin slices of chicken breast cook fast so the medium-high heat will give a nice golden brown color. - Pan dry - Remove the chicken on a clean paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve hot on its own with ketchup, mayonnaise, or serve alongside a side of rice or mashed potatoes.

What do you serve with chicken schnitzel?
- Mashed Potatoes Recipe,
- Baked Potato Chips, Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
- The BEST Fried Rice, Rice Pilaf, Coconut Turmeric Rice
- Cherry Tomato Salad, Avocado Salad, Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Garlic Sauteed Broccoli with Cranberries
- Sesame Green Beans - Just Three Ingredients
- Turmeric Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
Variations
- Parmesan crusted chicken breast - add grated parmesan cheese to the panko breadcrumb mixture.
- Herbed chicken breast - add fresh herbs such as chopped parsley to the bread crumbs mixture
- Sour cream chicken schnitzel - add sour cream and mustard to the egg mixture before coating and breading.

More chicken breast recipes
- Healthy and Crispy General Tso's Chicken
- One Pan Chicken Stir Fry
- Crispy Pan-Fried Breaded Chicken Breast
- Cheesy Chicken Breast Pasta
- Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Cheesy Chicken Breast Pasta
- Baked Chicken Legs or Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Crispy Chicken, or Crispy Chicken Recipe Baked
Frequently asked questions
This chicken schnitzel will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Absolutely, these can be made a few days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. You can place the fried or non-fried schnitzel between parchment papers in freezer bags and freeze them for up to a month.
This is a very versatile dish and can pair with almost any veggies. Try
While both are made using the same process, traditionally schnitzel is made without any dairy. Just a dusting of flour, egg dip, and breadcrumb coating. In breaded chicken breast, you can marinate the chicken in a flour-based egg mixture then dip in panko breadcrumbs. Schnitzel is fried while breaded chicken can be pan-fried or baked
Yes, you can. Spray the breaded chicken schnitzel on both sides with cooking spray. Place them in a wire rack and bake them in a preheated oven 400F/200C for 12 to 15 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Serve with a drizzle of lemon juice or lemon wedges on the side.
You may also like
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it.
Save it for later.
You can also find a collection of my recipes and tutorials here on Pinterest. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
And, don't forget to subscribe to my blog to receive new recipes by email.
Printable Recipe
Chicken Schnitzel
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save GrowDescription
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 4 (1 kg) Chicken breast (each divided into 2 then tenderized with a mallet)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 - 4 tablespoon Cooking oil
Flour mixture
- 1 cup (125 g) All purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Pepper
Egg mixture
- 2 large Egg
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Bread crumb mixture
- 2 cups (200 g) Breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Chicken - Cut each chicken breast into two horizontally, so you have 4 slices. Lay the pieces between two plastics or paper hand towels on a baking sheet. Then using a meat mallet, meat tenderizer, or rolling pin gently flatten the pieces. Season with salt and pepper on both sidesPro tip - you can also find tenderized chicken schnitzel slices at some butcher shops ready to use
- Flour mixture - In a shallow plate, add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Set aside
- Egg mixture - In another shallow bowl - whisk the egg and season with salt and pepper.
- Bread crumb mixture - In another shallow plate add the breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper.
- Coat the chicken - Coat each chicken breast piece. First, dredge them in the flour mix and dust off any excess flour. Then dip in the egg mixture making sure to drip off excess. Finally, coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Pressing down to ensure proper coverage.
- Set aside - Continue with the rest of the pieces. These can be placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before panfrying. Pro tip - you can also place them between sheets of parchment paper in freezer-safe bags and freeze them for up to a month.
- Pan-frying - In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add one tablespoon of oil. Gently lay the pieces of chicken schnitzel in the oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Then, flip and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Pro tip - do this in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Thin slices of chicken breast cook fast so the medium-high heat will give a nice golden brown color.
- Pan dry - Remove the chicken on a clean paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve hot on its own with ketchup, mayonnaise, or serve alongside a side of rice or mashed potatoes.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Do not skip on pounding the chicken breast slices with a meat mallet or rolling pin. This helps tenderize the chicken which also helps cook quickly and easily.
- The breaded chicken is best served hot when freshly cooked. Leave them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the fridge until then. Alternatively, freeze them and cook them when ready to serve.
- Dust off excess flour, egg mixture, or bread crumbs when you dredge or coat the chicken. Excess flour or breadcrumbs can burn easily in oil which can leave black spots on the chicken.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
This sounds like the most delicious schnitzel EVER! I can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Claire - Let me know what you think.