Chicken Schnitzel

Schnitzel

Once upon a time I made Weiner Schnitzel quite often. It was one of my favorite “Go to” recipes. Somehow I drifted away from it. Maybe veal became hard to find in the butcher case. I’m not sure. I just stopped making it.  Schnitzel is just a German word for cut or cutlet usually from a small slice of meat (mutton, veal, pork) on a rib or other bone. lamb cutlets.  I never really gave any thought to other cutlets like chicken or turkey but I recently came across a recipe for chicken schnitzel and fell in love.

Chicken Schnitzel

Chicken Schnitzel as the name states uses chicken instead of veal. I had some chicken tenders in the freezer so I used those. Once the tenders were thawed I used a meat mallet to pound them to flattened filets. Then followed the recipe below. I used the Panko bread crumbs with some hesitation. I used panko before and didn’t like them but I must say in this recipe they were perfect. So lets leave Italian red sauce behind and take a quick trip to Germany for Chicken Schnitzel.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
•  2 Cups water
•  2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
•  2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/3 Cops Panko breadcrumbs
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•  1/2 teaspoon table salt
•  3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•  3/4 teaspoon paprika
•  2 tablespoons sesame seeds
•  1/2 cup all purpose flour
•  2 large eggs
•  vegetable oil for cooking
•  Lemon Wedges for serving

Photo credit from Once upon a chef

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to form flat fillets. Place a fillet in a resealable freezer bag and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound to a even thickness between 1/8- 1/4  in thick. Remove the pounded cutlet and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.

2.  Make Brine: In a medium bowl, combine water, kosher salt, and sugar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the pounded chicken to the brine and let sit 30-45 minutes (no longer or chicken may be too salty) Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels.

3. In a large shallow bowl mix panko, pepper, table salt, garlic powder, paprika, and sesame seeds. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Beat eggs in a 3rd bowl. Set up a breading station in this order: flour, eggs, panko.

4, Dredge the chicken in flour, coating evenly on both sides; dip in the eggs, letting any excess drip off; then dredge in panko mixture, turning and patting to adhere. Place breaded chicken on a plate and repeat until all the chicken is breaded. 

5. Line a 13×18 inch baking sheet with paper towels. In a large non stick skillet heat about 1/8 inch of oil over medium heat until oil is hot and shimmering. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the pan and cook until the first side is golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner. You shouldn’t need more oil. Transfer to serving plates and garnish with lemon wedges.

photo credit Deb Neumann

Enjoy tender, juicy fried chicken. The lemon adds just a touch of flavor.