Chicken Schnitzel Recipe - A Quick & Easy Weeknight Meal - Chisel & Fork (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between breaded chicken and schnitzel? ›

What's the difference between breaded chicken and chicken schnitzel? The main difference between breaded chicken and chicken schnitzel is that chicken schnitzel is made with pounded chicken breasts. What are some side dishes for schnitzel? Potato salad, mashed potatoes, or spaetzle make great sides.

“Crumb just before you cook them, as the moisture can come through the chicken and make the crumbs soggy. Crumb and fry keeps them crisp,” Tony says.

Place into the fridge, uncovered, for one hour before cooking. This step dries the breading and ensures it will stick perfectly to the meat during the frying process. As long as you fry in hot oil, it will come out perfectly crispy with all of its breading intact!

Always dip your chicken in beaten egg before coating

Dipping your chicken in egg helps the breadcrumbs, or whatever coating you use, adhere evenly to the outside of the cutlet. You should start with a thin layer of flour, which gives the egg a better surface to cling to, then the egg, then the coating.

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.

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. You can use another healthy frying oil of your choice.

Chicken breasts have less fat than other parts of the chicken. That's why they are so popular with the nutritionists that demonize animal fat. That is also why they are so easy to make dry and tough when frying.

It is imperative that schnitzel be breaded very gently — no pressing! — and that it happen the moment before it hits the oil. Store-bought lard is a good option for frying, but vegetable oils like peanut, canola or rice bran will also work.

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.”

How do you get the breading to stick on a schnitzel? ›

Just as important as the first patting down of the chicken's surface, the final pat down of your meat after covering it with breading helps every piece of crunchy coating adhere. After coating chicken in an egg and breading layer, gently pat all sides.

The secret to the crunchiest schnitzel

For example, panko crumbs are shredded instead of being pulsated into almost dust in a food processor, as regular breadcrumbs are. The result is a crumb that can withstand oil and puff up while frying, making a crunchier coating.

Schnitzel is not typically highly seasoned, relying instead on bold toppings such as fresh lemon wedges, mushroom sauce, or cream sauce to add a boost of flavor.

After chicken is cooked, it should sit out at room temperature no more than two hours before being refrigerated to slow down bacteria growth. Once stored in the fridge, leftovers should be eaten up within three to four days because bacteria can still grow even at refrigerator temperatures.

The English term schnitzel means in general all types of breaded, fried flat pieces of meat.

A hearty chicken schnitzel made with 100% chicken breast. Some items may not be available in all markets.

The breading is typically an easy coating of flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs. Schnitzel is not typically highly seasoned, relying instead on bold toppings such as fresh lemon wedges, mushroom sauce, or cream sauce to add a boost of flavor.