Chicken Schnitzel
Well, of course you can make this with veal if you want real Weiner Schnitzel. It’s so good, I’m even going to try this with boneless pork. But I made this for a recipe to include in my Chicken Cooking Dude Cookbook, so this is for chicken. If you change the meat, the recipe is the same!
Chicken is such a good substitute for veal that a fancy local restaurant got caught in the act a few years ago. It took some alert diners to discover that their veal parmesan was really chicken parmesan!
The photo above shows it served with German Potato Salad and Red Cabbage. If you want to do the same, start those first because they take more time. Red cabbage first, then the potato salad.
The recipe calls for thin cutlets, and you’ll need about two per person for four people. The meat is pounded thin, about 1/4 inch, so it will probably only take a couple of large chicken breasts to do the trick. Whatever meat you use, just judge the amount you start with by visualizing it spread out thinner and then cut into serving sizes.
Here are the ingredients for the schnitzel. The breading process takes three bowls:
INGREDIENTS
Two large or four small chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, and pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
In bowl #1:
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
In bowl #2:
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
Few shakes of Tabasco
In bowl #3:
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup finely crushed soda crackers (or just use 2 cups breadcrumbs but it won’t be as good)
3 tablespoon paprika
instructions
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
Fry the cutlets in batches, so the pan is not overcrowded. Dredge them in the first bowl, shake off the excess, dip them in the second bowl, let drip a little, and dredge them in the third bowl. Place in the pan and don’t disturb them for five minutes. Flip them over for another five and test for doneness.
If you have a meat thermometer, it may or may not work depending on the thickness of the meat. But if they are 1/4 thick or so, five minutes per side should have the chicken above 160 degrees. It will continue to cook for several minutes after you remove them from the pan.
Keep the cutlets warm while you finish frying the rest of them, and then serve garnished with a slice of lemon.
Even though it’s not veal, you’ll think it’s real Weiner Schnitzel. Especially if you have some good German beer to go with it!