Chicken Schnitzel

Chicken Schnitzel

In Switzerland, Chicken Schnitzel is commonly found on the childrens’ menu in most restaurants. I mention this because I wish it was more commonly available on the menu for adults!

I suppose Chicken Schnitzel is essentially a more fancy and up-market version of chicken nuggets, which explains why Pouletschnitzel is a popular option for kids.

What is Chicken Schnitzel?

Chicken Schnitzel is also called crumbed chicken, which is chicken coated in breadcrumbs.

Chicken Schnitzel originates from Austria and is a distant cousin to the more popular (and original) Veal Schnitzel, or Wienerschnitzel, which is made with thin veal fillets.

In fact, in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, Veal Schnitzel is more commonly found on restaurant menus than Chicken Schnitzel.

Chicken Schnitzel Recipe

My Chicken Schnitzel recipe is one that I also use for crumbing pork, veal and fish. It’s a very versatile recipe!

To make Chicken Schnitzel, I often do the following steps:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Coat the chicken in plain flour (all-purpose flour).
3. Dip the chicken in egg whisked with Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. I like to add mustard for an extra kick of flavour.
4. Cover the chicken in panko breadcrumbs, which are Japanese-style bread crumbs and which give a lot of crunch.

How to Make Chicken Schnitzel

Step 1

Prepare the chicken breast fillets by first removing the tenderloin, if it is still attached.

If the chicken breast fillets are large and thick, slice them in half horizontally to produce two thin fillets.

Place the chicken pieces between two sheets of baking paper and use a wooden rolling pin to flatten the chicken until it is an even thickness all over. I aim for a thickness of about 0.8 cm/0.3″.

Season both sides of the chicken fillets generously with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Set up your crumbing station. You will need 3 shallow bowls or soup plates.

In the first bowl, place the flour.

In the second bowl, whisk together the egg, mustard, salt and pepper.

In the third bowl, place the breadcrumbs. I like to use panko breadcrumbs, but any type of breadcrumbs will do.

If your breadcrumbs are very coarse, I recommend grinding them to a finer texture, either by using your hands, or by putting the breadcrumbs into a ziplock freezer bag and running a rolling pin over them several times.

Crumb the chicken pieces as follows:

1. Coat the chicken in the flour;
2. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture;
3. Cover the chicken with the breadcrumbs.

Step 3

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. To shallow fry the chicken pieces, you will need about 1 cm/0.4″ depth of oil.

I prefer to cook the chicken in batches, so I use a saucepan which will comfortably fit two pieces of chicken at a time.

The oil is hot enough when tiny bubbles appear when you dip a wooden chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. Alternatively, you can also drop a piece of breadcrumb into the oil to test if it is ready.

Gently slide the crumbed chicken into oil, and cook for a few minutes on each side until nicely golden. I like to turn the chicken frequently so that it can brown evenly on all sides.

What to Serve with Chicken Schnitzel

For a quick and easy weeknight dinner, I love to serve Chicken Schnitzel with a simple coleslaw. If time is really tight, I even buy the ready-shredded cabbage from the supermarket!

One of my favourite ways of serving Chicken Schnitzel is with a Japanese curry sauce to make Chicken Katsu Curry.

And for an Italian-American twist, I make Chicken Parmigiana by spooning some homemade Marinara Sauce (or Tomato Pasta Sauce) on the Chicken Schnitzel, topped with some grated mozzarella cheese, and then placed under a hot grill until the cheese has melted. This is a family favourite!

Another favourite in our home is to serve Chicken Schnitzel in Steamed Bao Buns. Simply follow the instructions at this Bao Bun recipe, and serve the buns stuffed with Chicken Schnitzel (either cut them into thick slices or use chicken tenderloins for smaller chicken pieces), and serve them with pickled cucumbers and a spicy mayo made from mixing Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise with Sriracha.

From one recipe, so many options 🙂 Enjoy!

How to Freeze Chicken Schnitzel

Whenever I make Chicken Schnitzel, I typically double the recipe and freeze half. In fact, I always have a stash of crumbed chicken tenderloin on stand-by for the kids. They don’t take very long to defrost, and I can defrost as little or as much as I need. Once defrosted and pan-fried, the Chicken Schnitzel are as crispy as though they had been prepared fresh.

To freeze uncooked Chicken Schnitzel:

1. Follow the recipe until you have coated all of the chicken pieces in breadcrumbs.
2. Use a tray that will fit into your freezer.
3. Line the tray with a sheet of baking paper.
4. Place the coated chicken pieces onto the lined tray in a single layer.
5. Place the tray into the freezer for 1 to 2 hours, or until the chicken pieces are frozen.
6. Transfer the frozen chicken pieces to a large ziplock bag or container which has been dated and labelled.
7. Freeze the chicken pieces for up to 3 months.
8. To defrost, place the frozen chicken pieces in the fridge to defrost overnight, or at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
9. The chicken pieces will feel moist after defrosting, but the breadcrumbs will crisp up upon frying.
10. Pan-fry the chicken pieces as per the recipe.

5 stars (15 reviews)

Chicken Schnitzel

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook20 minutes mins

Total30 minutes mins

Serves: 4

Golden and crispy Chicken Schnitzel in 30 minutes! This Chicken Schnitzel recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. Recipe with step-by-step photos.

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Ingredients

• 4 small chicken breast fillets
• sea salt
• black pepper, freshly cracked
• 1/2 cup plain flour, (all-purpose flour)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions 

To prepare the chicken fillets

1. Prepare the chicken fillets by first removing the tenderloin, if it is still attached. Save the tenderloins for another recipe, or you can also crumb and cook them as per the recipe below but reduce the cooking time accordingly.
2. If your chicken fillets are quite large and thick, use a very sharp knife to slice them in half horizontally to produce two thin fillets.
3. Place the chicken fillets between two sheets of baking paper, allowing for some space between each piece.
4. Use a wooden rolling pin to flatten the chicken fillets until they are evenly sized. Aim to have the fillets about 0.8 cm/0.3″ thick.
5. Generously season both sides of each chicken fillet with salt and pepper, and set aside for about 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

To prepare the crumbing

1. You will need 3 large soup plates or shallow bowls.
2. In the first bowl, add the flour.
3. In the second bowl, whisk together the egg, mustard, salt and pepper.
4. In the third bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
5. To crumb the chicken, first coat the chicken in the flour, then dip it into the egg mixture, and finally cover it in the breadcrumbs. Gently pat the breadcrumbs into the chicken to ensure that it is fully coated all over.

To cook the Chicken Schnitzel

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. I prefer to cook the chicken in batches, so I generally use a pan which can comfortably fit two pieces of chicken at a time.
2. Pour in enough oil to about 1 cm/0.4″ depth.
3. When the oil is hot enough, carefully slide the crumbed chicken pieces into the pan.
4. Cook the chicken pieces for several minutes on each side, turning frequently to ensure an even colour.
5. When the chicken pieces are nicely golden all over, place them on a wire rack to drain.
6. Sprinkle the chicken schnitzel immediately with some sea salt.
7. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Kitchen Notes

• WHICH TYPE OF CHICKEN PIECES TO USE
  * For a Chicken Schnitzel, I recommend using chicken breast fillets. Small chicken breast fillets work best as you can flatten them easily, but you can also halve larger chicken breast fillets into two pieces.
  * You can also use chicken tenderloins in the above recipe, which happen to be better portion-wise for children.
• VARIATIONS
  The above recipe is a good blue-print for a classic Chicken Schnitzel. To vary the recipe a little, I recommend the following:
  * add the zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley to the breadcrumbs
  * add 2-3 tablespoons of finely grated parmesan to the breadcrumbs
• OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
  All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.
• CONVERSIONS
  To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

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