Can I just express my absolute obsession with Chicken Schnitzel? It’s basically a glorified Chicken Nugget and I’m obsessed!
We’ve been making chicken schnitzel since I was a little munchkin and I will never get enough. According to Thomas, it’s basically a glorified chicken nugget and honestly, I’m here for it. That said, I like to jazz it up a bit by adding some spices and topping it off with a generous squeeze of lemon and a pinch of freshly chopped chives. Or if I’m in need of some childhood like comfort food, I’ll serve it with a side of ketchup. DON’T JUDGE ME.
When I ask Thomas what he wants for dinner, 9 times out of 10 he answers with Schnitzel so let’s break down how to make the perfect piece of chicken schnitzel! We’re making these step by step, so here it goes!
Start with a chicken breast…
Place it in a plastic bag and pound it out so they are about 1/3 – 1/2 inch thick throughout. *TIP: I use a meat mallet or wooden rolling to pound the chicken, but if you don’t have either, you can use a heavy bottom pot or pan.
Prepare a breading station with flour, whisked eggs and Panko bread crumbs. I like to add a touch of salt, pepper, lemon zest and garlic powder to the flour mixture to ensure perfect seasoning.
Place each piece of chicken in the flour, coating both sides, and shaking off any excess. Next, dunk the chicken into the eggs, let any excess liquid drain off, then coat with a healthy dose of bread crumbs!
Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully place one piece of the breaded chicken into the pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip it over to finish cooking. Each piece should be golden brown on both sides.
Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate, to absorb any excess oil and give each breast a generous squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of freshly chopped chives, and season with salt as needed.
Serve it up with a side of my German Potato Salad and make someone else do the dishes 🙂 auf Wiedersehen friends!
Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 4 4-6 ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Freshly chopped chives
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag, one at a time, and pound them so they are about 1/2 inch thick throughout its entirety.
- Prepare 3 bowls, one with flour, salt, pepper, lemon zest and the garlic powder, one with whisked eggs and the last with Panko bread crumbs.
- Place each piece of chicken in the flour, coating both sides, and shaking off any excess.
- Next dunk it into the whisked egg – let any excess liquid drain off.
- Next, coat it with the Panko breadcrumbs.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully place one piece of Chicken Schnitzel into the pan and let it cook for 3-5 minutes and then flip it over to finish cooking. Each piece should be golden brown on both sides.
- Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken. Once all the chicken is cooked, give it all a generous squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of freshly chopped chives, and season with more salt as needed.
Love this, Gaby! Looks so good!
I love this!! My girls are obsessed with this schnitzel, and this reminded me to make it for them more often! Hope you are recovering well from your whirlwind trip!
Yes I love schnitzel! I just add a little twist of lemon, or if I’m feeling frisky, my jalapeño cream sauce.
omg this looks SO good! i need to make this asap!!
Great meal idea!
Great tutorial!! It really is simple.
This looks so delicious!
This is basically how I make chicken for my fiance and I at least once a week…I had no idea it had a special name!
Gonna have to give this a go–looks perfectly great for a weeknight dinner!
This is one of my son’s favorite dinners to eat with his German friend, lol! Looks amazing!!
My husband loves schnitzel as well… he will love this recipe! So easy even he could make it! In Argentina we call them milanesas, usually made with pork or beef. So yum. Thanks for sharing!
Nice easy recipe. Thank you.
This looks amazing, Gaby! You haven’t lived ’til you’ve topped it with a little chopped caprese salad though… Oh god. That’s my favorite way to enjoy chicken like this!
I love chicken schnitzel too! Can’t wait to try yours!
So nice and simple and yet so amazingly good!
Such a classic & wonderful way to prepare chicken!
Love me some schnitzel! Yours is so pretty!
oh good mercy. Pinning the crap out of this one for Sunday’s dinner!
This looks amazing, Gaby! Definitely making asap!
I think I need to do this tonight!!
Here in Austria, where the Schnitzel originates (yep, it’s not German, actually), we would never ever use olive oil to fry them, no matter what type of meat it is.
Clarified butter or oil neutral in taste is the way to go, really. Olive oil can’t get hot enough for proper frying and it soaks the Schnitzel this way more than it would with any other …you might want to give it a try.
This said I am happy to see you pound them before breading! 🙂
ingredient list calls for 2 eggs but directions say egg whites?
it’s whole eggs! thanks for catching that!
Made this for dinner last night and just came back to say that my hubby and I love it! Frying and breading things always intimidates me, and this breading recipe couldn’t be more perfect. Thanks!
Thanks for the recipe! The photos are beautiful, too, and really add to it all!
I was first introduced to Schnitzel back in 1987, when we arrived at Hahn Air Force Base, in the area in the western part of Germany known as the “Hunsrueck”. There were many small Gasthaus restaurants out there, where three fourths of the menu was some kind of Schnitzel. There were many kinds to choose from, which added a sauce, like Zigeuner (Gypsy )schnitzel, which was a spicy sauce and Jaeger (hunter) schnitzel, which was a cream gravy with mushrooms. The the meat was prepared the same way, Most of what they served was pork. A full order hung off the edges of the plate. My husband and I would get one order, split it and then feed our two boys some of it, too. There was always Wienerschnitzel, too, which was veal. It was served exactly like you serve your chicken Schnitzel, with a little parsley and lemon wedges.
I’m making this for tonight’s dinner, and I think I will serve it with Kartoffelsalat and Rotkohl! Thanks again!
I have never tried this before. It seems to me that it would take a while to fry up enough to serve 4 people. How do you keep the schnitzel warm so that it doesn’t dry out?
This was so good, I had Wiener Schnitzel in Germany this is so much better. A keeper.
At is the tomato-like condiment plated with the schnitzel?
ketchup!
An all time favorite! Yum!!
I have made this recipe over and over. My family loves it. I could eat it everyday but that’s another story. I add a few more spices to the flour…….paprika, creole seasoning….we like spicy. extra pepper
I love Schnitzel and your photo looks delicious. Why is it necessary to zest the lemon and where do you add the garlic powder — to the chicken or flour? I love your recipes.
I love the schnitzel as well. My fav. Having dinner party. Can I cook 1/2 way then finish in oven after they come so there isn’t a mess?
I would cook them entirely and then just warm in the oven!
I made this last night for my husband and a friend and it came out perfect, and got tons of compliments. The lemon zest is key! It was the perfect week night meal because it was quick to make but still felt special and hearty. I did use ghee instead of olive oil because I was worried the olive oil would burn but other than that I made it exactly to the recipe. I have a feeling this will be requested again very soon. Another hit from Gaby!
who doesn’t love a great nugget??!!
Works great with an air fryer too.
You have been my saving grace during this quarantine as I have run out of recipe ideas on my own. I made this last night and it was a total hit. Absolutely juicy and delicious. The lemon zest really gives the flour a little somethign extra. A little taste of summer greatness in your mouth.
MADE MY DAY!
Absolutely delicious! Crispy and lemony
Even I could do it, though I suffer from hot oil anxiety thanks to a kitchen fire when I was 12
Thank you!