Chicken Schnitzel
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Pan fried Chicken Schnitzel – made with thinly flattened, tender chicken breasts, a light seasoning, a simple breading and cooked in a hot skillet to achieve a beautifully golden brown, super crisp finish.
From there you can serve it with simply fresh herbs and tart lemon wedges for spritzing, or your favorite dipping sauce (honey mustard, bbq sauce, ranch etc), chicken gravy or other creamy pan sauce.
What is Chicken Schnitzel?
Schnitzel is a German and Austrian dish made with meat that is pounded very thin then it’s coated in a standard three layer breading including flour, eggs and some type of bread crumb (such as bread crumbs, matzo meal or in this case panko), after that it’s fried in a bit of oil until browned and cooked through.
To me chicken schnitzel is like a grown up, fancier version of chicken nuggets with a similar taste and texture. Just simple but delicious, with an excellent texture.
It’s a straightforward process to follow and easier to make than you’d think. And I’d say yes it is definitely worth the extra dishes it takes to bread the chicken.
It is a dinner item my family has requested be added to a regular rotation, and I have the feeling yours may agree with that too!
Wondering what to serve with chicken schnitzel?
I recommend serving with:
- Mashed potatoes and gravy, or garlic mashed potatoes
- German potato salad
- Side salad such as apple salad
- Roasted vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, or steamed veggies like asparagus
- Cucumber salad
- Rustic no knead bread with whipped butter
Chicken Schnitzel Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken breasts
- Panko bread crumbs
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh parsley and chives
- Lemon
- Light olive oil (regular will work too, don’t use extra virgin)
How to Make Chicken Schnitzel
- Pound chicken thin: Place chicken on a large cutting board, cover chicken with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet pound pieces very thin to an even 1/6-inch thickness.
- Prepare breading: Pour panko breadcrumbs into a shallow dish (such as a pie dish), pour flour into a second shallow dish.
- In a third shallow dish whisk together eggs with dijon and garlic powder until very well blended.
- Season chicken: Season both sides of chicken pieces with salt and pepper then working with one at a time beginning breading.
- Bread chicken: To do so first dredge both sides in flour to coat, shake excess off. Transfer to egg mixture coat both sides and shake or slide excess off.
- Transfer to panko bread crumbs and cover both sides while pressing to get panko to stick well. Return to cutting board.
- Pan fry chicken: Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in each of two 12-inch skillets slighlty over medium heat (or use just one skillet and work in two batches, wiping skillet clean with damp paper towels held by tongs between batches).
- Cook two pieces of chicken in each skillet about 3 minutes per side until golden brown on each side and chicken registers 165 degrees in center.
Helpful Tips
- Pound the chicken very thin (you should almost start to see through it a bit), this is so it cooks quickly and the breading doesn’t burn, and schnitzel is intended to be thin.
- You can also use 2 large chicken breasts in this recipe (10 oz each) versus using 4 small. If doing so just butterfly them and cut into two cutlets, creating 4 portions total.
- Adjust burner temperature as needed. I find just above medium to be sufficient heat on my stovetop, on a smaller burner you’ll want to use a higher heat.
- Add more oil when frying as needed. You may find you want to add a little more when flipping to the second side.
FAQ
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes. You can also make chicken schnitzel with chicken thighs. It’s just the same idea that you need to pound them very thin, and as always cook to the proper safe temp of 165 in center.
What about using regular bread crumbs?
If you can’t find panko bread crumbs you can also use plain regular bread crumbs in their place.
How to do you pound meat for schnitzel?
- Place the meat on a large flat cutting board.
- Cover with plastic wrap to cover completely with excess overhang of plastic (as meat will expand wider as flattened).
- Use the flat side of meat mallet (NOT textured side) to pound at all areas of the meat evenly until it’s a uniform thickness all the way across.
- Do not pound aggressively or you will tear the portions.
- Repeat this process with each piece of meat.
How can I make it healthier?
- Use white whole wheat flour for dredging, and whole wheat panko bread crumbs or regular whole wheat bread crumbs for coating.
- Fry in olive oil or avocado oil.
Storage and Reheating
- Let it cool 30 minutes before storing in an airtight container (you don’t want trapped steam from hot chicken softening the breading further than it already will).
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat you can rewarm in a 400 degree oven on a baking sheet until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
- Another option is a skillet with a little oil, set over medium low heat until warmed through, turn halfway.
- Or rewarm in an air fryer to help crisp the coating back up.
- Another option is to skip reheating and just serve cold, cut into small pieces as a topping to a chilled green salad.
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Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 4 (5 oz. each) boneless skinless chicken breasts*
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (then a little more if needed)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh chives (optional)
- 1 fresh lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)
- 6 Tbsp light olive oil
Instructions
- Place chicken on a large cutting board, cover chicken with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet pound pieces very thin to an even 1/6-inch thickness.
- Pour panko breadcrumbs into a shallow dish (such as a pie dish), pour flour into a second shallow dish.
- In a third shallow dish whisk together eggs with dijon and garlic powder until very well blended.
- Season both sides of chicken pieces with salt and pepper then working with one at a time beginning breading.
- To do so first dredge both sides in flour to coat, shake excess off. Transfer to egg mixture coat both sides and slide or shake excess off.
- Transfer to panko bread crumbs and cover both sides while pressing to get panko to stick well. Return to cutting board.
- Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in each of two 12-inch skillets slightly over medium heat (or use just one skillet and work in two batches, wiping skillet clean with damp paper towels held by tongs between batches).
- Cook two pieces of chicken in each skillet about 3 minutes per side until golden brown on each side and chicken registers 165 degrees in center. If needed you can add a little more oil when turning to second side.
- Serve warm garnished with parsley, chives and served with lemon wedges for spritzing over.
Notes
- *This also works with 2 (10 oz each) chicken breasts. Just butterfly and halve the two pieces equally to create 4 chicken cutlet portions.
- Nutrition estimate based on 2.5 Tbsp flour being used, you'll have some remaining after dredging.