Chicken schnitzel is one of life’s great pleasures. This traditional Austrian recipe is popular in both Germany and Israel, as well as throughout the world. A well made schnitzel is fried golden and crisp on the outside, tender and moist within. Of course this simple, budget-friendly dish is easy to prepare, if you know a few key tips. In this post I share everything you need to know for cooking amazing schnitzel. In due time, this easy chicken schnitzel recipe is sure to become a mainstay in your kitchen. After all, it’s so simple and tasty!
What is Chicken Schnitzel?
Chicken schnitzel is, quite simply, crispy fried chicken breasts. Schnitzel is Austrian in origin and traditionally made with veal (known as wiener schnitzel) or pork. Likewise, it has also been a popular dish in Germany for centuries. Fried schnitzel later found its way to Israel with European Jews. Like many other foods, Jews adapted this regional dish to suit their unique dietary kosher laws. For example, Jewish cooks replaced pork (which is treif) and veal (which was expensive and difficult to obtain) with chicken and turkey. As a matter of fact, most modern Israeli restaurants have some version of chicken or turkey schnitzel on their menu.
How to Make Chicken Schnitzel
We enjoy schnitzel year-round in our home. It is very easy to make, as long as you know a few important tips. A good recipe, like the one below, is key. I like to butterfly the chicken breasts, then pound them thin. Consequently this makes the chicken cook more evenly, and results in a crispier result. You can use a variety of ingredients for coating the schnitzel, including breadcrumbs, matzo meal, and Japanese panko. Overall breadcrumbs are the most popular choice. Matzo meal is used during Passover, when Jewish cooks have a kosher restriction on leavened grains. Panko breadcrumbs produce a very light, crisp, and airy coating. Additionally, I like to add sesame to the coating for even more crunch, and a slightly nutty flavor. Finally, the oil temperature is also important; frying at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit will ensure that your schnitzel is evenly cooked and perfectly crisp.
Here are a couple of other ways to prepare schnitzel for various dietary restrictions.
Vegan Portobello Mushroom Schnitzel
What to Serve with Chicken Schnitzel
This tasty, crispy main dish is often served with a starchy side dish like French fries or mashed potatoes. For the most part, I prefer to serve it with a fresh salad to cut down on calories. Lemon slices are the traditional garnish for schnitzel. While I do love my schnitzel with lemon, I also like to dip it in spicy mustard or hot sauce. You can’t go wrong either way! Here are some amazing side dishes to pair with your chicken schnitzel.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetable Rice
Schnitzel FAQ’s
Boneless meat cuts are used to make all kinds of schnitzel. Chicken schnitzel is made with chicken breast. Pork schnitzel is cooked with boneless pork chops. Wiener schnitzel is prepared using boneless veal chops. Beef schnitzel is made from thin sliced boneless shoulder or topside, or beef escalopes.
All varieties of schnitzel are made from thinly pounded boneless cuts of meat. After preparing the meat, it is then breaded and fried. No matter which cut of meat is used, schnitzel is always boneless, pounded thin, breaded, and fried.
Schnitzel is typically pan friend, but it can also be deep fried.
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Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, matzo meal, or panko
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- Oil with a high smoke point for frying – avocado oil preferred, grapeseed oil also works well
- Fresh lemon wedges for garnish
NOTES
Instructions
- For each breast, check to see if there is a tenderloin (an extra flap of meat that sort of hangs off).
- If there is a tenderloin, slice it off of the breast. Trim any visible tendons or extra bits of fat from the breast and the tenderloin. Set tenderloin aside.
- Lay the breast on cutting board with smooth side facing upward. Identify the thickest round edge of the breast. Place your hand flat on the top of the breast. Slice carefully horizontally into the thickest round edge, slicing about three quarters of the way into the breast (divinding top half of breast from bottom). Do not slice all the way through.
- Unfold the breast to reveal two symmetrical halves (this is a "butterfly" of the breast). Slice down the middle to divide the breast into two equal pieces. When finished with the pound of chicken, you should have 4 breasts of relatively equal size, and perhaps a couple of tenderloins as well.
- Lay down a 2- to 3-foot long strip of plastic wrap on your kitchen countertop. Place chicken breasts and tenderloins on the plastic, leaving a 2-inch space between each piece of meat. Cover the breasts with another strip of plastic, so the meat is sandwiched between two layers of plastic.
- Use the flat side of a mallet to pound the breasts thin until they are of a uniform thickness, roughly 1/8 inch thin throughout.
- Place all the pounded breasts and tenderloins on a plate. Set up three wide, shallow bowls and a large empty plate on your countertop. In your first bowl, put the flour. In your second bowl, beat the eggs together with 2 tsp of water until well mixed. In your third bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, paprika, 1/4 tsp salt and sesame seeds (optional) until well blended. Place empty plate nearby where you will put your coated schnitzels.
- Pour oil into a skillet or sauté pan until it’s deep enough for frying (about ½ inch). Heat the oil slowly over medium. While oil is heating, dip each breast one by one into your breading bowls—first dredge with flour.
- Next, dip the floured breast in the egg mixture until well coated.
- Finally, place the egg-covered breast into the bowl of breadcrumb mixture. Use a dry hand to coat the breast evenly with breadcrumbs. Repeat process for remaining breasts and tenderloins.
- You want your frying oil to be around 350 degreees F – hot, but not so hot that the oil smokes or splatters. You can test the oil temperature with a tenderloin first, if you have one. Fry the coated breasts in single-layer batches until they are golden brown on both sides. If your oil is at the right temperature, it should take about 2-3 minutes per side to cook the schnitzels.
- Don’t fry more than two breasts at a time in a regular sized skillet, or the oil temperature will drop and the schnitzels will become greasy. When the oil is at the right temperature, the schnitzels will absorb very little oil and cook up light and crisp.
- After frying, set the schnitzels on a wire rack (or on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet) to drain excess oil.
- Sprinkle the schnitzels with additional salt to taste, if desired. Serve hot garnished with lemon wedges or your favorite condiment. Mustard and hot sauce both pair well with schnitzel. If you have any tenderloins, take dibs on who gets to eat them – that meat is especially tender (hence the name "tenderloin"). Enjoy!
Nancy Oyer says
Hi Tori,
Just had to say I made this again and, as always, loved it. This time I tried panko (I found some GF panko! WOOT!) and, like all your suggestions, it was a hit. Big hug!
Your fan in Montana,
-N-
Rachel says
Tori,
Thank you for such an awesome schnitzel recipe! My husband was just recently reminiscing of all the schnitzel he would eat for breakfast at a kibbutz he worked at one summer in Israel and I just surprised him with this for dinner tonight. He loved it!!! Thanks for the clear instructions, delish recipe, and happy full husband (and family! )
Also, on a side note, I have tried many of your holiday craft ideas with my son and they have been a big hit. Our favorite was the edible sukkah! Thanks for the great ideas to make our feasts and festivals that much more fun. Blessings to you and your fam. Keep up the great work!
Tori Avey says
Thank you Rachel! Sending hugs 🙂
Natalie says
Perfect! Thank you :-))
Tina says
Made these today. Unfortunately my local grocers don’t keep Panko so I smashed some corn flakes for extra crunch. Being a recently unemployed ex Target canada employee, I’m really enjoying the extra time I have in the kitchen. Thanks again Tori for another great recipe!
Angela says
To die for recipe. My whole family loves it and continues to ask for it to be made (very picky eaters and are not open to trying new things). I do not use as much oil as the picture shows just to keep it light on the calories and still turns out very good
Tori Avey says
Great Angela! Happy to hear it.
Bev Hoffman-Rush says
What is the Israeli salad made of? I do like capers with it.
Tori Avey says
Bev here is my recipe: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/01/israeli-salad-week/
Wendy Foot says
Hi Tori, I had chicken schnitzel in Israel when I went there in 2012. It was fab! I don’t know why I haven’t tried making it before but I decided to today! I found your recipe and followed it, along with the Israeli Salad. Oh my goodness!! It was amazing! I will definitely be making it again! I also made it for my daughter and, although she’s really fussy about food, she said it was delicious! She also had some of the salad, which she NEVER usually eats!! Thank you SO much for sharing the recipe!! 🙂
Tori Avey says
So glad you enjoyed it Wendy 🙂
Ricky Leiderman says
I used to live in South Carolina and made this for my shiksa wife who, of course, loves fried chicken. She fell in love with this version, I would serve it with brown rice and whatever sauce(dip) I wanted to throw together. However, living now in the Philippines I can’t always find a lot of ingredients so I become as versatile as possible. I love hot spices but my Pinoy wife(who is also a great cook) doesn’t so many times I will make two dips.
Venessa Woodbridge says
I am useless in the kitchen but tried your chicken schnitzel recipe. I surprised my husband by cooking for him for a change and everything turned out great. My 10 year old daughter even helped and we had fun. Thank you so much.
Tori Avey says
Great Venessa! So happy the recipe inspired you. 🙂
Simon says
Cook yesterday this with mix veggies as a side dish my family enjoyed it I used honey mustard instead. Will definitely have this one of our favorite chicken meal.
Tori Avey says
Great Simon! I’m happy your family liked it.
annie says
Delicious! You’re photos are amazing! What kind of camera do you use?
Cali says
Just made these for dinner. Really yummy and my 2 year old loved helping me make it, and then mixing all the bowls of coating together on his t shirt.
Susan says
Hi Tori,
We love schnitzel! I hate pounding so a trick I do is to freeze the chicken breast for a half hour or so and then I can slice them in half. Works great.
Kathy T. says
I love your web site and recipes. Thank you for suggesting the panko as a substitute. It gives such a nice crispy texture. I am half Jewish and half Japanese and I just can’t get enough of THIS one!!! The best of both worlds for me! Shalom and Arigato!!! 🙂
Pearl Rosenberg says
Tori, you say this recipe is gluten free. How could it be when it’s drenched in flour and then matzah meal or panko crumbs. My grandaughter is gluten free so I check all recipes.
Tori Avey says
Hi Pearl, you’ve misunderstood. At the end of the blog, just before the recipe, it says, “Click the links for two other versions of this dish.” Underneath that, it says Gluten Free Chicken Schnitzel in red letters. Click that link, and it will take you to the gluten free version of this recipe. I hope your granddaughter enjoys the schnitzel!
alan says
When i was in medical school this was all I ate when it came to meat in Israel and it was delicious,i have been making it here in Arizona only in the last year after many years of its absence.
Meat was scarce in Israel in the 1980s we lived on yogurt which was delicious ,chummus,tehina,pita and on Friday we baked a chicken or made snitzel. And then one of y favorite salad turkit-turkish salad
alan
Edi says
I live in Israel ( & am Israeli) We eat schnitzels with french fries at home.
In every restaurant in Israel you have the option of a side order of french fries or mashed potatoes or rice with schnitzel.
Thanks Tori for all your wonderful recipies.
Barbara says
This is a very delicious recipe. You should try ‘Putenschnitzel’ (made of turkey) sometimes – very common in Austria.
By the way, the plural of schnitzel is schnitzel (a quick german lesson from an austrian girl;-))
mara says
Looks gorgeous. Schnitzel is my husband’s favourite thing to eat, hands down. Your photos are Pinterest worthy, and in fact, have just been to my Cookery Board. YUM.
Barry Scott says
Just finished making it. Absolutely delicious. Crispy, crunchy and flavorful. Make sure you use the sesame seeds. They add another layer. I took the chicken breasts and butterflied them, then pounded them thin. It’s already going into the rotation!