Chicken Schnitzel Recipe - A Quick & Easy Weeknight Meal - Chisel & Fork (2024)

FAQs

Why put schnitzel in fridge before frying? ›

Place into the fridge, uncovered, for one hour before cooking. This step dries the breading and ensures it will stick perfectly to the meat during the frying process. As long as you fry in hot oil, it will come out perfectly crispy with all of its breading intact!

To eliminate the issue, dredge raw chicken parts (boneless, skinless, or bone-in) in a bag with seasoned flour and shake until the pieces are coated. Remove excess flour before cooking. This layer will fry up crispy or, if you're using breadcrumbs, will prevent them from falling off.

For the uninitiated, chicken schnitzel is merely a chicken breast pounded thin, breaded, and fried. It's one of those foods that you can't help but love, which is probably why it's so prolific—versions of the recipe can be found in cultures around the world.

One rule of schnitzel is the meat must be pounded thin — about a 1/4-inch thick— otherwise it is not schnitzel. Pounding the meat also tenderizes it, making a juicier piece of meat that also cooks faster. Meat tenderizers and pounders abound, but I find my French rolling pin the most effective tool for the job.

Place the breaded chicken on a cooling rack (or a platter) and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This cooling time will help the layers of breading ingredients solidify and adhere better after the chicken cooks.

The best way to cook chicken schnitzel is to fry it. I like to use a combination of oil and butter for the best flavor/crispiness combination. When cooking chicken schnitzel, you need to heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until it is bubbling hot, then add the schnitzel. It should sizzle as it hits the pan.

It is imperative that schnitzel be breaded very gently — no pressing! — and that it happen the moment before it hits the oil. Store-bought lard is a good option for frying, but vegetable oils like peanut, canola or rice bran will also work.

The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”

Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, lemon rind, parsley and garlic powder on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Dip egg-coated chicken in breadcrumb mixture. Gently press on with fingertips to secure.

schnitzel, a thin meat cutlet, pounded until tender and then breaded and fried, that is a culinary staple in German-speaking countries and communities. The Americanized version of the dish is chicken-fried steak.

What is slang for chicken schnitzel? ›

What's Great About It: Schnitty is Australian slang for schnitzel – thinly sliced meat that has been crumbed and fried. This Australian classic can be found on almost every pub menu across the country.

A hearty chicken schnitzel made with 100% chicken breast. Some items may not be available in all markets. Prices and participation may vary.

Typical German and Austrian side dishes for schnitzels include spaetzle, potato salad (particularly vinegar-based ones), cucumber salad, vegetable slaws and potato dishes like fries or rosti.

Schnitzel is not typically highly seasoned, relying instead on bold toppings such as fresh lemon wedges, mushroom sauce, or cream sauce to add a boost of flavor.

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

This allows the breading to set and adhere to the meat, reducing the chance of it slipping off during cooking. Refrigeration is necessary: After breading the cutlets, it is important to refrigerate them until you are ready to cook them.

Before you fry up your chicken, let it get as close to room temperature as you can. Cold chicken will drop the temperature of the oil when you put it in, which can make it very hard to regulate. Finally, don't forget that white and dark meat have different cook times!

Havern explains: "The maximum amount of time perishable foods can [spend] in the danger zone is two hours. At two hours, the food must be consumed, stored correctly, or thrown away. This includes all cooked leftovers, [chopped] fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products."

Can chicken be breaded ahead of time and cooked later? Yes, you can bread chicken and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before cooking.