by: Gerhild Fulson / Cookbook Author, Blogger, German Oma!
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My easy and authentic German schnitzel recipe is a perfect addition to your German food recipe collection. In fact, it's the easiest way to make the perfect pork Schnitzel!
Schnitzel are really just thin cutlets and can be made with just about any kind of meat. You can have pork Schnitzel (which is most common), veal Schnitzel (also known as Wiener Schnitzel) chicken Schnitzel, and turkey Schnitzel, among many others. The meat is pounded thin with a meat tenderizer, then breaded, and fried.
It doesn't get much easier than that, especially if you can buy your Schnitzel already tenderized.
One of the most popular traditional recipes is Jägerschnitzel (Hunter's Schnitzel). This is Schnitzel served with a most wonderful mushroom sauce.
Jägerschnitzel is sometimes made with un-breaded meat, making it a quicker and easier version than the breaded one.
You choose your fave. Mine? Definitely the breaded version. It's German food at its best!
The definition of Schnitzel: a thin slice of meat, usually tenderized by pounding, coated in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and then pan-fried until perfectly crispy with a deep golden brown crispy breading that covers the tender, juicy meat.
The history of Schnitzel spans over 2,000 years and involves the Romans, the Italians, the Austrians, and the Germans.
The original Wiener Schnitzel is thought to come from Vienna, Austria in the 1600s. It has to be made from veal and is controlled by law.
In Germany, if it's not made with veal cutlet, it must be labelled as coming from pork or chicken, etc. That means, you'll have Schweineschnitzel (pork cutlets) or Putenschnitzel (turkey cutlets) on the menu in restaurants.
Me? I love the pork Schnitzel!
Above, I've topped the breaded pork Schnitzel with mushrooms that I've fried with bacon and onions. A yummy topping!
Don't have any Schnitzel at your butcher's? Is there an alternative?
Absolutely! I take some nice thick boneless pork chops and butterfly them. Then I gently pound them to an even thinness. Especially when these are on sale, Hubby and I will make an assembly line:
Perfect when I need a quick meal. Since they're so thin, they thaw real quick. Wunderbar!
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I prefer to use thick boneless pork chops and turn them into Schnitzel. This method also works well with chicken breasts. First, I trim off the fat that's usually around the outer edge. Make sure you take off any silver skin that may also be along the edge.
If this fat isn't removed, it will cause the Schnitzel to curl when it is frying.
Butterfly the pork chop: use a very sharp knife and cut the pork chop in half, almost all the way through.
If you cut starting on the rounded side edge, you'll have the longer straight edge as the butterfly back.
When you are almost all the way through, open the pork chop (like a book). You should be able to lie it flat. The middle part should be as thick as the rest of the pork chop.
If the middle is much thicker, cut it just a bit more. Flatten the meat.
Cover the meat with some plastic wrap, and using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the pork chop sort of gently. You do not want the meat to tear.
You want the Schnitzel to be no more than ¼-inch thick.
Set up three shallow dishes. The first has about half a cup flour, the second an egg/water mix, and the third has about 1 cup bread crumbs.
Season Schnitzel with salt and lemon juice, then dredge it into the flour, then the egg, and lastly in the bread crumbs. Repeat this whole process with all the Schnitzel.
In a large frying pan, fry the tender cutlets in 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Each side only takes a few minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and then keep warm in the oven until the rest have been fried.
Be careful not to crowd them in the pan. You may only be able to fry one at a time, depending on how big your Schnitzels are. Mine below is quite big!
Even though Schnitzels aren't deep fried, they pretty well swim in the fat. The trick to getting a puffy batter is to splash some of the hot fat onto the sides and top of the Schnitzel as it is frying. Don't submerge though. Just a few splashes.
Yes, you can. My granddaughter, Lydia, made these in an Instant Pot Vortex Plus Air Fryer using her easy recipe.
Served together with slices of fresh lemon and her favorite red cabbage as a side dish, this crispy German pork schnitzel recipe would also make a great sandwich on a German bun. So traditionally German.
For a totally traditional German meal, serve Schnitzel with the most amazing and awesomely creamy mushroom sauce ever! Be sure to make the Jäger sauce first and then fry up the Schnitzel. This is German comfort food at its best!
The traditional Austrian schnitzel when served with sauce means that the schnitzel is not breaded. That's right.
However, in Germany, it's more common to bread the schnitzel. You choose your favorite. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Both are delicious.
There are SO many ways to serve Schnitzel! If you're wanting a traditional German Schnitzel dinner, there are several side dishes that are a MUST! Of course, there are other ones that also pair perfectly with Schnitzel. Here are some faves:
Schnitzel, served any which way is just plain WUNDERBAR!
Yep. Hummus. Sylvie, my daughter-in-law, shares that hummus is delicious with this quintessential German dish. Her easy hummus recipe is so quick to make and it's becoming wildly popular in Germany. Try it. I think you'll like it too!
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