Oma’s Hawaiian Chicken Schnitzel (Hähnchenschnitzel Hawaii)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares German recipes rooted in family tradition.

Published: October 06, 2026

My Hawaiian chicken schnitzel keeps the traditional crunch, with pineapple, cranberry and bubbling cheese on top.

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Schnitzel with pineapple on top and cranberry sauce in the middle? I couldn't believe it.

My dear German friend, Heidi, took us to a German restaurant in a Nova Scotia town. Heidi had a close connection to its German chef. We dined on Hawaiian schnitzel ... and I knew I needed that recipe.

I watched as she made it for us at her house.  Heidi even got individual cast-iron pans. We each had our own and added mashed potatoes and green beans right inside it. We enjoyed it with a raspberry Radler. Wunderbar!

Before the cheese.

Dinner in a cast-iron pan.

Most Schnitzel Hawaii recipes leave the meat plain and pour a cream sauce over it. I liked the traditional crunch of a schnitzel, so I bread mine and fry it until it’s golden. Then each one gets a pineapple ring, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a big handful of cheese. A few minutes under the broiler and the cheese bubbles and browns.

What Is Schnitzel Hawaii?

Schnitzel Hawaii is a German schnitzel topped with pineapple and melted cheese. Made with chicken, it’s hähnchenschnitzel Hawaii (HEHN-shen-shnit-sel hah-VY-ee).

It borrows its toppings from Toast Hawaii. That ham, pineapple and cheese toast became popular on German TV in the 1950s. Most versions add ham. I put a spoon of cranberry sauce in the middle of the ring.

You’ll also see it called Hawaiian schnitzel or schnitzel überbacken. Überbacken just means baked under cheese.

Straight from the broiler. Serve it while the crust is still crisp.

Oma’s Top Tips

• Pat the pineapple dry. Juice under the cheese turns the crust soggy.
• Test the oil with a crumb. If it doesn’t sizzle straight away, wait. Cold oil soaks into the breading.
• Fry a couple at a time. Too many at once and the oil cools down.
• Keep the first ones warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven. They stay crisp while you finish frying.
• Check the chicken. 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part means it’s done.
• Line the baking sheet with foil. The cheese runs over the edges, and the foil makes cleanup easy.

Why Cranberry Sauce?

The cranberry sauce stands in for lingonberry jam (preiselbeeren). Lingonberries and schnitzel go together in Germany, but it's difficult to find the jam at a North American grocery store. Cranberries are just as tart. If you have lingonberry jam, use it!

Whole-berry sauce gives you little bits of fruit in every bite.

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What You’ll Need

• Chicken breasts: Two large ones make four schnitzel once you slice them in half. Thin meat cooks through before the crumbs get too dark.
• Flour, eggs and milk, breadcrumbs: The classic three-dish breading. Fine dry breadcrumbs give an even, crisp coat.
• Neutral oil: Enough for about ¼ inch (6 mm) in your skillet. A bigger pan takes more.
• Canned pineapple rings: Drain them well and pat them dry (wet rings make the crust underneath soggy).
• Whole-berry cranberry sauce: About 1 tablespoon per schnitzel.
• Cheese: Butterkäse, young gouda or emmentaler. Use your favorite melty cheese or a blend.
• Cooked ham (optional): A thin slice under each pineapple ring for the classic version.

How to Make Hawaiian Chicken Schnitzel

More than any other recipe, gathering all your ingredients is essential. Once you start breadcrumbing, you won't be able to quickly grab something forgotten.

Everything you need for the schnitzel. The toppings come later.

Cut each breast in half horizontally to make 2 thinner cutlets. Keep your hand flat on top and the knife level.

One breast, two schnitzels.

Pound each cutlet between plastic wrap to about ¼ inch (6 mm). An even thickness means it cooks evenly, so the edges don’t dry out before the middle is done.

Pound it to about ¼ inch. An even thickness means it cooks evenly.

Seasoned flour in one dish, eggs beaten with milk in the second, breadcrumbs in the third.

Flour, egg and crumbs, all ready to go. Easy peasy.

Flour first and shake off the extra. Then the egg. Then press into the crumbs until every bit is covered.

Flour first.

Then into the egg.

Press it into the crumbs.

Drop a breadcrumb into the oil. When it sizzles straight away, the oil is ready. Lay the schnitzel in away from you and fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and 165°F (74°C) inside. Not too many at once, or the oil cools down and the crumbs soak it up instead of crisping.

Lay it in away from you.

Fry until golden on both sides.

Move each schnitzel to a wire rack on a baking sheet and keep it warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven while you fry the rest. On a plate the bottom steams and goes soft.

Keep the first ones warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven while the rest fry.

Line a broiler-safe baking sheet with foil and lay the schnitzel on it (I wish I'd done this when I made it). Add a slice of ham now if you’re using it. Place a pineapple ring on each and spoon about 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce into the center.

This is the fun part.

Cover each schnitzel generously with shredded cheese.

Be generous with the cheese.

Broil 2 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned in spots. Stay at the oven. Cheese goes from bubbling to burnt in under a minute.

Watch it closely. Cheese goes from bubbling to burnt in under a minute.

Serve right away, while the crust is still crisp.

A bit of tart cranberry in every bite. Yum!

A Bit of This and a Bit of That

• Other meat: Make it with pork, turkey or veal instead of chicken.
• Add ham: Lay a thin slice of cooked ham under each pineapple ring. That’s the classic way.
• Cheese: Use your favorite melty cheese or cheese blend.
• Large schnitzel: Put 2 pineapple rings side by side on each one.
• Lingonberry: Swap the cranberry sauce for lingonberry jam if you can find it.
• Cast-iron pans: If you have individual cast-iron fry pans, use them instead of the baking sheet. Serve each person their own pan and add mashed potatoes and veggies right in it.

What to Serve with Hawaiian Chicken Schnitzel

Mashed potatoes and veggies are all you need. A lemon wedge and a sprig of parsley make the plate look finished.

There’s more in my list of what to serve with schnitzel and my favorite German side dishes. You'll find even more chicken dinners in my German chicken recipes.

More Schnitzel?

Schnitzel is such a versatile recipe. Simply pick a different meat and various toppings to create something new every time. Try one of these recipes for a new favorite mid-week meal:

• Pork Schnitzel Sliders
• Traditional German Pork Schnitzel
• Air Fryer Schnitzel
• Schnitzel with Hunter's Mushroom Gravy

Print Recipe

Hawaiian Chicken Schnitzel (Hähnchenschnitzel Hawaii)

Crispy breaded chicken schnitzels are topped with pineapple, cranberry sauce, and melted cheese, then placed under the broiler until golden and bubbling. Oma’s take on German Schnitzel Hawaii.

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1½ pounds (680 grams) total
• ¾ cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) milk
• 1½ cups (150 grams) fine dry breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, for frying, enough for about ¼ inch (6 millimeters) in your skillet (about 1⅓ cups / 320 milliliters for a 10-inch pan)
• 4 pineapple rings, well drained
• ¼ cup (60 milliliters) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 2 cups (200 grams) shredded Butterkäse, young Gouda, or Emmentaler cheese
• ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
• ¼ teaspoon (0.6 grams) black pepper
• Lemon wedges and parsley, to serve (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut each chicken breast horizontally into 2 thinner cutlets to make 4 pieces.
2. Place each cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently to an even thickness of about ¼ inch (6 millimeters).
3. Place the flour in a shallow dish mixed with salt and pepper, beat the eggs with the milk in a second dish, and place the breadcrumbs in a third dish.
4. Coat each chicken cutlet in flour, shaking off the excess, dip it into the egg mixture, and coat thoroughly with breadcrumbs.
5. Heat about ¼ inch (6 millimeters) of oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. The oil is ready when a breadcrumb sizzles straight away.
6. Fry the schnitzels in batches for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through (165°F / 74°C), adding more oil as needed.
7. Transfer the cooked schnitzels to a wire rack set on a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven while you fry the rest.
8. Remove the schnitzels from the oven and preheat the broiler. Arrange schnitzels on a broiler-safe baking sheet lined with foil.
9. Place one pineapple ring on each schnitzel and spoon about 1 tablespoon cranberry sauce into the center of each ring.
10. Cover each schnitzel generously with shredded cheese.
11. Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted and browned in spots.
12. Serve immediately.

Notes/Hints:

• If the schnitzel are large, you can put 2 pineapple rings side by side on each schnitzel.
• Instead of chicken, make this with pork, turkey, or veal.
• Use your favorite melty cheese or cheese blend.
• For the classic Schnitzel Hawaii, lay a thin slice of cooked ham on each schnitzel before adding the pineapple.
• Oil: use enough for about ¼ inch (6 millimeters) in whatever pan you have. A 12-inch skillet takes about 2 cups (475 milliliters).
• If you have individual cast iron fry pans, use them instead of a baking sheet. That way, you can serve them directly in that to each person and they can add their sides (mashed potatoes, veggies) right to that fry pan and enjoy.

*  *  *  *  *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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Complete your set today - order now!

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.