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Chicken schnitzel has always been a favorite in my family. When my kids were younger, schnitzel was a giant chicken nugget, to be grabbed in hand and dunked in lots of ketchup. Back then I don't think any of us realized the wide global reach and popularity of schnitzel.
The world Loves Schnitzel
Not every country calls it "schnitzel," but they all use a similar recipe:boneless, skinless, beef, chicken, pork, turkey or veal is tenderized by pounding it into a thin cutlet. It's then breaded and baked, sautéed or deep fried. It's crisp on the outside and tender within - totally irresistible any way you serve it!
In Italy they it "Chicken Milanese." A big, thin crispy sheet of chicken schnitzel that practically covers the plate is topped with an arugula and cherry tomato salad with lemony dressing.
The Japanese version is "Katzu." After the chicken is fried to golden-brown perfection, it's sliced into strips and served with a big scoop of steamed rice and a green vegetable.
Chicken schnitzel in Israel has a good amount of sesame seeds in the breading and is sometimes offered as a filling forshawarma.
Wiener Schnitzel is the famed Viennese version, made from veal.
For the ultimate comfort food fix, serve your chicken schnitzel straight up with buttered noodles - just like in the famous song "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music."
"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles Wild Geese that fly with the moon on their wings These are a few of my favorite things!"
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SCHNITZEL FROM SCRATCH
The first step of making good schnitzel is to pound the chicken until it's nice and thin. I don't have a mallet, but my rolling pin works really well. Putting the chicken into a large baggy for pounding, is a great way to keep chicken juices from spraying around your kitchen. Tip: don't zip the baggy or it might pop.
After the chicken cutlets are pounded to ⅓ - ¼ inch thickness, set up a dredging station with a plate of flour, a bowl of beaten eggs, and a plate of bread crumbs.
Coat each chicken cutlet lightly with flour.
Dunk into beaten eggs.
Then coat with crumbs. Your chicken schnitzel is now ready to cook.
You can bread all of your schnitzel ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for a few hours until you're ready to cook it.
Schnitzel is best served right after it's browned.
If you have leftovers, be sure to make a delicious "schnitzelwich" - schnitzel on a roll with lettuce and mayo or Russian dressing.
Cool mornings have started to mingle with the hot August afternoons here in New England. I can feel myself waffling between hanging on to the lazy days of summer and gearing up for a busy Fall. I've already started nagging my kids about getting ready for school. Soon our family will be in full swing of the new season - each of us diving head first into our various endeavors. Coming together around the family table for a good comforting dinner will feel better than ever!
Here's the chicken schnitzel recipe. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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Chicken Schnitzel Recipe
★★★★★5 from 2 reviews
Author:Lisa
Total Time:1 hour 20 mins
Yield:6-8 1x
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Description
Thin scallops of chicken, breaded and sautéed until golden brown on the outside, tender inside. Serve with buttered noodles and salad.
Ingredients
Scale
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 ½ pounds)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2-3 cups panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Optional Garnish
1 lemon, cut into eights
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Pound the Chicken Place a chicken breast half inside a large plastic ziplock bag. Lay it on a flat surface. Pound evenly with a meat mallet or rolling pin until you have an evenly thin scallop, ⅓ to ¼ inch thick. Transfer scallop to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Bread the Chicken Cover a large baking tray with foil or wax paper. Pour the flour onto a large plate. Crack the eggs into a large wide bowl and whisk. Pour the breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Season the chicken with salt and several grinds of fresh flack pepper. Lay a piece of chicken onto the flour plate. Turn it over to coat. Shake off excess flour. Then dunk the chicken into the eggs to coat. Let the excess drip off. Then press the piece of chicken into the crumbs. Turn to coat the other side. Lay the breaded chicken on the prepared tray. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Cook Chicken In a large cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. (for speedier cooking, work with two skillets simultaneously). Add 1-2 pieces of breaded chicken to the skillet (or however many fit in a single layer.) Brown each piece for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil when needed. You need a good layer of oil over the bottom of your skillet to get a crisp crust.
Serve with noodles or topped with arugula salad. Sprinkle with lemon juice and freshly grated parmesan cheese, if you like. Enjoy!
I've been told that a great option to avoid eggs is melted butter before rolling it in the spices or coating, but I found that you can use milk or yogurt. The trick is to ensure that your fish or chicken fillet piece is dry so the coating sticks.
Just as important as the first patting down of the chicken's surface, the final pat down of your meat after covering it with breading helps every piece of crunchy coating adhere. After coating chicken in an egg and breading layer, gently pat all sides.
Cook schnitzels, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Cooking in batches helps maintain oil temperature and prevents schnitzels becoming soggy.
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.”
The typical three-step process is flour, eggs and then breadcrumbs. Instead of the egg, Moskowitz recommends a mix of cornstarch and water, which, when stirred together, forms a slurry. It, too, is an effective glue, and you may even notice more crispness to, say, your chicken parm.
I've found that seasoning the chicken directly first gives me more flavor. Heat the oil well. The oil needs to be hot enough (it should be shimmering but not smoking) so that the chicken will cook well and crisp up. If the oil is not hot enough, the chicken will absorb too much oil and give you soggy, oily schnitzel.
The first step to breading chicken is crucial; make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy and thus will not adhere properly to the chicken.
Once you've flattened all of the cutlets, bread them. This is best done assembly-line fashion: flour, then egg and finally bread crumbs. The flour ensures the surface of the cutlet is dry so the egg wash will stick to it, keeping the bread crumbs in place.
Submerge the chicken in the egg wash. Remove the chicken from the egg wash and dredge it in the flour a second time. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken skin-side down in the hot oil.
Remember, the key to a crispy coating is frying the schnitzel at the right temperature. Too low and it'll absorb too much oil, too high and it'll burn. Aim for medium-high heat and you'll get that golden, crispy finish every time – about 165°C if you have a kitchen thermometer.
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.
With spoilage there can be a change in color—often a fading or darkening. In addition to the color change, the meat or poultry will have an off odor, be sticky or tacky to the touch, or it may be slimy. If meat has developed these characteristics, it should not be used.
Here, the contents that have passed from the intestines combine with urates. Chickens do not urinate in the typical way, they eliminate waste products from the urinary system in the form of urate, which appear as a white cap on the top of the feces.
This white cap is urate. Chickens do not urinate so the urates are expelled with the fecal matter. Diarrhea in chickens will be very loose or not formed at all. It may look like colored water.
Yes, you can use milk instead of eggs as long as you coat the cutlets in a layer of flour first. The combination of flour and milk will create a sticky coating that breadcrumbs can adhere to.
Using a 1/4 cup of milk or yogurt in place of eggs is perfect for baked goods where moisture is key, such as cakes or muffins. (Vegans can use plant-based milks or yogurt in its place.
If you don't have any eggs, or you can't be bothered making an egg wash, brushing your baking with milk or cream before it goes into the oven works great too. This technique is often used in scone recipes.
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