What is brown, and fried, and tastes like fried chicken? Yep, it’s Chicken Schnitzel, Germany’s version of fried chicken cutlets. This was shocking to me, because I previously misinterpreted schnitzel for streudal. Ha! I thought this was going to be a chicken pastry dish!
Word of warning: this recipe is not for the faint of heart. Do not attempt to make it if you have an aversion for brining, butterflying, tenderizing, or frying, or are fearful cholesterol or a ton of calories. But, if you are a little bit adventurous and want to try something new—that you probably are only going to make once-a-year for Octoberfest—then this might be your dish.
Special Ingredients
- Full body ale
- Thyme
- Brown mustard
Start with making the brine: beer, salt, mustard, and thyme.
Then, butterfly the chicken and tenderize it by flattening with a meat mallet. (Be sure to wrap the chicken with plastic wrap before you start pounding it out. Trust me on this one.)
Let it sit in the fridge to marinate in the brine.
Next day: fry it up! Start by drying off the chicken and setting it aside. Make sure it is really dry. This was the most surprisingly messy and time consuming part of this recipe. Go figure.
Dredging is the Key
When the chicken is dry, prepare your “dredging station” with trays of flour, egg, and panko crumbs.
Dredge first in flour.
Then egg.
Then the panko, or regular breadcrumbs, if you choose. I like panko because it is crispier.
Then fry it in some canola oil.
Drain on paper-towel lined plate, and move to a separate dish.
Then move to oven to keep warm until you are finished and ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
When you are finished, you’ll have a delicious “main event” dish.
This is an incredible dish to make for guests. If you do, I suggest making it a day ahead of time due to the frying. When I first made this dish, this is exactly what I did, and simply reheated it when I was ready to enjoy it for dinner. This allowed me to focus my efforts on making the side dishes: homemade spaetzle and sweet and sour red cabbage as shown.
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Chicken Schnitzel
Equipment
- Skillet
- Dredging trays
Ingredients
Brine
- 1/2 cup full body ale
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar any kind
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large sprigs fresh thyme chopped
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts) butterflied and tenderized
Chicken Fry
- 1 cup flour
- 2 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter use as needed in skillet
Instructions
Prepare and Brine Chicken
- Place all brine ingredients in a resealable plastic gallon freezer bag. Squeeze gently to mix, then stand upright in a large bowl.
- Slice the breasts lengthwise. Place chicken between layers of plastic warp and pound with meat mallet until very thin, about 1/8 thickness.
- Place in brine. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight.
Fry Chicken
- Next day, remove chicken from bag and pat dry with paper towels.
- Whisk together mustard, water and eggs and place in a shallow dish for dredging.
- Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish, and flour in another.
- Coat chicken with flour, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet and let stand for 10 minutes to dry.
- Heat butter in a large skillet.
- Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Place on paper towels to drain.
- When drained, put on plate and either serve immediately or keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
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