You may’t go unsuitable with crispy hen schnitzel on a weeknight! It is a family-favorite hen dinner made with thinly pounded hen breast that’s breaded and pan-fried. Make it forward or freeze the leftovers for fast, last-minute meals.
I really feel like my love affair with crispy hen recipes began with traditional hen schnitzel! It’s led me down all types of scrumptious paths, from hen Milanese and pecan-crusted hen to cornflake hen and extra.
If there’s one hen dinner that I do know is bound to please everybody on the desk, it’s hen schnitzel. It’s a traditional for a purpose: juicy, tender hen wrapped in buttery breadcrumbs after which pan-fried. It doesn’t get extra easy and scrumptious than that!
The bottom line is pounding the hen ultra-thin so it cooks shortly and evenly within the pan, utilizing the identical technique as French hen paillard and Italian hen piccata. The breading cooks as much as a mouthwatering golden brown, and all you want is a aspect of greens or potato salad to make it a meal!
Causes to Love This Hen Schnitzel Recipe
- Fast and straightforward. Hen schnitzel is one in all my all-time favourite household meals as a result of it’s tremendous fast to make (simply quarter-hour!), tasty, and you may freeze leftovers.
- Additional crispy. Shallow frying will get the crumbed hen completely crispy and golden with out having to waste a ton of oil. The hen stays deliciously juicy beneath the crunchy, pan-fried breading.
- Make it forward. I like to freeze cooked hen schnitzel for straightforward last-minute dinners. Merely pop it into the oven, air fryer, or again into the pan to reheat it down the street.
What You’ll Want
One other great factor about hen schnitzel is that you actually need solely 5 elements to make it at residence. I’ve included some notes right here. You’ll discover the printable recipe card after the submit, adopted by visible step-by-step directions.
- Hen – I like to recommend skinless, boneless hen breasts or thighs because you’ll must pound them skinny. Afterward, you’ll give the hen a fast seasoning with salt and pepper. You possibly can additionally enhance the flavors with hen seasoning.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works completely. I haven’t examined this schnitzel recipe with different forms of flour but.
- Seasoning – I season the breading with paprika and garlic powder, together with salt and pepper.
- Eggs – Calmly overwhelmed for an egg wash.
- Breadcrumbs – I like to make use of huge, crunchy panko breadcrumbs, however any unseasoned or seasoned breadcrumbs will work.
Ideas and Variations
- Pound, don’t slice. Pounding the hen not solely flattens it to a fair thickness but additionally makes for a extra tender and tastier hen schnitzel. I don’t suggest slicing the hen skinny as an alternative. It simply isn’t the identical.
- Get the hen good and skinny. Just be sure you tenderize the hen in order that it’s equally thinned all over the place (¼” thick is an efficient rule of thumb). This fashion, it cooks evenly.
- Use smaller hen breasts. The one purpose I lower my flattened hen in two is to make it simpler to work with. So, for those who’re already utilizing smaller hen breasts, you may skip this step.
- Verify for doneness. Hen schnitzel cooks shortly! To examine that the hen is finished, use an instant-read meat thermometer to learn the interior temperature. Hen is cooked when it reaches 165ºF.
- Add additional crunch. A straightforward option to carry additional crunch to the schnitzel breading is so as to add a few tablespoons of sesame seeds to the breadcrumbs. An alternative choice is so as to add grated parmesan for extra taste, like my parmesan hen tenders.
- Swap hen for pork. As an alternative of hen breasts, make pork schnitzel with thinly pounded pork loin chops or pork shoulder.
Continuously Requested Questions
Conventional German wiener schnitzel recipes use pork, whereas Austrian Schnitzel Wiener Artwork, or “Viennese-style” schnitzel, is made with veal. Nevertheless, schnitzel can consult with any skinny pounded cutlet, together with hen or turkey (like my Italian turkey scallopini).
The primary causes hen schnitzel seems powerful or chewy is overcooking, not utilizing sufficient oil, and meat that isn’t absolutely tenderized. To keep away from powerful schnitzel, ensure to actually flatten the hen, after which shallow-fry in not less than 1” of oil. The oil needs to be scorching sufficient in order that the meat cooks shortly, however not so scorching that it burns the breading.
The very best oil for frying has a excessive smoke level, like vegetable oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil. These oils produce an extra-crispy, golden, and even coating.
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Pound the hen skinny. Place the hen breasts between two items of plastic wrap. Utilizing a meat mallet (or rolling pin), pound the hen to ¼-inch thickness. Lower the hen breasts in half so that you’ve 4 items. Season the hen to style with salt and pepper.
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Put together a breading station. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the panko breadcrumbs to a 3rd bowl.
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Coat the hen. Coat the hen with the flour. Then dip it into the eggs. Permit the surplus eggs to drip off. Lastly, coat the hen with panko breadcrumbs. Place the hen onto a wire rack whereas the oil heats up.
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Fry the hen. Warmth 1 inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high warmth. Add the hen and prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes per aspect or till golden brown. Place the hen schnitzel onto paper towels to empty.
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Serve. Serve the hen heat with some lemon wedges on the aspect.
- In case you are eager about chopping the skinny slices with a knife, I counsel you to not. Pounding the hen will make it extra tender and your schnitzel even tastier.
- For additional crunch, mix panko breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds. For additional taste, add parmesan to the panko breadcrumbs.
- Be sure your hen is thinned equally on all elements so it will possibly prepare dinner evenly.
- In case you are utilizing small hen breasts, then there isn’t a want to chop them in half. We’re solely chopping the hen breasts so they’re simpler to work with.
Serving: 1schnitzel | Energy: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 38g | Fats: 7g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 2g | Trans Fats: 0.03g | Ldl cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 633mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg
Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could fluctuate in line with the elements and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
The best way to Make the Finest Hen Schnitzel
You’re roughly 4 steps and quarter-hour away from the crispiest, most mouthwatering hen schnitzel. Observe alongside right here:
- Pound the hen skinny. Begin by pounding the hen flat utilizing a meat mallet or rolling pin. I wish to get it to a fair ¼” thickness. Afterward, slice every flattened hen breast in half, and season the items with salt and pepper.
- Arrange a breading station. Subsequent, mix the flour with the seasonings in a shallow dish, whisk the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper, and fill a 3rd bowl with panko crumbs.
- Coat the hen. Coat every hen piece first with flour, then with the egg, and at last, press the hen into the breadcrumbs. Be sure the hen is well-coated on all sides. Set the coated hen apart on a wire rack.
- Fry. In the meantime, warmth about 1” of oil in a heavy skillet. Add the hen to the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per aspect till the breading is good and golden and the hen is cooked via. Let the additional oil drain off on a paper towel for a minute, then serve. I like my hen schnitzel with a squeeze of contemporary lemon!
Can I Bake Schnitzel As an alternative?
I gained’t lie: Shallow-frying is the easiest way to get a superbly crunchy, golden exterior. Nevertheless, you may bake hen schnitzel as an alternative for those who’d choose a lighter choice. I’d suggest baking the hen on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet so it crisps up on all sides, just like how I make my baked hen parmesan. Afterward, bake at 400ºF for 20-25 minutes.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Like most fried meals, hen schnitzel is at its crispiest when served immediately, however leftovers might be stored within the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Reheat. For my part, the easiest way to reheat crispy hen is within the oven or air fryer. Pop the leftover hen right into a 400ºF oven for about 10 minutes. Air frying takes barely much less time.
- Freeze. Switch the cooked (and cooled) hen to a freezer bag and freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw the schnitzel within the fridge earlier than reheating.
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