An Easy Schnitzel Recipe

I am a fiend for schnitzel; Schweineschnitzel (Pork), Wienerschnitzel (Veal, originally from Vienna), Jagerschnitzel (schnitzel with a mushroom gravy known as “hunter’s sauce”), and even Hanchenschnitzel (chicken). 

Schnitzel in Munich, absolut ja! In Prague, Ano prosím!  In Rostock, Sie wetten!  I order this simple dish whenever I see it on a menu. But making schnitzel at home is easy, and here’s the recipe.

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What Exactly Is Schnitzel?

Schnitzel is German for a cutlet or small piece of meat, typically breaded and fried in a shallow layer of fat.  When you hear the word schnitzel, you almost immediately think of German cooking. 

In the United States, we tend to think of Wienerschnitzel.  And this is the schnitzel my mother loved to make—thin slices of tender veal, gently breaded and cooked to a golden brown in butter.

More common in Germany is Schweineschnitzel, a pork cutlet, or Hanchenschnitzel, a chicken cutlet.  At Oktoberfest a couple of years ago, I had a fantastic plate of Hanchenschnitzel and roasted potatoes.

Wienerschnitzel is unique as it is one of the best-known Viennese dishes and can only be made with veal.  But honestly, this dish may not have any direct correlation to Viena at all.

People all around the world have been cooking meat this way for centuries.  Think French escalope, Japanese tonkatsu, and Italian Milanese. 

There is a good reason this method for cooking meat is so popular worldwide; it’s fast and easy.  With a little planning and maybe some help from your partner or kids, you can have dinner on the table in around 30 minutes!

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Dressing Up Your Schnitzel

These cutlets are fantastic served on their own with just a spritz of lemon.  The acid of the lemon juice cuts the heaviness of the oil from the frying.  But if you want to dress up your schnitzel, doing it “jager” style is a fun way to go—the mushroom and red wine gravy add an excellent earthy component to the cutlet.

Schweineschnitzel is often served with spaetzle in Germany.  Making spaetzle is not hard, but it does take some time.  Plan for a longer time in the kitchen if you go this route.  You can buy spaetzle at some grocery stores like Whole Foods or Cost Plus World Market.  But the pre-packaged product is not inexpensive, nor is it very fresh.   

In Italy, the cutlet’s breading may have some herbs like oregano or basil added along with parmesan or romano cheese. Here I chose to serve the pork Milanese with mashed acorn squash and green beans.

The Milanese-style cutlet could also be dressed with a little red sauce and parm on top.  And there you have the famous chicken parmesan.  A side of pasta, like a simple Cacio e Pepe, would go well with this dish.

No matter which country’s culinary renderings you choose for your cutlets, you can keep the veggie side simple with a nice salad or steamed green beans.

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A Few Quick Tips For The Perfect Schnitzel

The most essential step in achieving an excellent schnitzel is to pound the cutlet very thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick.  The meat must be thin because you will fry the cutlet at high heat for a short time.  This is the way to get the perfect crispy crust and have the meat cooked through.

When cooking the cutlets, clarified butter certainly makes the cutlets more succulent.  But a high-heat, neutral oil, like canola oil, is easier to cook with. Don’t use olive oil as it doesn’t hold up well to the heat you need to achieve for quick cooking.

Closely monitor the heat of your cooking fat.  If the pan is too cold when you lay the cutlets in, the breading will absorb too much oil.  If the pan gets too hot, you will quickly burn your cutlet.