Admittedly this is a bit of work, but schnitzel is so nice and crispy and the kids love it so much that it's worth it.Once made it is super versatile too - it can be eaten cold in a roll ( bun or sandwich ), it can be had with chips or rice or mash. You can slice it an add it to a salad or just munch on it on its own as a midnight snack. Pretty much the only thing you can't do is put it into a bowl of milk and have it for breakfast !! You can use chicken or turkey breasts, pork chops ( without bones ), or thin steak ( the quick fry kind works well ). See - super versatile. Schnitzel is just any meat fried in breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken breasts
- 2 cups Plain flour
- 4 medium Eggs beaten
- 4 cups Breadcrumbs
Substitutions
- Chicken breasts -> pork loin, thin beef steaks
- Breadcrumbs -> crushed Doritos, panko, cornflakes
- Eggs -> buttermilk or mayo (yes, mayo works!)
Instructions
- If you're making your own breadcrumbs, throw your bread into the oven at around 100 - 130 C and it should be starting to dry our and brown in 20 minutes.
- Alternatively you can buy breadcrumbs but what's the fun in that?
- I actually use crushed Doritos and encourage you to try as well.
- So if you're using chicken breasts you need to butterfly them. Sorry posh cooking terminology alert - we just need to make sure the chicken is thin enough to fry without burning the breadcrumbs.
- So carefully slice the breasts lengthways from one side to almost the other side and open up so you get one piece which is half the thickness but twice the size.
- You should end up with piece which are between 1 and 2 cm thick. Don't worry too much about being exact we're going to bash them flat in the next step anyway.
- Now we're going to use a zip lock bag and a meat hammer to tenderise and flatten the meat. So beat that meat.
- The zip lock bag is great for keeping things clean. Use the flat side of the hammer unless you're using beef.
- You should aim to get the pieces around a 1cm thick.
- Lay out your production line.
- A cup of plain flour first
- Then a couple of beaten eggs
- Then loads of breadcrumbs
- Then an empty plate to put the coated meat.
- Before you put the meat through the production line, you need to salt it on both sides, just a good sprinkle of course salt on both sides will do.
- Now, coat the meat in the flour. Then cover in the eggs and that should mean the breadcrumbs stick and form a nice thick coating.
- You'll be surprise at how much breadcrumbs you go through so have lots at hand.
- Keep topping up the plates with more flour, eggs and breadcrumbs as you go.
- Well done, that's all the hard work done.
- Now heat some oil in a frying pan deep enough to shallow fry the schnitzel so just over a centimetre. It'll reduce as you fry so you'll need to keep adding more.
- Keep the heat around medium and make sure the oil is hot before you add the first schnitzel.
- Fry for around 4-5 minutes each side or until brown - that'll be more than enough to cook it as we flattened the meat earlier.
- This is the colour you're looking for. Oh the heavenly crispiness !!
- Today I decided to serve with rice and sautéed cabbage. I almost didn't get a picture before it was all gone !
If you have any leftover ...
- Schnitzel Sandwich Cold schnitzel + mayo + lettuce + pickles.
- Schnitzel Katsu Bowl Slice schnitzel → pour leftover katsu curry over rice.
- Schnitzel Salad Slice schnitzel → toss with greens + lemon dressing.
- Schnitzel Fried Rice Chop schnitzel → fry with rice + egg + soy sauce.
- Schnitzel Parmesan Top schnitzel with tomato sauce + cheese → grill.
Tips
- Flattening meat ensures even cooking
- Flour → egg → breadcrumbs creates a strong crust
- Shallow frying gives crispness without drying the meat
- Doritos/panko add extra crunch
- Salt added before coating seasons the meat properly