The Perfect Chicken Schnitzel

This chicken schnitzel is something I make for my Israeli husband and I at least once a month and is something that is so versatile. We like to have it with some Israeli salad or couscous, but you can truly do anything with this. Put it on a salad, put it in a sandwich, have it with any side you like, and it even makes great leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of chicken breast (about 3 -4 boneless, skinless breasts)

• Flour dredge:

  • 1 cup of AP flour

  • 1/4 tsp of kosher salt

  • 1/4 tsp of ground pepper

• Egg dredge:

  • 3 eggs

  • 1/4 tsp of kosher salt

  • 1/8 tsp of ground pepper

• Breadcrumb dredge:

  • 2/3 cup of breadcrumbs

  • 2/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs

  • 1/3 cup of sesame seeds (not toasted)

  • 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

  • 1/2 tsp of paprika

  • 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

  • 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

• 1 cup of vegetable oil

Note: to make this schnitzel PERFECT, you need to prep the breaded chicken with enough time to let it rest in the refrigerator. So let’s say you are planning to eat around 7:00 pm, bread your chicken around 4:00 or 5:00 pm and let it sit. To me, this step is crucial, so plan accordingly.

Okay, let’s prep the chicken. Butterfly your chicken breast (aka slice it in the middle and open in like a book). Using a meat pounder, place your chicken between a cutting board and some wax paper and pound the chicken to be super thin (I am talking about 1 cm). Set your pounded chicken breasts aside.

Set up your dredging station by setting out three plates (or trays) and making one plate with the flour dredge, mixing all the ingredients for the flour dredge together, then another with the egg dredge, mixing all the ingredients for the egg dredge together, and then finally the breadcrumb dredge, mixing all the ingredients for the breadcrumb dredge together.

Line a baking sheet with some parchment and set aside.

Bread your chicken by dipping the chicken breasts into the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Make sure the chicken is fully coated at every dredge and then place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place your chicken (on the baking sheet) into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but 2 hours is what I suggest.

When you are ready to fry your schnitzel, pull the chicken out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you are ready to fry them. While you chicken sits out set up another baking sheet with a wire rack and set aside. This is where you will transfer the fried chicken to when done.

Heat your 1 cup of oil in a pan. I prefer to do this in a stainless steel pan, but a skillet or non-stick pan will definitely work. Once your oil is hot (starting to bubble a little), add in one chicken breast at a time. Cook for about 2.5 - 3 minutes on each side, or until you can see the edges of the chicken start to go golden. Flip and cook for another 2.5 - 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and place directly on the wire rack baking sheet. Repeat until all the schnitzel is cooked.

You can either serve immediately, or if you need to keep the chicken warm for a bit, put your oven on 300F and add your wire rack baking sheet directly into the oven until you are ready to enjoy it!