Chicken Schnitzel Recipe - Easy Chicken Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best oil for chicken schnitzel? ›

The oil needs to be hot enough (it should be shimmering but not smoking) so that the chicken will cook well and crisp up. If the oil is not hot enough, the chicken will absorb too much oil and give you soggy, oily schnitzel. I use quality extra virgin olive oil, which has a high enough smoke point to fry the schnitzel.

For the uninitiated, chicken schnitzel is merely a chicken breast pounded thin, breaded, and fried. It's one of those foods that you can't help but love, which is probably why it's so prolific—versions of the recipe can be found in cultures around the world.

Seasoning skinless chicken is as straightforward as with any other cut of meat. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the chicken to act as a binder, sprinkle your seasoning on top, then gently press it in and let your chicken dry-marinate for about 45 minutes.

Notes: Cooling the breaded schnitzel in the fridge for an hour or so before frying will help keep the breading on while cooking. Placing the cooked schnitzel on a wire rack while the rest of the batch cooks will help it keep crispy.

Baking/roasting

For baking, Wings, drumsticks, chicken thigh cutlets and whole chickens are best. As these cuts have a bone in the centre, it takes these cuts longer to cook all the way through. By baking, the drumstick will be cooked by an even heat all over, while gently cooking the skin at the same time.

Chicken breasts are the traditional cut of meat for this dish but I find thighs are juicier and add more flavour. I've been making schnitzel for years, tweaking and perfecting my recipe, never entirely happy with the result. This is my latest version and I think it's delicious.

schnitzel, a thin meat cutlet, pounded until tender and then breaded and fried, that is a culinary staple in German-speaking countries and communities. The Americanized version of the dish is chicken-fried steak.

Drizzle more olive oil over each piece. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip chicken and continue baking until no longer pink in the center and the breading is lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Yet we all know that exterior appearances can be deceiving; it's what's inside that counts, and chicken schnitzel often manages to achieve a surprisingly light crust with a tender interior that can be far more juicy than most breaded chicken.

What oil should I use for breaded chicken? ›

“Canola oil is the best all-around oil to use for frying chicken,” she says. “It has a high smoke point and will not impact the flavor of the chicken the way coconut, peanut or avocado oil will.”

Heart-healthy oils like safflower oil and rice bran oil are perfect because they can withstand frying temperatures of almost 500° F. You can also look to peanut oil and sunflower oil if you're frying at 450° F, or canola oil and vegetable oil to keep temperatures around 400° F.

Think vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Don't use olive oil or butter—they both have lower smoke points. The ideal temperature for frying chicken is 350˚ to 365˚, and you'll want to make sure that you bring the oil back to temperature between batches.