Chicken Schnitzel
Chicken schnitzel is thin chicken slices coated in crunchy crumb. Like giant nuggets - these have crispy outsides yet juicy & tender insides.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- large frying pan
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breast fillets
- 70 g plain flour
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 150 g panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- olive oil (for shallow frying)
Instructions
Prepare Chicken
- Trim Fat – remove any excess fat without cutting into the breasts.3 chicken breast fillets
- Remove Tenderloins – locate the tenderloin. It's a small tear-shaped flap attached to the main part of the chicken (one per breast). Open like a book away from the rest of the breast and cut along the join to separate them. Sometimes this is covered with a thin membrane that can be slipped off. Set the tenderloin aside.
- Split Breast – press your flattened hand down on top of each chicken breast. Slice parallel to your hand through the middle of the breast. One end of the wedge is thinner – you may want to leave that part unsplit (ie. the two ‘halves’ might not be the same size). For each breast, you will end up with three pieces of chicken – a tenderloin, medium large fillets. Repeat for the remaining three chicken breasts.
- Tenderise Chicken – lay some pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderiser or rolling pin, lightly pound the chicken. Aim for a consistent thickness across each piece of around ½ cm. Some sections will need more attention than others. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate. Repeat until all the chicken is tenderised.
Prepare Coating
- Flour Dredge – in a small bowl, combine flour, ¾ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Tip out onto a plate big enough to lay the biggest chicken pieces flat.70 g plain floursaltfreshly ground black pepper
- Eggs - whisk the eggs into a bowl big enough to dunk the largest chicken piece. Whisk well so that there are no stringy bits.3 eggs
- Breadcrumbs - place Panko in a dish with sides, big enough to lay the biggest schnitzels flat. Mix through oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt and some black pepper.salt150 g panko breadcrumbs2 teaspoons dried oreganofreshly ground black pepper
- Assembly Line - line up the coatings in the order they will be applied – the flour plate, then the egg bowl, the panko. Lastly, have an empty plate ready to take the prepared schnitzels
Make Schnitzels
- Apply Toppings – press a chicken portion into the flour on both sides. Pass between your hands to shake off any excess flour. Holding minimally at one end, dunk into the egg, checking both sides to make sure the whole piece is wet. Let any excess egg drip back into the egg bowl. Lay the wettened chicken fillet into a bed of panko. Pile more panko over the top, press down with the palm of your hand, lift and shake excess off. Transfer to the empty plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken fillets. You might find it helpful to pile similarly-sized pieces on top of each other. This will make it easier to arrange in the frying pan.
- Shallow Fry – use a large frying pan set over medium heat. Add enough oil to come at least halfway up the sides of the thickest chicken slice. Test a few crumbs of bread to see when the oil is hot enough; they should sizzle gently as soon as they hit the oil. Starting with the largest chicken pieces, fry for about 1 ½ minutes each side. Lay them in the oil moving away from you. Once cooked, lay on paper towel to allow excess oil to drain off and sprinkle with salt while still hot.olive oil
Notes
Make Ahead
You can prep these up to a day in advance and kept, well covered in plastic wrap, in the fridge. Bring out of the fridge for a while before cooking.