Easy Chicken Schnitzel

Let's make a crispy schnitzel from sliced chicken breasts. It's quick and straightforward to make, and I bet your family will love it! 

➜ What Is Chicken Schnitzel?

Chicken schnitzel is a thin, pounded slice of chicken breast dredged in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. The cutlets prepared this way are fried in a pan with a higher layer of fat.

The recipe is very popular in central Europe—that is, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. In particular, children like chicken schnitzels, but adults also enjoy them.

MY TIP: Try also pork schnitzel; it tastes fantastic! Or check out more schnitzel recipes.

➜ Pronunciation

Czechs call chicken schnitzel „kureci rizek”. To give you an idea of how this word sounds in Czech, I have recorded a short audio clip for you.

➜ Ingredients

For chicken fried schnitzel, you need:

• Skinless chicken breast; boneless
• All-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour
• Breadcrumbs; ground dry white bread. Use panko breadcrumbs to get a thicker, crunchier crust.
• Eggs; whisked with a fork in a shallow bowl
• Salt
• Oil for frying; use lard or vegetable oil (sunflower or rapeseed)

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

➜ Instructions with Photos

STEP 1: Rinse the chicken breasts and dry them with paper towels. Cut off any gristle or bone remnants. Using a sharp knife, cut the meat lengthwise into slices about one-third inch thick.

STEP 2: Pound the chicken pieces with a meat mallet gently because the chicken fillets are tender. Season with salt on both sides.

STEP 3: Prepare the plain flour. Make an egg wash: crack the eggs into a shallow bowl, and whisk them with a fork. Next, pour some bread crumbs onto the work surface. 

STEP 4: In this order (flour-egg mixture-breadcrumbs), coat each piece of chicken on both sides. Finally, shake the breadcrumbs off the cuts so that they don't burn in a frying pan later.

STEP 5: Pour about ⅔ inch (1.5 cm) of oil into a heavy skillet or another frying pan; the schnitzels should swim in the oil while frying. Heat the oil to medium-high heat. Place the chicken cutlets carefully in the hot oil and shallow fry them on both sides until golden brown.

STEP 6: Place the fried chicken schnitzels on paper napkins to drain off excess fat. Keep them warm before serving.

➜ Serving

Chicken schnitzels are served warm as lunch or dinner with a suitable side dish. In the Czech Republic, they pair well with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. 

For festive occasions, serve with potato salad.

Place two lemon wedges on the schnitzel. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the crispy crust for a better taste.

➜ Equipment

I used a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet with raised rims. Frying food in cast iron has worked well for me because the cast iron heats evenly and provides consistent results when frying—the steak is always fried in all spots perfectly.

➜ Useful Tips

• The breadcrumbs for the coating should ideally be homemade, freshly ground from dried white bread (baguettes, rolls). Czechs dry the white bread leftovers and grind them themselves in a conventional hand grinder. In the Czech language, breadcrumbs are called "strouhanka".
• I don't put the flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls, but I prepare pieces of baking paper or foil of about 12x12 inches (30x30 cm). By lifting the edges of the paper, I coat the schnitzels well without getting my fingers too dirty.

Chicken schnitzels are a simple and quick recipe that is sure to please even picky eaters. Prepare them as a quick and filling weekday dinner, or impress your family when you serve them as a tasty weekend lunch!

➜ FAQs

More tasty recipes:

• Garlic roasted rabbit
• Czech beef goulash
• Wiener schnitzel
• Chicken stuffed potato pancakes