Easy Chicken Recipe: Alex's Famous Schnitzel - The Road Les Traveled (2024)

FAQs

What kind of oil do you use to cook a schnitzel? ›

The absolutely best way to perfect schnitzel is to shallow-fry them in neutral-tasting cooking oil (Vegetable, Canola, Peanut, Sunflower). So you don't need to use a lot of oil, but you want to use enough oil so that the schnitzel will “float” in the oil as it cooks and not touch the bottom of the pan.

Don't Be Afraid to (Pan) Fry

Use a deep, straight-sided skillet or cast iron pan to fry, which will keep splatter to a minimum. Heat the oil until it shimmers or quivers in the skillet, and the schnitzel will only take a few minutes per side to reach golden crispy perfection.

1. Use a meat thermometer. "The best way of checking (literally the best way of checking) is to get a meat thermometer and put it into the chicken," Williams said. The sweet (and safe) spot for cooking chicken is 75 degrees Celsius and above.

Heat the oil well.

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. You can use another healthy frying oil of your choice.

Pour enough oil to come 2cm up the side of the frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Getting the temperature right is an important step.

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

Over the past few years, I've absorbed her schnitzel recipe, which she'd learned from her mother, making one notable tweak: switching its cooking vessel from a stainless steel skillet to a cast iron pan, which helps the thin cutlets brown more evenly (cast iron cookware is far less prevalent in Israel… their loss).

The best way to cook chicken schnitzel is to fry it. I like to use a combination of oil and butter for the best flavor/crispiness combination. When cooking chicken schnitzel, you need to heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until it is bubbling hot, then add the schnitzel. It should sizzle as it hits the pan.

You don't start dry

The first step to breading chicken is crucial: Make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy, meaning it will not adhere properly to the chicken.

Just as important as the first patting down of the chicken's surface, the final pat down of your meat after covering it with breading helps every piece of crunchy coating adhere. After coating chicken in an egg and breading layer, gently pat all sides.

How do you keep chicken schnitzel from drying out? ›

Use a high-heat point oil.

Plus it's worth it for me for this one because it really helps give this schnitzel that perfect crispy crunchy outer coating! Don't over-cook the chicken – over-cooking can result in the chicken drying out and not being tender and juicy – which we don't want!

The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”

Do not overcook the schnitzel. If you pound it thinly you will only need to cook it for 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other. If you don't pound it thinly then you will need to cook it for longer.

Before preparing chicken, it's important to look at its appearance for signs of spoilage. Raw chicken should have a light pink color with white fatty pieces. If the flesh is gray or green or if the fat is yellow in color, this is a sign of spoilage and you should discard the chicken.

Use a high-heat point oil.

I typically prefer to use olive oil over canola oil because it's healthier (see this article), but I hardly ever use it and it's fine in moderation! Plus it's worth it for me for this one because it really helps give this schnitzel that perfect crispy crunchy outer coating!

The best way to cook chicken schnitzel is to fry it. I like to use a combination of oil and butter for the best flavor/crispiness combination. When cooking chicken schnitzel, you need to heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until it is bubbling hot, then add the schnitzel. It should sizzle as it hits the pan.

The most obvious is that it requires a lot less oil: I fill a 12-inch cast iron skillet with about 2 cups of canola or peanut oil, both of which have a neutral flavor and can withstand high heat.

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.