Chicken schnitzeling
Chicken Schnitzel with Fennel-Apple Salad
With his long red beard and (formerly) red hair, P is often confused for an Irishman. He’s not, though — his family’s roots are German, Volga German actually, and little hints of this pop up every now and then. For example, that thing he does when he’s carving a roast chicken, nibbling at little bits that he gobbles right off the bone? He calls it “schnitzeling.”
This week, I made P actual schnitzel, the real, German thing (though I make no claims as to authenticity). Chicken schnitzel is simple to prep: pound boneless chicken pieces flat, dredge them in flour, douse in egg and coat with fresh breadcrumbs and herbs. I used thighs in this recipe, but if you’re a white meat-only person, breasts would work fine. The frying, using canola oil and butter, is fast and easy and makes for a wonderful crust.
The recipe I used called for an accompanying frisée-apple salad, but I have never yet been able to find frisée at the co-op and endive shows up probably once a year. I have reprinted Bon Appetit’s original recipe here, but I took LOTS of liberties, combining shaved fennel, radicchio (looks like little purple lettuce heads) and Braeburn apple for the salad. I got rid of the radishes completely (I don’t love them) as well as the endive.
Chicken Schnitzel with Frisée-Apple Salad
by Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Bon Appétit | February 2010
Serves 6.
- 6 large skinless boneless chicken thighs (each about 5 ounces), organic
- All purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
- 4 cups (about) fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless country wheat bread (I used baguette)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Place large piece of plastic wrap on work surface. Unfold 1 chicken thigh near 1 end of plastic. Fold other end of plastic over chicken to cover completely. Using mallet, pound chicken to 1/4- to 1/3-inch thickness. Set cutlet aside in plastic sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs and 5 more sheets of plastic wrap. DO AHEAD: Cutlets can be made up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate wrapped in plastic.
Place large scoop of flour in shallow dish (such as pie dish). Beat eggs and parsley in another shallow dish to blend. Place 2 cups breadcrumbs in third shallow dish. Unwrap 1 chicken cutlet and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Coat cutlet completely with flour, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs. Transfer cutlet to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken cutlets, adding more flour and breadcrumbs as needed.
Divide half of butter and half of oil between 2 large skillets; melt butter with oil over medium-high heat. Add 3 cutlets to each skillet. Cook until coating is golden brown and crisp on bottom, about 3 minutes. Using spatula, transfer chicken to sheet of foil. Divide remaining butter and remaining oil between skillets; swirl to melt butter. Return chicken, browned side up, to skillets. Sauté until bottoms are browned and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plates. Serve with Frisée-Apple Salad.
Frisée-Apple Salad
Bon Appétit | February 2010
by Jeanne Thiel Kelley
Serves 6
Any dressing with fresh lemon juice is wonderful. Add a dollop of Dijon to this and some herbs to change it up.
- 4 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 large shallots, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
- 4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 3 -to 4-ounce heads of frisée, coarsely torn
- 2 small heads of Belgian endive, cut crosswise into thin strips
- 2 small Pink Lady or Jazz apples, quartered, cored, cut into matchstick-size strips
- 9 radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced (I omit these)
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Combine lemon juice, chopped shallots, and grated lemon peel in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Re-whisk before using.
Combine frisée, endive, apples, radishes, and parsley in large bowl. Toss salad with dressing and serve.
As an Austrian – and thus a Schnitzel connoisseur – I can tell you that you did very well. The way you breaded the Schnitzel is perfect. Some people leave out steps.
It’s also nice to beat the Schnitzel before – this is especially important with red meat Schnitzel though. We call the tool used to beat the Schnitzel a “Schnitzlklopfer” but I know that there is an adequate English word for it which I now cannot recall.
Personally I prefer a cordon bleu which is a lot more readily available in Europe than in America unfortunately. You just take two thin layers of meat and put one or two slices of ham and a some cheese in it and then bread it like a Schnitzel.
I hammered my chicken thighs between sheets of plastic — is that “beating?” Honestly, I thought that with that schnitzel coating, pretty much anything would taste wonderful: asparagus, fennel, mushrooms, eggplant. Yum.
Yes, that counts as beating
I just had schnitzel coated asparagus in a restaurant yesterday and it did taste scrumptious!
That’s making me really hungry! Tonight I had fried rice with egg and leftover tater tots, and cilantro thrown in together. Not as nice sounding as your dish.
Ooh, I agree, eggplant would be amazing with the schnitzel coating. Will have to try sometime.