A few years ago, my husband and I visited Vienna together. While there, we naturally got to try the traditional Austrian dish – Viennese schnitzel. We rushed to a restaurant just before closing time, and the wiener schnitzel there was an experience in itself. After that, I decided that I had to figure out how to cook such juicy breaded chicken breast. I’ve done several experiments, researched various recipes and tricks, and finally, I succeeded in making flawless, juicy, and crispy chicken schnitzels! Now think I should share this easy chicken schnitzel recipe with you, too. 

Chicken schnitzels are made from chicken breast, and unfortunately, chicken breast tends to dry out when cooked. The charm of this recipe is that the chicken breast retains moisture while cooking. Chicken schnitzel makes for a very easy dinner, and anyone with the motivation can do it.

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Ingredients

Chicken – use boneless chicken breasts 

Flour – flour is necessary for breading to prevent excessive moisture from separating from the chicken when frying.

Bread crumbs – breadcrumbs are necessary for breading. You can also use semolina, but chicken schnitzel is juicier with bread crumbs.

Salt

Eggs – eggs are necessary for binding the breading to the chicken.

Lemon slices or juice – use lemon wedges for serving. It gives the chicken schnitzel a very pleasant additional flavor.

How to Make Chicken Schnitzel

• Carefully slice the chicken fillets on a cutting board thinner to make a chicken cutlet. To do this, start cutting the chicken in half from one wider side, but leave the opposite side uncut 1cm away. This will keep the chicken in one piece. If the chicken breast is very thick, you can even cut it into three pieces.

• Very carefully pound the chicken with a meat mallet to about 0.5cm thickness. Chicken meat is delicate and can easily break, so don’t use too much force.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl until the egg white and yolk are nicely mixed together. Pour flour and breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls or directly on the work surface.
• Sprinkle salt on both sides of the pounded chicken.
• Place chicken breast in the flour and coat it with a layer of flour from all sides.
• Then dip the chicken in the egg mixture and cover the floured chicken completely with the egg.
• Now you can add the final layer of breading, which is breadcrumbs. Transfer chicken breasts into the breadcrumb mixture and cover completely with the mixture, to achieve crispy coating.
• Place the piece of chicken in a large skillet and fry in olive oil or lard until golden brown on both sides. I think medium-high heat is best for breading. 
• Serve the crispy fried chicken breasts with french fries and sprinkled lemon juice. Fresh parsley pairs also well with the schnitzel. 

Leftover chicken schnitzel

If you cook more chicken schnitzels than the family can eat, it’s possible to freeze the remaining chicken. I froze chicken schnitzels just before my second childbirth because I wanted to minimize cooking during the postpartum period, and it was a convenient solution for quickly feeding the family. You can also freeze raw breaded cutlets, but it’s a bit trickier as they tend to stick together. However, reheating schnitzels that are already cooked is very convenient from the freezer.

To reheat frozen schnitzels, use medium heat on a pan. Alternatively, you can also place the schnitzels on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven at around 150°C (300°F). 

Tips and tricks

• You can bread the chicken without flour, but then you need to keep in mind that the meat will become drier because only breadcrumbs do not hold moisture very well. You achieve the best results only with flour. 
• Instead of breadcrumbs, you can use semolina for breading, but the result will not be as juicy.
• If you prefer, you may use an air fryer or deep-fry your schnitzels in a hot oil. If you prefer to deep-fry, use a wire rack to get rid of excess oil. 
• Add garlic powder or black pepper to the breadcrumb mixture to season chicken breasts and give an extra flavor. 
• Panko breadcrumbs will bring your breaded chicken to another level – try it!

To sum it up, the secret to an exceptionally delicious chicken schnitzel lies not in the seasoning but in how you cook them. The chicken breast should be thinly sliced, gently pounded with a meat mallet, seasoned with salt, coated in flour, then dipped in beaten egg, and finally covered with breadcrumbs. This ensures a crispy coating while keeping the chicken juicy. I hope this recipe allows you to provide your family with a special culinary experience!

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Easy Recipe for a Crispy Chicken Schnitzel

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

I've practiced cooking juicy breaded chicken breast through experiments and recipe research resulting in a flawless schnitzel.

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Ingredients

• 500g (4-5) of chicken breast
• 10 tbsp of flour
• 10 tbsp of bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• A bit of lemon juice (recommended)

Instructions

1. Carefully slice the chicken breast thinner. To do this, start cutting the chicken in half from one wider side, but leave the opposite side uncut 1cm away. This will keep the chicken in one piece. If the chicken breast is very thick, you can even cut it into three pieces.
2. Very carefully pound the chicken with a meat mallet to about 0.5cm thickness. Chicken meat is delicate and can easily break, so don't use too much force.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl until the egg white and yolk are nicely mixed together. Pour flour and breadcrumbs separately in piles on a large plate or directly on the work surface.
4. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the pounded chicken.
5. Place the chicken breast in the flour and coat it with a layer of flour from all sides.
6. Then dip the chicken in the egg mixture and cover the floured chicken completely with the egg.
7. Now you can add the final layer of breading, which is breadcrumbs. Coat the chicken with breadcrumbs completely.
8. Place the breaded chicken in a pan and fry until golden brown on both sides.
9. Serve the chicken schnitzel sprinkled with lemon juice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 223Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 327mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 17g