Chicken Schnitzel
Italian Chicken Schnitzel! Juicy, tender chicken coated in a golden, crunchy crumb thats infused with parmesan and fresh parsley. The smells coming from the kitchen as these beauties fry off will have your mouth watering. This recipe showcases the iconic Chicken Schnitzel, there are many different takes on schnitzel, but this recipe is all about preparing and cooking chicken schnitzels the Italian way.
Ask anyone in my household what their favourite food is, and schnitzel is sure to make their top 5, maybe even top 3!
Growing up, my grandmother (Nonna) used to make schnitzel with veal, I remember her going to the Italian butcher and asking for Girello, the Italian name for veal eye fillet and the butcher would thinly slice it for her just how she liked it. This cut of meat is very lean and tends to dry out quickly, sometimes quicker than it takes to get the perfect golden crumb, so I prefer to use chicken, but veal, chicken, pork or even beef can be used.
My husband and I were both lucky to grow up eating schnitzel as my mother in law is the Queen of schnitzel so we now know a thing or two about how to make the best Italian style schnitzel. Although my Nonna is no longer with us, my kids have grown up eating Nonna Silvana’s schnitzel just as I grew up eating my own Nonnas schnitzel.
At our house, I do not make it as often as I would like and so when we do have it for dinner, we are all very excited and there is always enough to feed an army. I end up with multiple fry pans going off until I can’t keep up and my husband takes over the frying (YASS!). The best part of making too much…Chicken schnitzel sandwiches for school the next day. ☺️
I will share some tips about how to get the most flavour packed into your chicken schnitzel and hopefully you will enjoy eating these as much as I enjoy cooking and writing about schnitzel!
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Italian Chicken Schnitzel
You may have heard Italians refer to schnitzel as Cotolette (plural) or Cotoletta (singular). The word Cotoletta means cutlet as traditionally the schnitzel was served as a thick cut of meat with the bone in. These days the chicken is typically cut thinly so you get a crispier coating when frying. YUM!
The recipe can be adapted to your choice of meat and anything goes really. Chicken, pork, veal or beef!
When making chicken schnitzel, the breast is the best economical cut to use as it can be sliced thinly and it always amazes me how many slices you end up with from just one breast. Three chicken breasts is generally enough to feed my family of 5. Just make sure you have a good quality sharp knife on hand to make your life easier.
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It’s all in the crumb
Let’s be honest, what makes a schnitzel so delicious is the fact that its covered in carbs (breadcrumbs) and deep fried! So to get the best results you want to make sure you are using a good quality crumb.
Back in the day, my Nonna used to make her own fresh bread crumbs for the schnitzel by drying out loaves of bread or rolls out in the sun or in the oven and then processing them to form crumbs. Lets face it, these days, who has the time! If you take away one thing from reading this, let it be that the type of bread crumbs you use matters! Do not go for the cheap supermarket brand that looks like saw dust. The closest I have seen, that compares to the homemade breadcrumbs are Panko crumbs these are a lot coarser resulting in a deeper golden crumb and are readily available in the Asian section of your local supermarket.
What you will need for Italian chicken schnitzel
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Breadcrumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Eggs
- Fresh parsley
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil for shallow frying
Cooking your schnitzel- Shallow frying
I hear it all the time, people saying cooking schnitzel just wastes so much oil! You do not have to deep fry your schnitzel. Shallow frying in 1.5 to 2cm of oil is all you need and you can achieve the same golden crumb you would with deep frying. I use a lighter olive oil to shallow fry such as Cobram. Cook your schnitzels for 4-5 minutes and then turn, season with salt generously and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain off the extra oil.
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Tools to make the job easier
Robert Welch kitchen knife makes thinly slicing a breeze
A good quality, heavy based frying pan like this one from Tefal
Upgrade your chopping board to Titanium!
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Chicken schnitzel
Ingredients
- 3 Large chicken breasts approximately 550-600g
- 4 eggs
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
- 4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil for shallow frying
- lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the chicken breast into thin slices (approximately 4-6 slices per breast, depending on the desired thickness). Place on plate and set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs together with the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- In a dish or deep tray, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan.
- Arrange the chicken breast, egg mixture and breadcrumb mixture in a line followed by a tray at the end to place the breaded chicken. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip the chicken in the egg mixture so that it is fully submerged. Take it out and allow for the excess to drip off. Transfer to the bread crumb mixture and gently press to help the crumbs stick, turning the chicken a few times. Once the chicken is completely crumbed, transfer to the tray and then repeat with remaining chicken.
- Heat 1.5-2cm olive oil in a large, heavy based fry pan on medium heat. When a cube of bread browns when dropped in the oil, the oil is hot enough. Place 3-4 pieces in the pan, depending on how big your fry pan is. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken. Season generously with salt and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
