Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel)
Vienna's signature dish — a thin veal (or pork) cutlet breaded and fried to golden crispness. The authentic 'Wiener Schnitzel' is made with veal and served with a wedge of lemon. Crisp outside, tender within.
Ingredients
- Veal or pork loin cutlets · thin, ~120g each4 piece
- Flour1 cup
- Eggs · beaten2 each
- Fine breadcrumbs · fresh if possible1.5 cup
- Salt1 tsp
- Black pepper0.5 tsp
- Clarified butter or oil · plenty, for shallow-frying1 cup
- Lemon · in wedges1 each
- To serve
- Parsley · garnish1 handful
- Potatoes & salad · traditional sides1 serving
Steps
- ⏲ 5 min
Place the cutlets between plastic wrap and pound evenly to about 0.5cm thick.
- ⏲ 1 min
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- ⏲ 4 min
Coat in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. Don't press the crumbs in — keep it loose so the crust 'souffles'.
- ⏲ 3 min
Pour oil (or clarified butter) about 1cm deep in a wide pan and heat to 170C (340F).
- ⏲ 4 min
Fry the schnitzel, tilting the pan to baste it with the fat, about 1.5-2 minutes per side until golden.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with lemon and parsley.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Wiener Schnitzel (authentic): Must be veal — the name is legally protected in Austria.
- Schnitzel Wiener Art: A 'Viennese-style' schnitzel made with pork — cheaper and more common.
- Jägerschnitzel: A German take topped with mushroom cream sauce.
- Cordon bleu: Rolled around ham and cheese, then breaded and fried.
Tips
- Pound the meat thin and even so it cooks quickly and uniformly.
- Don't press the breadcrumbs in — a loose coating puffs and crisps as it fries.
- Use plenty of hot fat; too little or too cool and the crust turns soggy and greasy.
- Tilt the pan to baste with the fat so the top crust souffles too.
- Squeeze lemon on right away to cut the richness.
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