This Chicken Schnitzel and Lemon Cream Gravy is so perfectly simple and absolutely delicious. Let’s get real here – it’s pretty difficult to turn down perfectly seasoned and crispy golden-brown fried chicken, right? This recipe gives you the option to slather it in my Lemon Cream Gravy or keep it traditional with a hefty squeeze of fresh lemon juice, parsley, and a touch of kosher salt. Either way, you’re in for a treat!
Traditional Wiener schnitzel is made with veal; in fact, this is protected by Austrian law. You can’t call it Wiener schnitzel if you use any protein other than veal. Veal is more expensive and harder to find (some avoid it for ethical or personal reasons, which is completely understandable), so chicken and pork tenderloin are popular alternatives. Realistically, any protein that can be pounded ultra-flat could be used with this recipe.
Chicken Schnitzel Preparation and Ingredients
To prepare the Chicken schnitzel, begin by liberally salting the chicken and letting it rest in the fridge for an hour or two. After the chicken has rested, flatten them as thin as possible. They need to be about ¼ to ½ of an inch thick when you are done. If they are too thick, the breading will burn before the chicken is completely cooked through. Any thinner, and the chicken will ultimately start to disintegrate.
It’s a perfect time to prepare your dredging ingredients while the chicken rests in the fridge. This is comprised of several components: seasoned flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. The most important part of this is to ensure that there is salt in each of these parts.
Seasoned Flour
The seasoned flour contains the following:
- 1 cup AP Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Caraway (If you have whole seeds, grind 1 & ½ teaspoon into a powder)
- Pinch Cayenne
- Black Pepper
Egg Mixture
I have found that adding some salt to the eggs and thoroughly beating them gives the best results. Use this for the egg mixture:
- 4 Eggs, Thoroughly Beaten
- 1 Heavy Pinch of Kosher Salt
Breadcrumbs
Panko are the best breadcrumbs (in my opinion), however traditional schnitzel has a relatively fine texture. To get the best of both worlds, blend panko breadcrumbs until they are as fine as traditional bread crumbs. The ingredients are as follows:
- 2 Cups (1 8 oz. Container) Panko Breadcrumbs, Blended until fine
- 1 Heavy Pinch of Kosher Salt
After your dredging station is set up, start heating the frying oil of your choice in a cast iron pan or a heavy-bottom skillet until the temperature reaches 350 to 375°F. Coat each breast in the seasoned flour, pressing into the cracks to completely coat the meat. Dip in the egg mixture, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded chicken on a wire rack as you finish each breast. Once all of your chicken is breaded and the oil is up to temperature, fry in batches until golden-brown and the chicken reads at least 165°F on an instant read thermometer. This should take about 4 -5 minutes per side, per chicken breast. Place the cooked chicken on another wire rack and immediately sprinkle with some kosher salt. Place the chicken in a 200°F oven to keep it warm while you cook the remaining pieces. It will take several batches due to the size of the chicken.
Lemon Cream Gravy
This may upset some schnitzel purists, but I made a lemon cream gravy to go with this recipe. Some people believe that any sauce or liquid softens the breading, so you don’t get the optimal experience. But you have to trust me that the breading is sturdy enough that you don’t have to worry about anything getting soggy. Obviously, don’t let this sit around for an hour or so with the gravy on it, but with how delicious this is, I can guarantee that won’t happen!
This is a simple and bright pan sauce that comes together in about 15-minutes and uses 8 simple ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter
- Shallot
- White Wine
- Chicken Stock
- Heavy Cream
- Lemon Juice
- Capers, and a splash of their Brine
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Begin by melting butter, then sautéing the shallots over medium high heat until they start to take on some color. Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook for 3 to 4-minutes until reduced by about half. Add the chicken stock and heavy cream and cook for an additional 8 to 10-minutes until reduced and thick. Remove from the heat and strain out the shallots with a fine-mesh sieve. Add the capers, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve it on the side, or drizzle several tablespoons over the chicken schnitzel.
I love pairing this with my family recipe for German Potato Salad for an authentic German restaurant experience at home!
Did you make this recipe for Chicken Schnitzel & Lemon Cream Gravy?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don’t forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Chicken Schnitzel & Lemon Cream Gravy
Equipment
- Dutch Oven, Large Cast Iron Skillet, or Stainless Skillet For Frying
- Blender, Immersion Blender, or Food Processor
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts Pounded as flat as possible (approx. ¼-½" thick). Approx. 2 ½ lbs.
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt per pound of meat
Breading
- 1 Cup AP Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Caraway Seeds 1 ½ teaspoon Whole seeds will yield 1 teaspoon of ground caraway.
- Pinch Cayenne
- Black Pepper
- 4 eggs Beaten with a Heavy Pinch of Kosher Salt
- 2 Cups Panko Breadcrumbs Blended with a blender, an immersion blender, or food processor with a Heavy Pinch of Kosher Salt
Garnishes
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- Parsley Finely Minced
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
- Lemon wedges
Gravy
- 6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 Shallot Minced
- 2 Cups Chicken stock
- 1 Cup White Wine
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- Juice from Half a Lemon
- ½ teaspoon Capers and a splash of brine
- Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken Schnitzel
- An hour or two before cooking, liberally salt each chicken breast and place in the refrigerator uncovered.
- While chicken is resting, prepare your dredging station:
- Combine flour, salt, paprika, smoked paprika, ground caraway, cayenne, and black pepper in a large bowl or dish.
- In a separate bowl or dish, combine the eggs and a heavy pinch of salt. Beat until combined.
- In a third bowl, or dish, combine the blended panko breadcrumbs and a heavy pinch of salt.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and pound each chicken breast as flat as possible, approximately ¼ – ½-inch thick.
- Add enough neutral frying oil to your cast iron pan or skillet and preheat over medium-high heat.
- While oil is heating, coat each chicken breast in the flour mixture, pressing until completely coated and no wet spots remain.
- Dredge in the egg mixture, then transfer to the breadcrumbs, pressing until evenly coated as well. Place each chicken breast on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack while you repeat the process with your remaining chicken.
- Once oil reaches 350 to 375°F, fry each chicken breast until golden-brown about 3 to 4-minutes per side and internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from oil and place on another baking sheet lined with a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle with some kosher salt and black pepper.
- Place the cooked chicken in an oven preheated to 200°F to keep warm while you cook the remaining chicken. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken adjusting the heat to maintain frying temperature at 350 to 375°F.
Lemon Cream Gravy
- While chicken is frying, heat a medium sauce pan over medium high heat and melt the butter.
- Add the shallot and fry for 3 to 4-minutes until golden brown around the edges.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook for 3 to 4-minutes until reduced by about half.
- Add the chicken stock and heavy cream and cook for an additional 8 to 10-minutes until reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and strain out the shallots with a fine-mesh sieve. Add the capers and lemon juice, stirring to combine.
- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your liking.
- Serve it on the side, or drizzle several tablespoons over each chicken schnitzel before serving.
Assembly and Serving
- Add a fried chicken cutlet to a plate. Garnish with fresh squeezed lemon juice, and minced parsley.
- Spoon several tablespoons of gravy over the top, or serve on the side as a dipping sauce.
Tom
Excellent recipe. I am not sure where the immersion blender listed is used.
Spencer Klickman
Hi, Tom!
The immersion blender is used to blend the panko crumbs into a slightly finer texture than what you get out of the box! This gives you the crispiness of panko breadcrumbs, but retains the classic schnitzel breading look/texture. Best of both worlds! It’s perfectly fine to omit that step if you’re using regular breadcrumbs, or are ok with the panko as is.
E.Seitz
10/10 on technique Spencer. The breading was flavorful and turned out crisp with just the right amount of thickness. The lemon cream gravy (sauce) did not have any lemon in it so I modified it. I added 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and the zest of one lemon. I was running short on time so I whipped up a roux out of olive oil and flour and whisked it in over med-high heat.
Great recipe! I will definitely be making this for a dinner party soon.
Cheers! 🍻
E.Seitz
I found the lemon juice in the recipe! I skipped past it when I seen the capers that I didn’t have. Thank you !
Spencer Klickman
Good deal! Let me know how this turns out for your party!
Spencer Klickman
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I say this a lot, but this TRULY is one of my family’s favorites.
I double-checked the sauce recipe, and it does call for the juice of half of a lemon (you add it in with the capers right at the end), so three tablespoons is abought right. Good call there!
Robin
Delish!
Spencer Klickman
Thanks so much, Robin! I’m so glad you enjoyed it – it’s one of my favorites, for sure!
Michelle
So hearty and delicious and worth every effort!