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This Chicken Schnitzel and Lemon Cream Gravy is so perfectly simple and absolutely delicious. Seriously, it’s pretty difficult to turn down perfectly golden-brown fried chicken. You have the option to slather it in my Lemon Cream Sauce 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 1/4 to 1/2 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 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tsp Ground Caraway (If you have whole seeds, grind 1 & 1/2 tsp 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 the authentic German Restaurant experience at home. Get the recipe in the link below!
German Potato Salad
Give this recipe a shot and let me know in the comments below how yours turned out! Don’t forget to leave a rating as well.
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Chicken Schnitzel & Lemon Cream Gravy
Spencer Klickman
This Chicken Schnitzel and Lemon Cream Sauce is delicately simple and delicious. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Main Course
Cuisine German
Servings 4 Adults
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 tsp Kosher Salt per pound of meat
Breading
- 1 Cup AP Flour
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tsp Ground Caraway Seeds 1 ½ tsp Whole seeds will yield 1 tsp 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 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Shallot Minced
- 2 Cups Chicken stock
- 1 Cup White Wine
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- Juice from Half a Lemon
- ½ tsp 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.
