Making your own Pork Schnitzel at home is surprisingly easy. This recipe features budget friendly pork loins pounded thin with a guaranteed crispy coating using everyday ingredients and no special equipment.
Schnitzel originated in Austria but is found in various forms all over the world with differing names and types of meat. This recipe for Pork Schnitzel can easily be used with chicken or veal. You can buy veal already quite thin but chicken breasts will need to be sliced horizontally before pounding into thin cutlets. No matter what protein you choose, with the inside scoop shared with you below, you’ll be making perfectly crispy Schnitzel with a tender interior every time.
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If you’ve got some frustration to work out, pounding meat into thin cutlets is a good way to get rid of some stress. You start with a boneless single pork loin chop that looks like this….
…and pound it to about 1/8 inch thickness. Or less.
Lay each pork loin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat tenderizer is the best way to pound them thin but you can improvise with a rolling pin (hitting, not rolling) or you can try using a heavy frying pan and gently banging and pressing. Don’t worry about the shape, just make sure you don’t get carried away and make holes in the meat.
Lay the flattened pork loins on a rack over a baking sheet and leave them uncovered in the fridge while you prepare the ingredients for dredging and frying. Leaving them uncovered ensures they stay dry which helps get that extra crispy coating. In fact, leave time for this step so they sit in the fridge at least 30 minutes before coating.
How to coat pork for schnitzel
To coat the pork, you need 3 wide shallow dishes. One with flour, one with eggs and one with bread crumbs. Don’t coat them until you’re ready to cook so make sure you have a large skillet or dutch oven ready to go. More on that below. Dredge one piece in flour, shake off any excess, then egg, shake, then breadcrumbs. Make sure both sides are coated evenly without excess. You’ll use less flour than you think but more breadcrumbs so have a bit extra just in case. Regular or seasoned breadcrumbs are both ok. If you’re using unseasoned, add some salt and pepper to the plate and mix well. Coat one cutlet at a time, then cook. This way the breadcrumbs don’t have time to absorb any moisture from the meat, thus helping with the crispy coating.
Schnitzel needs to be cooked in enough oil to completely encase the cutlet. Your goal is for the piece to slightly float without being submerged. If your pan is too wide you’ll waste a lot of oil so use the smallest frying pan or heavy pot that’s wide enough to hold the biggest piece of schnitzel without having too much extra room. The oil needs to be about 1/4 inch deep and heated to around 350 to start. If you have a thermometer you’ll be able to be very accurate. If not, you can cut off a tiny corner of meat when you think the oil is hot enough and it should start bubbling and sizzling gently without browning too quickly. Ideally you want the cooking temperature around 330-335 degrees. When you add meat to hot oil the temp drops, so starting a little higher balances that out.
I highly HIGHLY recommend cooking these outside. Cooking in oil can be dangerous. I have a single electric burner that I set on a very stable surface and I love using the cast iron pan for these because it keeps the oil hot once heated. It should brown up in about 2 minutes or so. Then flip carefully to cook the other side. If your cutlet is slightly raised in the middle, gently press down with your tongs so the centre is in contact with the hot oil.
What’s the secret to crispy coated Pork Schnitzel?
The secret to ensuring your Pork Schnitzel coating stays crispy is to NOT lay them on paper towel after they’re cooked. I mean it! Ignore everything you’ve read about this. What will happen is the heat caught between the paper and the meat will create steam and turn your nice crispy coating to a gooey mess. So when you remove the cooked schnitzel from the oil, give it a bit of a shake to ensure the oil has dripped off, then lay them on a rack over a baking sheet. If you see a puddle of oil, you CAN dab it with paper towel but that’s it. Place the Schnitzel in a warm oven while you cook the others.
Serve these right away with some lemon slices and garnish with fresh parsley if you like. Pork Schnitzel is traditionally served with some type of a potato dish. I love sauerkraut with mine. And, once in a while, I go totally crazy and have it on a bun with a slice of Swiss cheese and ham.
If you make Pork Schnitzel, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Pork Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork loin chops
- â…“ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups bread crumbs not panko
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
- ¾ cup heat safe oil such as vegetable about ¼ inch deep
- lemon slices for garnish
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Lay one pork loin between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound with the flat side of a meat tenderizer on a stable surface until meat is about ¼ inch thick or less. Repeat with remaining pork loins. Lay on a rack over a baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered at least 30 minutes.
- Lay out 3 wide shallow dishes and add flour to first dish, egg to second and breadcrumbs to third. If using unseasoned breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in pan until 350 degrees. Ensure you are in a safe and stable area for cooking.
- While oil is heating, season cutlets with salt and pepper. Coat one cutlet in flour on both sides, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
- Gently add one cutlet to oil when heated to 350° and cook on each side until well browned. Remove from oil, shake gently, then lay on a rack to cool. Do not lay on paper towel. Dab any oil puddles with paper towel.
- Repeat with remaining cutlets, while keeping cooked cutlets in a warm oven.
- Serve with lemon slices and fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
what to serve with pork schnitzel
Pierogi – coming soon!