Wiener Schnitzel
Wiener Schnitzel: Vienna's thin breaded veal cutlet, fried until it puffs
In Vienna's old Beisl taverns the Schnitzel arrives so large it hangs over the plate: a veal escalope beaten thin, coated in flour, egg and fine breadcrumbs and fried in plenty of hot fat while the pan is swirled, so the crumb lifts away from the meat in golden waves. Austrian law keeps the name 'Wiener Schnitzel' for veal; the pork version, very common in German homes, is called Schnitzel Wiener Art and is cooked exactly the same way. Serve it with a lemon wedge, lingonberry jam and potato salad. The most common mistake is pressing the crumbs firmly onto the meat, which stops the coating from puffing. Chef's tip: shake off the crumbs and lay the cutlet in only when the fat is hot enough that a crumb sizzles at once.
- Total time
- 32 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Lay each piece of 4 veal escalopes (topside), or pork loin steaks for Schnitzel Wiener Art between two sheets of baking paper and beat it with a meat mallet or the bottom of a pan to an even 4–5 mm thick. Snip the edges in two or three places so they don't curl.
Step 2: Season both sides with 1 tsp salt. Set out three shallow plates: 2 ⅛ oz plain flour in the first, 2 eggs beaten with 2 tbsp milk in the second, and 4 oz fine dried breadcrumbs in the third.
Step 3: Coat each escalope in flour and shake off the extra, then dip it in the egg and let the excess drip off, then lay it in the crumbs and turn it over gently. Don't press the crumbs on: they should sit loosely.
Step 4: Heat 1 ¾ cups vegetable oil or lard with 1 oz butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, about 2 cm deep, until it reaches 350°F or a crumb fizzes immediately.
5 minStep 5: Fry one or two Schnitzel at a time for 2–3 minutes a side, tilting and gently shaking the pan so the hot fat washes over the top. The crumb should puff up into waves and turn deep golden.
6 minStep 6: Lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Veal can be served just cooked through; if you use pork, check the thickest part reaches 145°F on a thermometer and rest it for 3 minutes before serving.
3 minStep 7: Serve at once with 1 lemon wedges, 4 tbsp lingonberry jam and a sprinkle of 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wiener Schnitzel take?
- About 32 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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