Chicken Breast Schnitzel

Ok, I have to be up front about the fact that this is NOT necessarily a healthy dish.  This is an every once in awhile dish, maybe once a month, if that.  But dang, it is GOOD!  Fried breaded chicken...it doesn't get much tastier than that!

I developed this recipe after a vacation we took a couple of summers ago to Leavenworth, WA.  It is a very cute little town in north central Washington state.  It was redeveloped some years ago to resemble a Bavarian village, and it is just adorable!  We rented a cabin just outside the town on the river and spent several days walking through the village browsing the shops and enjoying the parks and restaurants.  One night we went out to dinner at one of the German restaurants in the heart of the village.   My kids were VERY skeptical of this, because they had never been to such a restaurant and didn't believe they would have anything they'd like.  When I described to them what a schnitzel was, they reversed their opinions and decided they could eat there after all!

A true schnitzel, as it originated in Austria, is made of a veal cutlet, pounded to nearly paper thin and then breaded and fried.  According to Wikipedia, a Weiner Schnitzel is served with a slice of lemon and a side of potato salad.  Which begs the question how the hot dog chain ended up taking the name...but I digress.  Weiner Schnitzel Art is the term when it is made with pork in Germany, which it commonly is in present day.  The restaurant we went to served pork as their main schnitzel dish, but also offered a chicken variation.  My daughter, being 9 at the time, was picky and only ate about 12 foods total (one being chicken), so this was OK with her.  My son, who was more adventurous, chose the pork.  Both dishes were wonderful and amazing, and solicited the following comment: "You HAVE to make this at home!!!"

Thankfully, this is not a complicated dish.  Boneless skinless chicken breast is sliced in half crosswise (like cutting a deck of cards), then each half pounded until it is uniformly thin.  It is then dipped in seasoned flour, then into beaten egg, and then into bread crumbs before being fried until golden and crispy.  It is deliciously moist and juicy inside, crispy and flavorful on the outside, especially when served with a wedge of fresh lemon to squeeze over it as you eat.  This has become a favorite dinner at my house, and one I only serve, as I said, very occasionally, as I am not a big fan of frying things in oil.  But this is the dish my kids beg for, the one they answer first when asked "what do you want for dinner?"

I'm posting this for Beverly, who is my daughter's friend Mikayla's grandma.  We had Mikayla to dinner a few weeks ago and I made this, and she absolutely loved it, so Bev has made it a few times at home herself.  I'm always glad to pass on a popular recipe!

Chicken Breast Schnitzel
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat
2 cups flour
Couple dashes salt, pepper, and paprika
2 eggs, beaten
2.5 cups bread crumbs (I use panko- they are the crispiest)
Vegetable oil for frying
1 fresh lemon, sliced into wedges

Directions:

1.  With a very sharp knife, slice each chicken breast half crosswise (through its thickness).

2.  Place each slice of chicken between two layers of wax paper covered with a dish towel and pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet to a uniform thickness of about 1/4 nich.

3.  Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a wide, shallow dish.  Beat eggs in a separate dish, and place bread crumbs in a third dish.  Line them up in the listed order, like a assembly line.

4.  Heat a couple of tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

5.  Dip one chicken slice into the flour mixture, coating well on both sides.  Dip into egg mixture, again coating it on both sides, then into bread crumbs.

6.  Fry chicken pieces in skillet until golden brown on each side, making sure to cook through.  When cooked, remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

7. Repeat for all chicken pieces, cleaning pan and adding new oil between batches as necessary.

8.  Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.

We usually have ours with a noodle side that is made by Rice-a-Roni, Olive Oil and Herb blend.  Years ago, I used to buy a Near East boxed noodle dish that we all loved, but they don't seem to carry it anywhere anymore.  This is the closest I have found to it, and my kids really like it.

Next time I will be back to posting healthier dishes- sometimes you just gotta have that good comfort food!  As fried dishes go, you could do a lot worse than this one.  See you next time!