Chicken Schnitzel with Cabbage-Carrot Slaw on a serving platter with a lemon wedge and serving spoon and fork on a table with a napkin, 3 plates, and a glass of water. — Photo:
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs

Servings:

4 dinners (plus leftovers)

If you’re a Southerner like me, you’ve never met a piece of fried chicken you didn’t like. But if we’re being honest, frying chicken is a bit of hassle. Well not this super-easy schnitzel!

I can’t properly explain why this feels so much easier than classic fried chicken, but trust me, it is. A quick dredge in flour, a dip in egg, then another dredge in panko, followed by a shallow fry in oil yields fast-cooking, super-crispy “fried” chicken that will satisfy all your cravings. The trick here is to use thin, fast-cooking chicken cutlets—if you can’t find them at the store, simply slice thicker chicken breasts in half horizontally to yield thinner cutlets.

Another great thing about this schnitzel recipe is that it makes plenty of extras that reheat quickly in the oven: Believe it or not, the leftovers are super crunchy, and make excellent fried chicken sandwiches—check out the recipe below.

Ingredients

4 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1 cup vegetable oil, divided
6 Tbsp. bread-and-butter pickle brine, divided
3 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
8 cups shredded red cabbage (from 1 large head cabbage)
1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot (from 1 small shallot)
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
8 (4 1/2-oz.) chicken breast cutlets (1/3 inch thick)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Whisk together mustard, 1/4 cup of the oil, 4 tablespoons of the pickle brine, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper in a large bowl. Add red cabbage, carrots, shallot, and parsley; toss to coat. For leftovers, remove 2 cups of the cabbage-carrot slaw and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Set aside remaining slaw mixture.
Place flour, eggs, and panko in 3 separate shallow bowls. Season chicken cutlets evenly with 2 teaspoons of the salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Dredge each cutlet in flour (shaking off any excess), dip in egg, and dredge in panko to coat, pressing lightly to adhere. Place coated chicken cutlets on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Discard any remaining flour, egg, and panko.
Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium. Working in batches, place cutlets in hot oil. Cook until golden brown, crispy, and a thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 165°F, about 3 minutes per side. Remove cutlets from skillet; place on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place baking sheet in preheated oven to keep warm while repeating process with remaining cutlets, adding remaining 1/4 cup oil to skillet as needed.
Wipe skillet clean, and heat over medium. Add reserved cabbage-carrot slaw to skillet with remaining 2 tablespoons pickle brine and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, tossing constantly, until cabbage is wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Place 4 cutlets on a platter with slaw. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
For leftovers, cool remaining chicken schnitzel cutlets to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate cutlets in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Crispy Chicken Sandwiches

Crispy chicken sandwich with slaw on a teal plate with potato chips on the side. — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Place 4 leftover chicken schnitzel cutlets on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake cutlets until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium. Toast 4 brioche hamburger buns in batches, cut sides down, until golden brown, about 1 minute, adding butter as needed. Remove buns from pan; spread 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise over cut sides. Cut each cutlet in half. Place 5 pickle chips on bottom half of each bun; top each with 2 cutlet halves and 1/2 cup leftover cabbage-carrot slaw. Cover with top halves of buns.

Active 10 min. - Total 15 min.