A One-Ingredient Hack for the Crispiest, Juiciest Chicken Schnitzel

The best chicken schnitzel is all about the crust. Or is it?

The German Cookbook by Alfons Schuhbeck—out on Sept. 24—boasts eight schnitzel recipes: breaded pork, celeriac, pork with mushroom sauce, pork with tomato and pepper sauce, stuffed, veal, veal with bell pepper sauce, and veal with cream sauce.

Key word being breaded, specifying a type of schnitzel, just like veal or pork. Wait, what? I assumed—and you know what they say about people who assume—that breaded was the default, but most of the recipes were simply pan-seared cutlets.

This makes sense when you backtrack schnitzel’s etymology: “borrowed from German Schnitzel, literally, ‘shaving, chip,’” according to Merriam-Webster. It defines schnitzel as “a seasoned and garnished veal cutlet.” Meanwhile, Oxford University Press defines it as “a thin slice of veal or other light meat, coated in breadcrumbs and fried.”

This is how a lot of Americans know (and love) it. When I asked around the office, many of my coworkers made the same assumption as I did. In fact, my co–recipe developer Ella Quittner went so far as: “I’d be so mad if I ordered schnitzel and it wasn’t breaded.”

Good news: This schnitzel is breaded—only, the breading isn’t what you’d expect.

Many schnitzel recipes use the same method: Pound meat until thin. Dredge in flour. Dip in eggs and milk. Roll around in breadcrumbs. This one goes a different direction—skipping those first three ingredients and replacing it with another entirely: mayonnaise.

The fridge staple does double duty here. First, mixed with dijon mustard and salt, mayonnaise acts as a marinade, enriching and seasoning the meat, ensuring that the end result is juicy and flavorful. Second, it acts as a primer and binder, helping the breadcrumbs adhere. Just make sure that you wipe away any excess mayo before breading; if there’s too much, the crust won’t get as crispy.

And crispy crust is why we’re here, right?

Cheater’s Chicken Schnitzel

View Recipe

Ingredients

Mayo marinade

3/4	cup mayonnaise
3	tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4	teaspoon kosher salt

3/4	cup mayonnaise
3	tablespoons Dijon mustard

3/4	teaspoon kosher salt

Chicken schnitzel

1 1/2	cups peanut or vegetable oil, adjusted as needed for frying
2	(3/4-pound) chicken breasts
2	cups panko breadcrumbs
4	pinches kosher salt, divided

1 1/2	cups peanut or vegetable oil, adjusted as needed for frying
2	(3/4-pound) chicken breasts

2	cups panko breadcrumbs
4	pinches kosher salt, divided

How do you make breaded chicken cutlets? Share your tips and tricks in the comments!