the making of the chicken schnitzel
First thing to do is prepare all ingredients, flour in a deepish dish, beaten egg and milk in a flatter dish, crumbs in a deep wide pan. Deep and wide minimises spillage.
I lay out everything in a left to right line along the surface I'm working on, cut schnitzels, then flour, egg, crumbs and a clean dish to receive the prepared pieces.
I also put hot soapy water into the sink for immediate cleanup (of hands-so gladwrap doesn't get all mucky), because chicken mess should not be left until later. Nobody wants Salmonella from your kitchen!
I've always thought those over-sized schnitzels that overwhelm your plate in restaurants are too much.
Cut chicken breast fillets into manageable pieces.
I try to get mine about 8cm x 10cm. This leaves room on the plate for whatever you wish to serve with it. Also this size fits nicely onto a burger bun.
Dip into plain flour,
coat both sides and press on firmly.
From the flour, straight into the beaten egg (with a little milk added, maybe a tablespoon)
Slosh both sides well. I use only my left hand for these steps,
leaving my right hand free to coat the pieces with the crumbs. Press these on very firmly, doing both sides a couple of times.
I use a mixture of bought breadcrumbs and bought cornflake crumbs. about 75% to 25% ratio.
Here they are ready to refrigerate.
Chill for at least two hours, this gives the coating time to "set", so that it doesn't fall apart on cooking.
Cook gently in a large frypan, in a mixture of olive oil and butter.
I lay out everything in a left to right line along the surface I'm working on, cut schnitzels, then flour, egg, crumbs and a clean dish to receive the prepared pieces.
I also put hot soapy water into the sink for immediate cleanup (of hands-so gladwrap doesn't get all mucky), because chicken mess should not be left until later. Nobody wants Salmonella from your kitchen!
I've always thought those over-sized schnitzels that overwhelm your plate in restaurants are too much.
Cut chicken breast fillets into manageable pieces.
I try to get mine about 8cm x 10cm. This leaves room on the plate for whatever you wish to serve with it. Also this size fits nicely onto a burger bun.
Dip into plain flour,
coat both sides and press on firmly.
From the flour, straight into the beaten egg (with a little milk added, maybe a tablespoon)
Slosh both sides well. I use only my left hand for these steps,
leaving my right hand free to coat the pieces with the crumbs. Press these on very firmly, doing both sides a couple of times.
I use a mixture of bought breadcrumbs and bought cornflake crumbs. about 75% to 25% ratio.Here they are ready to refrigerate.
Chill for at least two hours, this gives the coating time to "set", so that it doesn't fall apart on cooking.
Cook gently in a large frypan, in a mixture of olive oil and butter. Keep cooked portions hot in oven while the rest are cooking.
Serve with anything you like.
If I'm making schnitzel burgers, I'll add salad, but if I'm serving on a plate, I'll squeeze a little lemon juice onto the schnitzel. Not sure why, I've just always done it and I like the taste.
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Oh YUM!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFrogdancer; I've made mini versions of this for "bring a plate" type get togethers, and for when littlies come for dinner. Just like chicken nuggets but nicer.
ReplyDeleteI was going to ask how many eggs but I suppose you work it out as you go.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of "League Teams" with Jack Dyer, Lou Richards and Bob Davis. It was a bewildering show, Lou always gave out a recipe at some stage which made it even more surreal.
I used packed stuffing mix for a nice seasoned crumb although Adam's made them before with crushed pretzels and herbs, delish.
ReplyDeleteR.H.; for one or two chicken breasts I use two large eggs and the splash of milk. More breasts = more eggs.
ReplyDeleteBaino; I've never tried the stuffing mix for crumbing, I like the sweetness that comes with the cornflake crumbs. I do use stuffing mix in place of breadcrumbs when I'm making burgers or meatloaf though.
To make them thinner, place flat in a plastic bag and belt with rolling pin then put them all back in the same bag with the flour and jiggle the chicken. This saves cleaning a plate, also to save a plate, if they come in a plastic dish, use this for mixing the eggs. If you have egg and crumbs left over, put both together with some stale bread and bird seed and chuck it out to the feathered freeloaders.
ReplyDeleteThanks JahTeh, I've never thought of putting the crumbs out for the birds.
ReplyDeleteI've done the flour in a bag thing, but find it doesn't set on as firmly as when I press it on. I never buy prepacked fillets anymore, I just buy them one or two at a time from Chicken Made Easy, a shop in the mall across from Coles run by asians. They're always fresh, tastier than Lenards chicken, definitely better than Coles prepacked chicken which seems to have no taste at all.
Yuuuuum. It's the one dish that Love Chunks has never got right and I've now worked out why - his are never flattened, so they end up raw inside....
ReplyDelete....and where you doing this whilst wearing your Masterchef apron?
Coles would be pleased to hear what you say about their chicken.
ReplyDeleteKath, I rarely wear an apron when at home. All my clothes are so old I don't care if they get a little splash or two here and there. I do protect the floor from frying spatter though, by spreading a big old beach towel around the stove perimeter. Tossing that in the wash is so much easier than washing the floor.
ReplyDeleteR.H. I don't care so much what Coles thinks. Their prepackaged chicken fillets contain too much chicken for me to use all at once, and frozen chicken, once thawed, is as tasteless as thawed red meat. All the flavour is lost in the thawing process. Dry too.