Pork Schnitzel! An authentic schnitzel – thinly pounded breaded pork cutlets, browned and served with a creamy dill sauce.
The first time I traveled to the land of my Austrian ancestors I was taken to a restaurant where I saw “schnitzel” on the menu.
Of course, I ordered it, thinking I could use a good German sausage in a bun. (You have my permission to pound your head on the wall now.)
I mean, who in America didn’t grow up with those fast food joints with the giant hot dogs on the top of them? That was schnitzel, right?
When the order came, I was stunned by how far off it was from what I was expecting; even my gracious hosts had a hard time believing me when I told them that in America, a wiener schnitzel was a hot dog (at least where I was from in suburban California).
Pork Schnitzel or “Cutlet”
Curses! Yes, we tend to distort some traditional dishes here in America, but this one? We weren’t even close.
“Schnitzel”, for the uninitiated, is German for “cutlet” which is usually made with veal and is thinly pounded, breaded and fried.
As for this schnitzel recipe, it is made with thinly pounded pork cutlets. Those of you looking for a quick, mid-week dinner may be happy with this one. I love it.
The sauce alone is worth making this pork schnitzel for, and could easily be used on chicken, for turkey meatballs, or over fish.
Pork Schnitzel Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops (1 pound total), 1/2 inch thick
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (Spike or Lawrey’s, or just substitute plain salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs or panko
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream (full fat)
Method
1 Use a meat hammer to pound the pork cutlets to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness. Cut small slits around the edges of the cutlets to prevent curling.
2 Set out 3 shallow bowls. One with a mixture of the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper. The second with the egg and milk whisked together. The third with a mixture of the breadcrumbs (or panko) and paprika.
3 Dredge cutlets: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Dredge the cutlets first in the seasoned flour, then dip the cutlets in the egg mixture, and then into the mixture of bread crumbs and paprika.
4 Working in batches, sauté the cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the cutlets from the skillet and cover with foil or place in a warm oven to keep warm.
5 Deglaze pan, make sour cream dill sauce: Add the chicken stock into the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits.
In a small bowl mix the dill and salt into the sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the chicken stock.
Heat and stir until mixture thickens (do not let boil).
Serve the cutlets with the sauce, and lemon slices if you like.
