My mother was born and raised in Vienna (Wien), Austria. My German father brought her to Munich, Germany, where I was born and raised…on Wiener Schnitzel. I must have eaten thousands of them, during my past 60 years on this planet. My grandma, my aunts – all my relatives on my mother’s side prepared slightly different Wiener Schnitzel recipes – and all tasty, believe me. My mom, however, taught me my favorite Wiener Schnitzel recipe – a schweine schnitzel made from pork loin or tenderloin. Traditional Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal. But my mom was anything but traditional. She wanted the best – no matter what.
Let’s have a look at the original Wiener Schnitzel as it is served in Vienna. And then, we explore questions such as what is wiener schnitzel, what’s a pork schnitzel, a jaeger schnitzel recipe, a chicken schnitzel, rahm schnitzel, zigeuner schnitzel, and how are they cooked…
Traditional Wiener Schnitzel
Image courtesy of Mikelo. Thank you.
- Wiener Schnitzel – veal cutlet pounded thin, breaded and fried, served with a lemon wedge and green salad
- Schweine Schnitzel – pork cutlet either breaded and fried (Wiener Schnitzel), or sauteed without breading.
- Panierte Hühnerbrust – chicken schnitzel
- Jäger Schnitzel (Jager Schnitzel; Jaeger Schnitzel) – pork cutlet sauteed and served with a mushroom sauce
- Rahm Schnitzel – sauteed pork cutlet in cream sauce
- Zigeuner Schnitzel – sauteed spicy pork cutlet seasoned with Hungarian paprika and served with sauteed onions and sliced bell pepper
- Yep – there are many German schnitzel recipes!
The Best Wiener Schnitzel Recipe In The World – My Mom’s!
My Viennese mother hated Viennese Schnitzel the way they’re prepared in her home town. Yes, these “elephant ears” are larger than a dinner plate but they’re “too dry and all breading”, she said. Mom told me to use pork loin slices or even pork tenderloin.
Pork loin slices need to be pounded hard. You want to break down any connective tissue in order to get a tender piece of juicy meat after 2 minutes in the hot oil. Cut a 3/4-inch slice and hammer it down to 1/4-inch thickness.
If you use pork tenderloin, cut a 1-inch slice and butterfly it again down the middle. Open the fold and gently pat the meat down with the ball of your hand. Place a freezer bag or strong plastic wrap on top of the tenderloin slice and pound it very carefully to a 1/4-inch thickness.
1. Season the meat with your favorite spice blend – Cajun seasoning, Herb-Garlic mixes, or simply salt and pepper and maybe a bit onion and garlic powder.
2. Dip the meat in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs; pile the slices on a platter, separating the layers with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
3. Cover the platter with plastic film and chill for an hour or more. This allows the breading to “set”.
4. Wiener Schnitzel taste best when eaten fresh from the frying pan. So, when your guests are having their appetizers, you excuse yourself and march back into the kitchen.
5. Add about an inch of canola oil to a large frying pan and heat to 350F. You may use a digital thermometer or do the “crumb test”: drop a few breadcrumbs into the hot oil, and when they start foaming instantly, the temperature is right.
6. Fry the schnitzel for about 1 1/2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other, or until golden brown. Place them on a platter lined with paper towels and cover with more paper towels to keep warm. That’s pretty much it!
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Breaded Schnitzel Ready For Frying
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It’s always nice to serve anything breaded with a lemon wedge. A squeeze of fresh juice helps awaken all taste buds, you know.
Great side dishes are potato casseroles, rice, or potato salad. Matter of fact, my next post will be about my best potato salad recipe. Stay tuned…
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Ah, I love veal and weiner schnitzel! We’ve got a really good German restaurant in Jacksonville where you can get this dish prepared as you mention. Lately, I’ve opted for the Jaeger Schnitzel as I like the sauce on mine.
[...] my last post about my best Wiener Schnitzel Recipe I recommended potato salad as a wonderful side dish. I also promised to share with you my preferred [...]
Chef – This is great. I’ve had weiner Schnitzel before, but never knew what it was. Your description and recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, Charlino – I’m so glad I could clarify a few things for you. Thanks for your nice comment. And check out my latest post on my best potato salad recipe – it goes so well with Wiener Schnitzel!
Wow that is a big piece of Schnitzel. Das sieht so lecker aus LOL
You speak German, Berto? Yeah, the traditional WS are huge but it’s often mostly breading, you know.
Gooden Tag Chef,
Great info as we have been looking for authentic recipie for Wiener Schnitzel, grosser or kline lol, fab and we shall try out your recipie and let you know how we get on.
Wedersien
Please excuse my German as it is not very good dispite spending a few years there.
Thanks for your kind (German) words, Angie. I can’t wait to hear your success stories!
Love schnitzels, any schnitzels…except the real Wiener Schnitzel. I started eating schnitzels when I started eating solid food. My dad’s schnitzels were always huge, my grandma’s not so much.
Ah, a real schnitzel expert! You seem to know exactly what I’m talking about, Bibiana – thank you for your comment!
[...] For further (mouth-watering) reading on this yummy subject – and a delicious Wiener Schnitzel recipe – I recommend that you visit my blog post: “Schnitzel Weiner? No. Wiener Schnitzel? Yes!” [...]