Classic German Recipe: Pork Schnitzel

Schnitzel, in German, simply means cutlet, however many of us here in the United States have come to learn of the term through the ever popular pork schnitzel: a breaded and fried pork cutlet. We've already shared a similar recipe in our katsudon recipe, however this is a recipe distinctly German with a great sauce to boot.

For our recipe, we kept the homemade bread crumbs nice and simple. This isn't a hard or complex recipe, and we didn't want to make it hard either. For our the sauce, we combined some chicken stock with a little dill, salt, and sour cream to make a wonderful, creamy texture. Keep reading below for this delicious recipe...

Pork Schnitzel

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients

SCHNITZEL

• 7 large high quality sandwich bread slices, crusts removed and cut into 3/4" cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pork tenderloin (1 1/4lbs) trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut on an angle into 4 equal pieces
• salt and ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika

SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Place the bread cubes on a large, microwave-safe plat. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, stirring well halfway through the cooking time. Microwave on medium power until the bread is dry and a few pieces dart to lightly brown (3 to 5 minutes stirring every minutes). Process the dry bread in the food processor with the paprika into very fine crumbs (about 45 seconds). Transfer the bread crumbs to a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, spread the flour and season the flour with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. In a third dish, beat together the milk and eggs.
2. Use a meat hammer to pound the pork cutlets thin (1/4 to 1/8" thick). Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge the cutlets thoroughly in flour, shaking off the excess, then coat in the egg mixture, allowing to drip back into the dish to ensure a thin coating. Coat evenly with bread crumbs, pressing the crumbs on to adhere. Place the breaded cutlets on a single layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let the coating dry 5 minutes.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and cook 2 cutlets in the oil for 2-4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
4. Add the chicken stock into the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen the fond. In a small bowl mix together the dill, salt, and sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the chicken stock. Heat and stir until the mixture thickens (don't let it boil).
5. Serve the cutlets with the sauce and lemon wedges.
6. Enjoy!