Crispy Homemade Chicken Schnitzel

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Crispy Coating

1. 1
   Spread the flour on a flat plate.

   💡The flour dries the surface, the egg sticks to it and holds whatever comes next. Without the flour, the coating tends to peel off during frying.
2. 2
   Beat the eggs in a wide bowl.

   Bowl

   💡Work with one "dry" hand for the dry coating and one "wet" hand for the egg, so your fingers don't get caked in layers of coating.
3. 3
   On another flat plate, mix the crumbs with the paprika, salt and black pepper.

To assemble

1. 4
   Slice each breast lengthwise into two thin slices.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 5
   Place the cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness of 1 cm.

   ⚙ Pound to an even thicknessMeat malletPlastic wrap

   💡Even thickness is the secret: a cutlet that's thick on one side and thin on the other comes out dry at the edge and raw in the middle.

   💡Pound gently from the center outward: the goal is even thickness, not the thinnest possible cut, and torn meat dries out as it cooks.
3. 6
   Pass each cutlet through the breading stations in order, pressing well so the coating sticks.
4. 7
   Heat the oil in a deep pan, 2 cm deep, to 170–180°C (340–355°F) and fry 3–4 minutes per side, until the coating is golden and crisp.

   ⚙ Deep-fryingStoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep skillet (sauté pan)

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C (340–355°F): too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
5. 8
   Transfer to paper towels.
6. 9
   Serve hot with lemon and salad.