Traditional Wiener Schnitzel Recipe
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Enjoy Oktoberfest with this Traditional Wiener Schnitzel recipe! You’re bound to fall in love with this crispy veal schnitzel recipe with the perfect breadcrumb coating and tender and hot meat inside!
Oktoberfest has started as of September 16th in 2023 and it will go on until October 3rd! While I’m not much of a beer drinker (though I also don’t say no if it’s offered to me!), the food at Oktoberfest has always intrigued me! I’m not sure if I’ll actually frequent any outdoor Oktoberfest celebration (never say never, though!), but if you’re a home body like me and want to bring the festivities to your home, then making your own Wiener Schnitzel is the way to go! If you want to learn more about how having a theme can inspire you to cook up some new exciting creations, then be sure to check out my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun! With this authentic Wiener Schnitzel recipe, you’ll be able to take a trip to Germany right at home as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get these free goodies by signing up to my free email newsletter, plus you’ll have all of my new recipes sent straight to your inbox!
Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see exactly how to prepare an authentic Wiener Schnitzel with ease! It would mean a lot if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get cooking!
What is a schnitzel?
The word schnitzel comes from the German word schnitt, which means “to cut” or “to slice.” Schnitzel refers to the cooking method of pounding a cut of meat thinly. Then, that cutlet is breaded and fried. Schnitzels originated from Austria and they have a German influence.
What’s the Difference Between a Wiener Schnitzel and Just a Schnitzel?
You may think that a “wiener” is referring to a hot dog. In this case, it’s not! “Wiener” translates to “from Vienna.” That’s why a Wiener Schnitzel has the name - schnitzels come from Austria!
However, a schnitzel itself can have pretty much any kind of thin meat cutlet used! For example, you can use chicken breast, such as in my Lemon and Thyme Chicken Schnitzel recipe. A chicken schnitzel is referred to as a Hänchen-Schnitzel.
Other cuts of meat that are used to make a schnitzel include:
Pork, Schweine-Schnitzel or the “German schnitzel”
Turkey, Puten-schnitzel
With that said, a Wiener Schnitzel MUST be use veal for its protein. Believe it or not, the term Wiener Schnitzel is actually protected by Austrian law, so to call particular must be made of veal, and this definition is even protected by Austrian and German law!
You can also have other variations of schnitzels, such as:
Jägerschnitzel, also known as “Hunter’s schnitzel,” is topped with a creamy brown mushroom sauce
Rahmschnitzel, topped with a creamy gravy
Zigeunerschnitzel, also known as “Gypsy schnitzel,” is a bell pepper schnitzel.
What Cut of veal Should I use For wiener schnitzel?
The cut of veal that’s perfect to make a Wiener Schnitzel is veal scallopini. This cut of veal comes from the leg. Usually, butchers will slice it to order and pound the meat thinly for you when you go purchase it. All you’ll need to do when you’re ready to cook is to bread and fry!
Why You’ll Love this traditional wiener schnitzel recipe!
Perfect crunchiness: The breading will be so fluffy and you’ll get a nice crispiness while the meat will be tender and juicy!
Staple ingredients: You’ll soon see that the ingredients here are very common that you most likely already have! Perhaps you’ll need to visit your local butcher to get good cuts of veal, but trust me it will be worth the trip!
Easy: It seems that breading and frying could be time-consuming and complicated, but once you’ve practiced
Awesome for Oktoberfest: Now this recipe is perfect for an Oktoberfest party, or really any occasion! Who doesn’t love some good fried food? The veal cooks so fast that you can get these out piping hot and ready on the table for everyone in a flash, plus everyone is going to love them!
Dinner is ready in no time: I’ll be honest with you in that the prep actually takes more work than the actual breading and cooking! You do need the time to get your breading station ready and the oil heated up, but once you get started, it’s non-stop from there! I’ve noted a bread and cook time of just about 10 minutes!
Equipment Needed to Make Wiener Schnitzel
Ingredients for authentic German Wiener Schnitzel
Scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD that provides all ingredients and the full instructions for you to save for later. You can also use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make - individual ingredient quantities are automatically adjusted for you!
Veal: One scallopini per person.
All-purpose flour: This removes excess moisture from the veal scallopini
Eggs: These are a must to have the bread crumbs really stick on completely to the veal cutlets!
Bread crumbs: Regular Italian breadcrumbs for this recipe. Avoid any bread crumb package that has added seasonings and/or cheese - make sure the box says “plain.” We’ll be adding our own seasonings in the breading mixture!
Lemon: Some lemon zest in the breadcrumbs and a sprinkle on top to really add a nice zing!
Vegetable oil: This is necessary to shallow fry your Wiener schnitzel. You can use any type of oil that is neutral-flavoured and has a high smoke point. Other great options include canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, or grapeseed oil.
How to Make Authentic Wiener Schnitzel
Add enough oil to fill a pan 1/4 inch from the bottom and start heating on medium. Heat until the oil is around 350 F.
In the meanwhile, measure out the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in different plates or large bowls. Season flour with salt & pepper. Mix well with a fork.
Add lemon zest to the egg and lightly mix.
Working with one veal portion at a time, dredge the veal in flour, shake off excess. Dip the veal in the egg and evenly coat both sides.
Let excess drip off and coat the veal in the breadcrumbs, making sure to cover each side with an even layer of breadcrumbs and then transfer to the pan with the hot oil to fry right away.
Fry the cutlets for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Carefully flip the schnitzel with a spatula and cook for 1-2 on the other side and evenly brown each side.
Serve topped with a lemon wedge, freshly chopped parsley, and a German-style cucumber salad.
Enjoy!
How Do I Know the veal is Cooked?
If you’re like me and you’re actually more familiar with the chicken schnitzel, then you know how diligent you have to be when checking the doneness of the chicken. In my opinion, if you’re pressed for time, I think going for the Wiener schnitzel is the way to go! To be totally honest, you really won’t have to worry about the veal being cooked here because the meat is so thin, by the time the breadcrumbs are browned, the meat will definitely be cooked. What you should worry about, is overcooking the meat so make sure you keep an eye on the oil temperature.
HOW DO I KNOW THE OIL IS READY TO FRY?
One test you can do is to throw a few pieces of breadcrumbs in the oil. If they are floating at the surface and are slowly turning golden brown, then the oil should be ready. However, the oil is too hot if the bread crumbs are turning brown or become dark too quickly.
To bring your oil down to the correct temperature, you can reduce the heat of the stove. Alternatively, you can add more oil to the pan to regulate and bring down the oil temperature. You want to aim for a temperature range of 350 F to 375 F for shallow frying. Of course, the test still matters because your cooking utensil and its heat retention really helps decide which oil temperature is best for your setting.
On the other hand, if your oil is too cold, continue to heat gently until it reaches the desired range. Use an instant-read thermometer or repeat the bread crumb test to ensure you’ve got the perfect frying temperature.
Tips For A Crispy and Juicy Wiener Schnitzel
Season the veal before you fry it so make sure you generously season the flour mixture and if needed, you may need to sprinkle the fried schnitzel with a tiny pinch of salt as well.
Take the time to make sure that your oil temperature is perfect for frying. It’s worth using an instant read thermometer or to follow the breadcrumb test as described above.
For the crispiest and lightest coating of breadcrumbs, make sure to have the oil hot and ready BEFORE you bread it so that you can directly place the breaded schnitzel in the oil and start frying.
When the schnitzels are done cooking, place them on a wire rack on top of paper towel to drain out any excess oil from the breadcrumb coating.
You must serve your Wiener schnitzel IMMEDIATELY for best results and to ensure that the heat coming from the veal does not make the bread crumb coating soggy.
Because the veal cutlets are so delicate, it’s very easy for the breadcrumbs to fall off the meat when serving, even if you’ve carefully packed the breadcrumbs onto the meat. The best way to ensure the breadcrumbs don’t fall off is to use a fish spatula to manipulate and serve the Wiener schnitzel!
Can I use panko Breadcrumbs for Wiener Schnitzel?
As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, I always encourage you to use what you have in your fridge or cupboard before you go out and buy something new if there’s a feasible substitution. While it may not be authentic for you to use Panko breadcrumbs for this authentic Wiener schnitzel recipe, if that’s what you have, then go ahead! I usually choose Panko breadcrumbs over regular breadcrumbs for my recipes since I do love the texture and extra crunch Panko provides. However, if you’re going to claim that your veal schnitzel with Panko breadcrumbs is an authentic recipe… I would retract that statement! Otherwise, there’s nothing stopping you from using those!
What to Serve with classic wiener Schnitzel
Depending on the size of your veal cutlet, this can be quite a filling meal on its own! However, if you’re making this to celebrate Oktoberfest or just want to round out the meal, then there are plenty of options for you! Here are a couple of ideas:
Cucumber Yogurt Salad (as shown here, recipe coming soon!)
Steamed or grilled veggies: Peppers, green beans, or asparagus.
You could also serve in a creamy mushroom sauce, with some coleslaw, or over tomato-based pasta!
Can I make Wiener Schnitzel Ahead of Time?
I really would not suggest that you cook your Wiener Schnitzel in advance! This will only be at its best fresh. The meat will be tender inside and the breadcrumb coating on the outside will be crispy and not turn soggy. Reheating a Wiener schnitzel is probably not what the original inventors of the recipe had intended!
If you’re going to make Wiener Schnitzel for a crowd and want to be ahead of the game by doing some prep, what you can do is pre-bread the veal and All you have to do is heat the oil and fry when you’re ready to eat! I do this quite often so I’ve got prepped breaded chicken.
You can even freeze your breaded chicken in a freezer-friendly ziploc bag so it doesn’t get freezer-burned. You can keep frozen breaded cutlets for 3 to 4 months. Also, you don’t have to defrost your breaded chicken schnitzel overnight. While it’s best to do it, you don’t have to because if you’re cooking the chicken from frozen, that means the breadcrumbs will cook faster than the frozen chicken inside. To prevent the chicken from staying raw and to prevent the breadcrumbs from becoming too brown, you’ll have to play with the heat of your oil. If you want to avoid this headache, defrosting for a couple of hours in the fridge should do the trick!
Watch How to Make Traditional Wiener Schnitzel Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Traditional Wiener Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 2 veal scallopini
- 1 large egg, lightly whipped
- 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegetable oil, for frying
- lemon wedge, for serving
- fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Add enough oil to fill a pan 1/4 inch from the bottom and start heating on medium. Heat until the oil is around 350 F.
- In the meanwhile, measure out the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in different plates or large bowls. Season flour with salt & pepper. Mix well with a fork.
- Add lemon zest to the egg and lightly mix.
- Let excess drip off and coat the veal in the breadcrumbs, making sure to cover each side with an even layer of breadcrumbs and then transfer to the pan with the hot oil to fry right away.
- Fry the cutlets for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Carefully flip the schnitzel with a spatula and cook for 1-2 on the other side and evenly brown each side.
- Serve topped with a lemon wedge, freshly chopped parsley, and a German-style cucumber salad. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
563.26Fat (grams)
14.35 gSat. Fat (grams)
2.96 gCarbs (grams)
89.19 gFiber (grams)
6.72 gNet carbs
82.48 gSugar (grams)
9.35 gProtein (grams)
19.31 gSodium (milligrams)
728.83 mgCholesterol (grams)
93 mgNutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
