Chicken Schnitzel

Pounded chicken breast coated with a homemade breadcrumb mix and pan fried to a golden perfection.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Pieces

Ingredients

• 2  large chicken breasts, halved
• 1⁄2 cup  Club crackers, crushed
• 1⁄2 cup  panko  breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons Season-All salt
• 1  tablespoon onion powder
• 1  tablespoon garlic powder
• 2  large eggs
• 1  tablespoon milk
•  sea salt, to taste
•  vegetable oil, half inch in skillet

Directions

1. Pulse blend a handful of Club crackers to a course consistency to make about 1/2 cup.
2. Combine crushed Club crackers with panko breadcrumb, all-purpose flour, Season-All, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to an even consistency. Place mixture into a wide bowl.
3. Crack two large eggs into a shallow bowl. Add milk. Whisk until egg mixture is smooth.
4. Cut each piece of chicken into two halves. This is easiest to do when the chicken is cold and fresh out of the package as it will maintain a packed form. Hold the chicken in one hand with the narrow side facing you, and with a small paring knife cut a shallow slit from the top down the middle to the base. Continue long shallow cuts until you come close to the last cut. Place chicken breast on cutting board for the last cut to avoid injury.
5. Using a meat mallet, pound breast halves until size has just about doubled. Try not to pound too thin. Keep in mind the bottom halves of the chicken breast will typically start to fall apart, so avoid too much pounding with these pieces.
6. Lay out the pounded halves unto the cutting board. Wash hands and mallet. Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt on each halve. Flip each piece, wash hands and salt other side. If you have pre-portioned your salt into a ramekin, the need to wash your hands is not as important as cross contamination of this salt will be cooked out. Discard salt when finished.
7. Heat oil in large skillet. Only about a half an inch of oil is needed in the skillet, as you will flip the chicken while cooking.
8. Dip each piece of chicken into egg mixture until fully coated. Toss chicken into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the breadcrumbs into the meat to ensure a uniform and even coating. Lay each piece into the skilled, placing the end away from you to avoid oil splashing.
9. Watch the edges of the breaded chicken to start to golden, flip and continue cooking. Each side takes roughly 2 minutes.
10. If desired, while continuing other meal items, place cooked schnitzels on a cookie sheet and into an oven at 325 degrees. They can remain the oven warming for about 10-15 minutes before they begin to dry out. This will also serve to further crisp the outer crust.
11. Serve as a hearty meal with Mash Potatoes and Gravy, or as Chicken Parmesan by pour over a delicious tomato sauce and cover with provolone and parmesan cheeses with a side of pasta.