Pork Schnitzel
Crispy breaded pork Schnitzel is a fun, flavorful dish that can be prepped, cooked, and plated in just one hour! This german inspired pork schnitzel is a thinly pounded piece of tender pork breaded and fried to a deep golden crust. It is so amazing, and turns out perfectly crispy every time. Let me teach you all the secrets.
Serve with Oven Baked Steak Fries and Garlic Green Beans for a great meal.
We love this recipe because not only does it have a great flavor and texture, it can be a lifesaver of a dish because it can be made as a freezer meal too! Make it ahead and cook when you are ready to eat.
While I love a yummy slow cooker dish from pork like BBQ Pork Sliders, sometimes it is fun to mix things up with pork. And schnitzel is the best option available to you. Especially when I am really craving some comfort, fried food that can be made right on the spot.
Why Pork Schnitzel?
Classic Wiener schnitzel features a thin, tender veal cutlet coated in an ultra fine bread crumb mixture, that is then fried until it is puffy and golden brown. But I like to keep things eazy peazy. And finding veal (let alone paying that high price tag) is not easy. So instead we are opting for a more tender, more delicious, and way easier option–pork.
If you have ever tried pork schnitzel before you probably know it can turn out awful, dry, tough, and greasy. But we aren’t doing that here. This recipe is going to give you tender pork cutlets with that perfectly golden brown, crispy (not greasy) crust that is puffy and wrinkly like it is supposed to be found on Wiener schnitzel.
To achieve this, we opt for pork tenderloin, which has a mild flavor like that of veal but isn’t tough. Then you make your own cutlets by cutting the tenderloin crosswise on an angle into four pieces. You pound them. Bread them. And fry them up. Perfection!
What You Need to Make Schnitzel
You are going to love this Schnitzel. Just a handful of some simple, easy to find ingredients and you are on your way to a fun and delicious dish!
- Hearty White Sandwich Bread
- All Purpose Flour
- Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Pork Tenderloin
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Parsley
- Capers (rinsed)
How to Make Schnitzel
Total time: 60 minutes
With just a little prep you will have an amazing dish! Prepare the pork by cutting and pound the pork and seasoning it. Prepare the outer coating by drying bread and processing the bread into a bread crumb consistency. Then, prepare flour and egg mixture for dipping. Next, dip pork cutlets in the outer coatings. Then simply let the coating dry and cook the cutlets. Lastly, garnish and serve. You are going to love this recipe!
Step On: Prep Pork
Take your pork tenderloin, and cut the tenderloin crosswise on an angle into four pieces.
Place each piece of pork, with cut-side down, between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound to even thickness between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Repeat until all 4 cutlets are pounded.
Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step Two: Make Breading
Place bread cubes on a large plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, stirring well halfway through microwaving. Microwave on medium until bread is dry. Process dry bread in the food processor to a very fine crumb, about 45 seconds.
Step Three: Prep Dredging Station
Put bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
Spread flour in a second shallow dish.
Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon of oil in a third shallow dish.
Step Four: Dredge Pork Cutlets
Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets thoroughly in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into dish to ensure a very thin coating. This is what makes them nice and crispy. So be sure to coat evenly with bread crumbs, pressing on crumbs to adhere.
Place breaded cutlets in single layer on wire rack set over a baking sheet, and then let it sit for 5 minutes to let the coating dry.
Step Five: Fry Schnitzel
Heat the remaining 2 cups oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat to 375 degrees. (see note)
Lay 2 cutlets, without overlapping into the dutch oven and cook, shake the pot continuously and gently, being careful, and wearing heat proof gloves, until the cutlets are wrinkled and golden brown on both sides.
Transfer cutlets to paper towel-lined plate and flip cutlets several times to blot excess oil. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
Step Six: Garnish and Serve
Serve immediately with garnishes like lemon, parsley, capers, and boiled eggs.
With the traditional schnitzel garnishes of lemon, parsley, capers, and a sieved hard-cooked egg, these cutlets, are going to be your new favorite dish. Crisp, tender meat, and so much flavor.
Tips and Tricks for the BEST EVER Schnitzel
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy…
- No thermometer, no problem: In lieu of a thermometer to test the oil temperature, place a fresh bread cube in oil and heat the oil. Once the bread cube is a deep, golden brown, your oil is ready to go.
- Do NOT skimp the oil: The two cups of oil may seem like a lot—but it is necessary to achieve that classic wrinkled texture on the finished schnitzel, that you want so much. When properly cooked, the cutlets absorb very little oil. So use a full 2 cups for best results.
- Make sure the pork tenderloin is the optimum thickness: Pork tenderloins vary in size. So, although this recipe calls for one large tenderloin to produce four cutlets, depending on the size that may not be the case. Adjust for the size of your tenderloin, and try to get one that is 1 1/4 pound for optimal results. Instead of focusing on the amount of cutlets from each tenderloin, be sure the prep is correct, the key is to make sure the thickness of the cutlets are between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch when pounded. This is far more important than the total number you get out of each pork tenderloin.
- For a time saver, make ahead, freeze, and bake: If you want to get ahead of the game, make this ahead as a freezer meal. If you forget to defrost your meat ahead of time, in a pinch you can bake your schnitzel frozen instead of defrosting and frying. Or fry at a lower temp to give the meat a chance to cook through before the crust is that lovely golden brown.
- Get out all the necessary tools first before preparing the meal: No one wants to be scrambling for what they need while cooking. Have the necessary tools ready– microwave, a food processor, tongs, baking sheet, dutch oven, and paper towels.
- When prepping, allow for a realistic time frame: Carve out about an hour of time to make this dish, but know you can realistically make it in 45 minutes.
- Don’t skip steps: With a good schnitzel, you should be able to slide a knife between the meat and the coating. So how do you achieve that? It is achieved in a couple ways. One, drying out the bread in the microwave gives you extra-dry crumbs which helps with crispiness. And adding that little bit of oil to the egg coating helps separate the coating from the meat. And lastly, the frying method makes a huge difference. Shaking the pot so some oil spills over the meat during the cooking process helps solidify the egg in the coating, and steam the meat, creating that puffy, crispy coating you want.
- Garnish goes a long way: Do not skimp on the traditional schnitzel garnishes of lemon, parsley, capers, and a sieved hard-cooked egg. They make a difference in the end result, and give you that classic German weiner schnitzel result.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead and StorageHow to make this recipe ahead of time:
This Schnitzel recipe makes for a great make ahead freezer meal.
- Follow instructions of the recipe up to the point of cooking the schnitzel.
- Wrap schnitzels individually in plastic wrap. This will keep them from sticking together.
- Transfer wrapped schnitzels into an airtight containers or a gallon size freezer bag. Place in the freezer.
- When ready to eat, allow time for the schnitzel to defrost. Transfer into the fridge about 24 hours ahead of time to defrost.
- Once meat is defrosted, fry the schnitzel and follow the rest of the recipe’s instructions.
Storage and Leftovers:
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container.
- Schnitzel will last for about 3-4 days.
- Eat cold or reheat in the microwave. Make sure to reheat in a microwave safe dish.
Whether you eat now or later, this Schnitzel is truly delish!
Other Great Recipes:
- Fried Chicken
- Breaded Chicken Cutlets
- Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Veggies (Keto)
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (Low Carb)
- Smoked BBQ Pork Loin
Homemade Pork Schnitzel
Equipment
- Microwave for drying bread
- Food processor for grinding bread into crumbs
- Tongs for handling cutlets during breading process
- Wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet for holding
- Dutch oven for frying schnitzel
- Instant read thermometer for gauging temperature of oil
- Paper towels for draining fried cutlets
Ingredients
- 7 slices hearty white sandwich bread crusts removed, bread cut into ¾ inch cubes
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs yolk and white separates and passed separately through fine mesh strainer
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 lb pork tenderloin trimmed and cut on angle into 4 equal pieces
- Salt and Pepper
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons capers rinsed
- 1 hard cooked egg chopped
Frying Oil
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Take your pork tenderloin, and cut the tenderloin crosswise on an angle into four pieces. (see note)
- Place each piece of pork, with cut-side down, between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound to even thickness between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Repeat until all 4 cutlets are pounded.
- Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place bread cubes on a large plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, stirring well halfway through microwaving. Microwave on medium until bread is dry. Process dry bread in the food processor to a very fine crumb, about 45 seconds. Pour into a shallow dish.
- Spread flour in a second shallow dish.
- Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon of oil in a third shallow dish.
- Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets thoroughly in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into dish to ensure a very thin coating. This is what makes them nice and crispy. So be sure to coat evenly with bread crumbs, pressing on crumbs to adhere.
- Place breaded cutlets in single layer on wire rack set over a baking sheet, and then let it sit for 5 minutes to let the coating dry.
- Heat the remaining 2 cups oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat to 375 degrees. (see note)
- Lay 2 cutlets, without overlapping into the dutch oven and cook, shake the pot continuously and gently, being careful, and wearing heat proof gloves, until the cutlets are wrinkled and golden brown on both sides.
- Transfer cutlets to paper towel-lined plate and flip cutlets several times to blot excess oil. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Serve immediately with garnishes like lemon, parsley, capers, and boiled eggs.
Notes
In lieu of a thermometer to gauge the oils temperature, a fresh bread cube in oil and start heating, when bread is deep golden brown, the oil is ready.
This recipe calls for one large tenderloin to yield four cutlets. Pork tenderloins to yield four cutlets. Pork tenderloins vary considerably in size, with some weighting in at just ¾ pound. If that's the case, cut just three cutlets per tenderloin. The key is to make sure - are between ⅛ and ¼ inch when pounded.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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