Authentic Wiener Schnitzel Recipe

Wiener Schnitzel is a veal cutlet that is pounded thin, breaded, then pan-fried until golden brown and crispy. Wiener Schnitzel is the national dish of Austria and derives its name from Wien, which translates to Vienna in the German language.

My authentic Wiener Schnitzel is an easy dish to make and is quite tasty. The crispy, crunchy exterior of the schnitzel compliments the delicate flavor of the veal nestled inside the breading.

The term schnitzel refers to any meat cutlet made from veal, chicken, pork, or turkey that has been pounded thin, breaded, and pan-fried. The name schnitzel comes from its crispy and golden outer layer and has nothing to do with hot dogs.

My easy-to-make Wiener Schnitzel is a classic recipe that can be made in less than thirty minutes. It makes a delicious light dinner and can be served with a variety of side dishes.

If you’re not a fan of veal, you can use slices of pork tenderloin to make a jägerschnitzel or chicken breast to make my Chicken Schnitzel.

Ingredients to make Wiener Schnitzel

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Wiener Schnitzel. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How to make Wiener Schnitzel

• Using a meat mallet (meat tenderizer), pound out the veal slices. Depending upon the size of the veal slices, you may need to add two pieces together.
• This is done by pounding out each piece, then seaming them together by overlapping the pieces and pounding them out a little more.

This cut of veal is sometimes referred to as veal scallopine

After pounding the veal into thin cutlets, the next step is setting up the breading station by placing the seasoned flour, eggwash, and bread crumbs into separate shallow bowls.

The next step is setting up the breading station.

• Add the all-purpose flour, salt, and black pepper to a shallow bowl and whisk to combine.
• Add two eggs and ¼ cup of milk or water to another bowl and whisk until well combined. This is the egg wash.
• Add the panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to another bowl and mix until well combined.

Some recipes add lemon zest to the bread crumbs, but a good schnitzel won’t have any additional flavors added to the cooking process. Wiener Schnitzel can be served with Jager sauce, Zigeuner sauce, or Frankfurt green sauce. But it’s traditionally served with lemon wedges and lingonberry jam.

• Dredge the veal in the flour mixture, completely coating the pounded cutlet.
• Dip the floured cutlet into the egg mixture to completely coat the veal.
• Add the egg-dipped veal to the breadcrumb mixture to coat the entire piece of veal.

Repeat the process with each piece of veal. Place small sheets of parchment paper or wax paper in between each breaded schnitzel to keep them from sticking together.

Wiener schnitzel can be frozen, breaded, and uncooked if needed. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a zip-lock bag for up to three months.

I used panko breadcrumbs, but you can use regular or gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this dish.

• Add ½ cup of vegetable oil to a large skillet (or large frying pan), then place it over medium high heat.
• Carefully place breaded veal cutlet into the hot oil and saute until golden brown and crispy (about 2 minutes per side). 

Remove the wiener schnitzel from the pan and place them on a wire rack or paper towels for one minute to drain the excess oil.

You can freeze the cooked veal schnitzel by separating them with parchment and wrapping them in plastic or storing them in a ziplock bag. They can stay frozen for up to three months.

Serve Wiener Schnitzel with lemon slices, German potato salad, tossed salad, cucumber salad, spatezel or french fries.

When served with a fried egg, anchovies, and a lemon caper sauce, this dish is known as Veal Holstein.

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