Learn How To Make Wiener Schnitzel, A Classic German Favorite

My family’s ancestry is from Hungary and Germany so growing up I cannot remember attending a single family event that didn’t include Wiener Schnitzel.  My aunts would make piles and piles of it at every family event that I can remember attending. 

My mother always served these crispy pork cutlets with her delectably delicious Creamy, Dreamy Potato Salad.

When done right, these cutlets of meat are crispy and crunchy on the outside and the meat is melt in your mouth tender, on the inside.  Adding a spritz of lemon juice is how they are traditionally served.  It gives them a delicious fresh tang that compliments the crunchy umami, meatiness of these cutlets.  This is the ultimate comfort food for me. To this day, this is my all-time favorite meal.  

These are a simple meal to make, it just takes a little time to make it, so I typically reserve it for the weekends when I have a little more time to spend in the kitchen.  Breading is a pretty basic cooking technique that every cook should become proficient in.  It takes an ordinary piece of meat and transforms it into something truly delicious.  If you are familiar with how to bread meat, just skip to the bottom of today’s post for the recipe, but if you are learning and want the best helpful tips to ensure good results…keep reading and I will walk you through the process, step by step.

The items you need to make Wiener Schnitzel are most likely items you may already have in your pantry, flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, vegetable oil, salt & pepper. 

I typically use a pork tenderloin to make Wiener schnitzel; but a pork loin will also work. A pork loin is typically less expensive. It tastes just as good, it just won’t be quite as tender as a pork tenderloin. 

Traditionally, Wiener Schnitzel is actually made with veal, not pork and originates from Vienna, Austria. You will find it served in almost every German and Austrian Gasthaus or restaurant.

I also use Italian breadcrumbs, which isn’t the traditional way to do it, but I like the added spices that give these cutlets a little extra flavor.  You can use plain breadcrumbs, or even Panko, or a blend and still get excellent results. Use whatever you happen to have on hand.

Using a combination of seasoned breadcrumbs and Panko breadcrumbs will produce a crispier, crunchier cutlet when fried.

First order of business is to set up a breading station.  Set out a row of 3 shallow dishes.  Place flour in the first dish. Beat a couple eggs with about a teaspoon of water in the second dish. Don’t add too much water, a touch of water just helps to break up the egg white. Place breadcrumbs in the third dish. You will also want to set out a plate or platter at the end of your breading station to hold your breaded cutlets as you make them. 

TIP:  To cut down on waste, start with small amounts in each bowl. You can always add more to each bowl if you need more of a particular ingredient.  Once you are done breading your cutlets you will need to toss out any remaining flour, beaten eggs or breadcrumbs since you are dredging raw meat in them. It is not safe to reuse any of these ingredients.  

Next, slice the pork tenderloin, removing any excess fat.  Typically you won’t find much fat on a tenderloin, it’s a very lean cut of meat.  When you purchase it at the store, it comes two to a package.  Slice each roast into ¼ inch thick slices.

If cooking up an entire pork tenderloin is too much food, save excess pork using the BEST KITCHEN HACK EVER: Place any extra sliced pork into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag in a single layer and freeze it for later use. 

Best Kitchen Hack EVER!

Freezing cutlets flat makes it easy to store them in the freezer and it will thaw quickly when you need them for a meal.  To thaw, fill your kitchen sink with hot water, slide the sealed bag into the hot water, turn the bag over after a few minutes. The meat will be thawed and ready to use in about 5-10 short minutes.   

The next order of business is to lay out a long sheet of plastic wrap on a cutting board.  Place three to four pieces of pork on the plastic wrap, cover with the plastic wrap by folding it over your sliced pork. Use a meat mallet to pound the slices of pork to about a ⅛ inch thick.  Be careful not to get too carried away, you want to thin out the meat but you don’t want to get so aggressive that it shreds apart.  

IMPORTANT:  Do not skip this step.  It may seem like extra work, but there is a good reason for pounding the cutlets nice and thin.  It ensures that the meat cooks through and the breading stays a nice golden brown.  If the cutlets are too thick, the breading will burn before the meat cooks all the way through.  The goal is to get the cutlets cooked all the way through with a light crispy golden brown crust.

Peel plastic wrap back and season each cutlet with salt & pepper, on both sides.

Using tongs or a fork dredge each cutlet in the flour.  Press the meat into the flour, making sure it is completely coated with flour, then shake off the excess flour.

Using tongs or a fork dredge each cutlet in the beaten egg, allowing excess egg to drip off.

The final step in preparing the cutlets is to coat them in bread crumbs.  Be sure to cover them completely. Use your fingers to press the cutlets into the bread crumbs.  You want a nice even layer of bread crumbs coating each cutlet.

Transfer breaded cutlets onto a plate or platter and cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least a couple of hours; overnight is even better.  My mother explained that the breading adheres to the cutlets better if you refrigerate them before frying.  I have forgone this step in the past and still had good results, but if you have trouble with the breading not sticking to your cutlets, it might be that they need to be refrigerated for a while prior to being cooked.

I love that these cutlets can be prepared up to this point; it makes it a nice meal to make for entertaining.  All that is left to do is to fry these puppies up, and because they are so thin they fry up very quickly!

To cook, heat about a ¼ inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet, over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, fry each cutlet until lightly golden brown, turning them over to make sure they are cooked evenly on both sides.

Drain fried cutlets on a paper towel lined platter as you cook them up.  

If you are cooking a large batch of cutlets, keep them warm in the oven until you are ready to serve them.

Serve Wiener Schnitzel with a squeeze of lemon juice. Delicious served with a creamy potato salad, buttery mashed potatoes or French fries.

Thank you to my good friend Judy who has been asking to come over for a traditional German dinner. It gave me the perfect excuse to cook up a huge batch of these delicious pork cutlets. Like I really need and excuse to cook these up…LOL! They are an all time family favorite. Hubs took an insanely large amount of them to work for lunch the following day. No leftovers for me too enjoy ☹️ Guess I’ll have to cook up another batch soon. I doubt anyone in the house will be complaining about that as they gobble them up!!!

This post was originally published February 2019 and republished March, 2022 with new content.

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