Chicken Schnitzel: A fresh change from comfort foods.
We have been having soups, creamy casseroles, breads and desserts to comfort us in the cold of winter. I decided we needed something crispy and fried. Fried food is a rarity at our house, we bake, broil, steam, lightly saute or braise. I remembered Chicken Schnitzel. It tasted so good, crispy, tender pieces of breasts of chicken with a crispy coating. It was a nice change.We look for comfort in foods, in the cold weather we look for comfortable clothes by wearing layers of tee shirts, sweatshirts, big sweaters, and warm pants.
Then comes spring and the unveiling! Will that be a shock to you? Have you found all your comfort foods around your middle? Are your scales a forbidden place to step? Does it sound like a lead into for a low calorie meal? It wasn’t that at all. Really just changed the flavor of comfort foods to foods cooked in olive oil.
I cut the chicken breasts into thin layers, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. I did not flatten the pieces, as in true schnitzel. I mixed an egg with 1 tablespoon water and prepared a pan of flour, cayenne pepper and a seasoning blend and black pepper. I dipped the chicken cutlets in the flour, then into the egg mixture and again into the seasoned flour. When the oil was hot in the skillet, I added the chicken cutlets to brown under a reduced heat, until crispy on both sides, about 4-6 minutes each sides to 170 F. This recipe was inspired by Winemonger.com. The side dish was roasted mixed vegetables, coated with olive oil, dried Italian Seasonings and black pepper. The vegetables are those on hand, this time we had potato, zucchini, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage and cauliflower. These were roasted at 525 F to tender and somewhat browned, 20-25 minutes. They were a nice balance with the Chicken Schnitzel.
We still had some sweet, warm, creamy, comfort food: Creamy Rice Pudding. This is a favorite recipe adapted from Chef Ron Lock’s Creamy Rice Pudding. I used long grain white rice, 1 cup vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup Carnation Milk and 1/2 cup water.
Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Flavour-Enhancer Spice Blend
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 4-5 tablespoons olive oil or less if desired
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in half, lengthwise or about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to get about 4 cutlets
- Mix the egg and water.
- Lightly season the chicken cutlets with cayenne and Flavour-Enhancer Spice Blend.
- Mix the measured amount of seasonings in the flour.
- Roll the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour.
- Dip in the egg to coat on both sides.
- Again dip in the seasoned flour, set aside while seasoning the rest of chicken.
- Heat the olive oil, hot, in a heavy skillet, the oil will sizzle when chicken is added.
- Place the chicken cutlets in the skillet to brown about 4 minutes.
- Sprinkle more black pepper is desired.
- Turn the pieces over to brown the other side for about 4-6 minutes.
- The temperature of the chicken should be 170 F when done.
- Lay the crispy chicken cutlets on a meat platter lined with toweling to drain excess oil.
Notes
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