You'll be surprised how fast this easy Pork Schnitzel comes together!
Tender boneless center-cut pork, lightly breaded and served with a lemon butter sauce!
What is a schnitzel?
"Schnitzel" refers to a thin, breaded and fried piece of meat...typically a boneless, center-cut pork.
You'll often find this on American restaurants that serve German food...usually with a side of warm German potato salad and Spätzle and gravy (noodles with brown gravy.)
Interestingly, pork schnitzel is an Austrian dish with a German name...go figure:)
You'll love this recipe!
- Wicked fast - each pork chop takes about 4-minutes to cook
- Light - pork, "the other white meat" is relatively lean and pairs well with lemon
- Budget-friendly - center-cup pork chops are pretty inexpensive which is good if you're on a budget
Here's what you'll need:
For the easy Pork Schnitzel, you'll need: Boneless, center-cut pork chops, eggs, panko bread crumbs, flour, onion and garlic powder, cayenne powder (optional), salt and pepper; oil for frying
For the lemon sauce, you'll need: butter, cornstarch, lemons and salt
How to make it:
These easy pork schnitzels cook up really fast because the first thing you do is pat them dry then slice them in half lengthwise. This makes them super-thin, fork-tender and fast-cooking!
Set up a dredging station: one flat pan with lightly beaten eggs and another flat pan with panko, flour, and seasonings.
Heat a high-heat oil in a cast-iron skillet. Dredge pork cutlets in egg, then in panko mixture. Place in hot oil (about 300ºF); cook 2-3 minutes per side; remove and place on rack to drain.
A 10-inch skillet needs about 1½ cups of oil...
How to make the lemon sauce:
Make the quick and easy lemon sauce while the last batch is cooking! In a small saucepan, melt butter, whisk in cornstarch, add lemon juice and add salt to taste.
Cook's Tips:
Slice the meat in half lengthwise; this ensures a nice, thin slice which will be fork-tender
These cook fast so if you're making side dishes, make them first, then fry the pork schnitzel last.
Use a high-heat tolerant oil: canola, vegetable, peanut - do not use olive oil...it's not tolerant of high-heat.
Once you place the pork cutlet in the hot oil, don't move it for at least a minute or two; peek and see if the bottom is golden brown; if it is, turn it over
Pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF; you can use a meat thermometer if you want, but these cook in about 4-minutes when the oil is about 300ºF
How to properly thaw pork:
As with any other meat, you want to thaw it either in the fridge or in a bowl of tap water; change the water every 30-minutes until meat is thawed
Do not re-freeze thawed meat
What type of pork to buy:
Buy boneless, center-cut pork chops or slice a pork tenderloin into ¼"-inch slices. Do not buy "breakfast chops" or "bone-in" chops.
Reheating:
Turn oven to 375-400ºF and place pork schnitzels on a baking pan uncovered for about 15 minutes or until they're warm throughout.
Serving suggestions:
Serve crispy pork schnitzel with German or Southern Potato Salad and braised cabbage. Or, serve it over lemon infused noodles with a side of broccoli or asparagus!
Related recipes:
- 5-Minute Lemon Sauce
- Easy Chicken Piccata
- Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish Cream
- How to make the Perfect Beef Tenderloin
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment! I love to hear from you!
Pork Schnitzel
Ingredients
Pork Schnitzel Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless pork chops , (about 4 center-cut pork loins)
- 1 cup oil canola or vegetable, not olive
- 3 whole eggs slightly beaten
- 2 cups panko crumbs
- 2 tablespoons flour , all-purpose
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt , kosher
Lemon Sauce Ingredients
- 8 oz. butter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large lemons juiced
- salt to taste
Instructions
Pork Schnitzel Preparation
- Set up dipping and dredging station: 1 flat pan with slightly beaten eggs and another flat pan for the panko crumbs, flour, onion and garlic powder and cayenne; combine well
- Using a sharp knife, cut the pork cutlet in lengthwise; lightly season cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides
- Heat a heavy bottomed skillet with 1 cup oil on medium to medium-high
- Dip each cutlet into eggs, then dredge it in the panko crumbs; make sure both sides are well coated; add panko coated cutlet to hot oil. Do not move the cutlet until it has browned on the bottom
- Repeat process; work in batches; if the cutlets start to get too brown, pour the old grease into the trash, wipe out pan with paper towels, and add fresh oil; repeat until all cutlets are done. (Have a cooling rack nearby so as each cutlet can drain; cover cooked cutlets with foil).
Lemon Butter Sauce Preparation
- In a skillet on medium heat, melt butter; whisk in cornstarch; add lemon and stir well; season for salt
- Drizzle lemon butter sauce over pork schnitzel and serve
Notes
- This recipe is for four cutlets cut in half, eight total pieces of protein
- Cook them in batches, 3-4 at a time, depending upon the size of your skillet and burner
- Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145º F
- I used four small cutlets (about 2" x 4") and sliced them lengthwise for a total of 8 small pieces.
- I served two sides with the pork schnitzel and my husband had 3 pork pieces; keep this in mind if you're serving a larger group
- There's not much shrinkage on pork cutlets due to the fact that they're so lean in fat
Celesta says
This was really quick and easy! Thank you for sharing!