Classic Chicken Schnitzel With Smashed Cucumbers

Name: Classic Chicken Schnitzel With Smashed Cucumbers
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: german
Ingredients: 6 small Persian or hothouse cucumbers (about 14 ounces); About 4 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning; 4 garlic cloves, smashed; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 1 1/4 cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs; 1/2 cup flour; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 large chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds), split in half crosswise and pounded 1/8-inch thick; Black pepper, for seasoning; Peanut oil, for frying; 1 teaspoon harissa; 2 lemons, halved

By Sarah Copeland

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(219)
Comments: Read comments

If making chicken schnitzel sounds hard, perhaps it’s because you’ve never tried. The technique itself is so simple, effective and addictive that you might find yourself turning to it all the time. For the crispest crust, you'll want to keep the hot oil circling the schnitzel as it cooks, creating a little space between the crust and the chicken. As for the side, giving your cucumbers and green beans a good whack with the rolling pin opens them up and creates crevices that soak up the harissa and garlic. Be generous with the squeezes of lemon at the end. They'll bring the chicken and spiced cucumbers to their fullest flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

6small Persian or hothouse cucumbers (about 14 ounces)
About 4 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4garlic cloves, smashed
2eggs, lightly beaten
1¼cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs
½cup flour
⅛teaspoon cayenne pepper
2large chicken breasts (about 1¼ pounds), split in half crosswise and pounded ⅛-inch thick
Black pepper, for seasoning
Peanut oil, for frying
1teaspoon harissa
2lemons, halved

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Smash cucumbers with a rolling pin on a large cutting board, to split them open. Break into bite-size pieces. Smash the green beans and toss them with the cucumbers, salt and garlic and drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Make the chicken: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggs, panko and flour in 3 separate shallow bowls. Season the flour with cayenne, and whisk. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat a thin layer of oil (about ⅛ inch) in your largest skillet.
Step 3
As oil heats, dip the chicken breasts, one at a time, into the flour. Shake off any excess and dip into the eggs, turning to coat evenly. Shake off the excess and dip into the bread crumbs, gently pressing the panko so it adheres. Holding the chicken gently by the ends to keep the coating intact, transfer to the lined baking sheet.
Step 4
When the oil sizzles, add the chicken, two at a time (if there’s space for them to fit completely flat, without overlapping) and swirl the pan to help the oil reach the sides and top of the chicken. When the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes, flip the chicken and swirl the pan again, cooking until both sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes more. When the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
Step 5
Toss the cucumbers, green beans and garlic with the harissa. Serve alongside the hot schnitzel with a lemon half for squeezing all over.

Tip

If you avoid nut oils for allergies, fry your schnitzel in a mixture of 3 tablespoons ghee and 1 tablespoon olive oil, or 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons canola oil. You can make the salad and the schnitzel up to 1 day ahead. To reheat the schnitzel, shallow-fry in hot oil for 30 second per side. Drain on a paper towel and season before serving warm, alongside the salad.

Ratings

4 out of 5

219 user ratings

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Comments

Sarah Copeland6 years ago

Yes, the green beans are raw, but since they are smashed and seasoned they break down and loose that squeaky raw green bean thing. :) You could blanch them too--they will loose the snap but will soak up the flavors all the same!

Suzanne Leone6 years ago

So - are we not cooking the green beans here? They’re raw? Not usually a fan of raw green beans - would blanching them work here?

Charles E Dawson5 years ago

Smash/smush, I just don't find the flavor. Instead, chunk the cucumber into irregular shaped bite size pieces. For the string beans, quick saute them in olive olive (garlic, onion and pepper flakes optional), then cool them in the fridge. Sprinkle them with a white wine vinegar (Champagne or Chardonay) and make them the last thing you add to the salad.

Christie1 year ago

Fantastic! The whole family enjoyed this. We used the cutlets in buns to make some very tasty schnitzel burgers. This recipe has been added to the "make again" pile and we will definitely enjoy this in the future. I saw an interesting version of the recipe that included finely chopped rosemary in the flour along with the cayenne pepper and I think we might try that next time.

Sarah Copeland8 months ago

@Christie Schnitzel burgers sound amazing! Good idea. A breaded chicken sandwich is my daughters favorite--excellent with mayo, cucumbers, slaw on a potato bun. Thanks for the good idea.

Froon1 year ago

I prefer to drain the schnitzel on a non-terry kitchen towel instead of paper towels.

JAM1 year ago

Delicious and easy. The unexpected surprise was that the cukes/beans seemed an unlikely pairing but were cool, crisp, fresh and great together.

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