Traditionally and originally, schnitzel is made using veal but you can use chicken for schnitzel or use any other kind of meat that has been flattened. I think chicken schnitzel is probably the most forgiving way to cook chicken. This chicken schnitzel is perfect with this creamy non-dairy mushroom and peppercorn sauce.
The breadcrumb coating keeps it moist inside with a crispy golden brown exterior. That is if you are doing everything right. I usually make my own breadcrumbs and I have used anything from white bread to whole wheat bread. Simply pop in the oven, crush finely and store for use later.
You can get your chicken schnitzel flat by pounding them flat with a meat mallet. Place the fillet between two cling film sheets and pound away. The seasoning on the fillets is black and white pepper as well as crushed black mustard seeds and salt. There is also a bit of seasoning in the flour used to dredge the fillet as well as in the eggs just so that everything tastes beautifully homogenous.
My favourite way to typically eat schnitzel is with a Jägersoße or a Pfefferkornsoße so in ode to these 2, I made a mouth-watering mushroom and black peppercorn sauce which is entirely dairy-free. How do you make a mushroom sauce without using cream? Simple. You use coconut milk for all that creaminess but without the dairy.
Coconut milk is a lovely replacement for cream and instead of butter, I used coconut oil. These chicken schnitzels are a delight to eat but the mushroom and peppercorn sauce is what makes really makes it worthwhile. You can also make this sauce entirely vegetarian or vegan friendly by substituting the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Chicken Schnitzel with Mushroom-Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 chicken fillets pounded flat
- black pepper finely crushed
- white pepper powder
- salt
- mustard seeds finely crushed
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- oyster mushrooms dried or fresh
- black, red or white peppercorns lightly crushed
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 200 ml stock vegetable, chicken or beef
Instructions
- Season chicken with black pepper, white pepper and mustard seeds.
- Add salt to eggs. Also season flour with white pepper and salt.
- Dredge chicken in flour then eggs and then breadcrumbs.
- Fry chicken in vegetable oil for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.
- For the mushroom sauce, sweat off onions and garlic in coconut oil in a pan.
- Add mushrooms to the pan and then add the stock.
- Add coconut milk, salt, and peppercorns and let the sauce simmer.
- Cook until the sauce has reduced.
- Serve chicken schnitzel with sauce.
Video
Notes
- When dredging your chicken fillets in the flour, make sure that your fingers are touching as little of the fillets as possible so that they get a good even coating of flour. The same applies to the eggs and the breadcrumbs. If you find it easier to use a fork then you can do that.
- Chicken schnitzels don't take long to cook especially when compared to other chicken parts like breast, thighs or wings as they are very flat. Keep a close watch on the cooking time as well as the browning of the breadcrumbs.
- It is important that your oil is hot before you fry your schnitzel. If not, your schnitzel will be soggy and the breadcrumbs may not stay on your schnitzel.
Monique says
Appreciate this post. Let me try it out.