Nearly any boneless meat can be made “Schnitzel” style. We use wild turkey breast as an example here, but many other meats work fine. It’s just a generic term meaning a boneless cut of meat (normally without much connective tissue) pounded to make thin and tender, seasoned, coated and pan (or deep) fried. Depending on the size it might be butterflied before pounding. It’s a quick and easy cook.
There are many variations on the theme. If somebody says just “schnitzel” without specifying the meat, the default is pork loin. Some other common schnitzels:
- Wiener Schnitzel — veal cutlet
- Jaeger Schnitzel (hunters schnitzel) — venison or wild pig cutlet served with a rich mushroom gravy. If encountered in a US restaurant it won’t be from the wild. In Germany it might be.
Often served with salad and some form of potato, or spaetzle with Jager Schnitzel. One of my favorite meals while stationed in Berlin was the “Studenten Teller” (Student’s Plate) at a pub near my barracks. It was a pork loin schnitzel served with fries and a tomato/onion vinaigrette. Cheap and delicious.
If using a cut that may be tough or have lots of connective tissue, maybe run it through a mechanical tenderizer before pounding. Wild turkey breast, especially from an adult, is on the bubble when it comes to toughness. It’s VERY lean. I run it through the tenderizer.
One other thing – nearly all schnitzel recipes seem to call for pan frying in vegetable oil. Lard or clarified butter is a better choice. Maybe even bacon grease.
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servings
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- 1.5 lb boneless wild turkey breast — Cut into 4 "chops" then pound flat. Do not include the "tenderloin" unless you first remove the main tendon by cutting or pulling.
- 1 tsp salt — optionally "dry brine" by rubbing the salt on the meat before pounding, wrapping in cellophane or vacuum sealing then refrigerating a few hours or overnight.
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika — standard or sweet. Or experiment with smoked or hot (which would not be traditional)
- 1/4 cup Wondra — All purpose flour is an ok substitute if you don't have Wondra handy.
- 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs or panko — or white bread toasted then buttered, cooled and processed in a food processor.
- 1/2 cup clarified butter — or lard, or half of each. Whole butter would burn. Vegetable oil if you must. Bacon fat might be a good
- 2 eggs beaten
Ingredients
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- Optionally dry-brine meat ahead of time (see 'salt' note in ingredients)
- Pat meat dry (if needed), Optionally run through a tenderizer.
- Put meat in gallon freezer bag and pound until doubled in size, and thickness is even. Use rolling pin or meat mallet.
- Season with salt, pepper, and paprika (skip the salt if you dry-brined)
- Dip in flour, then beaten eggs, then bread crumbs.
- Heat fat/oil to about 375°F (190°C) in large skillet and place schnitzel in pan.
- Brown on both sides over medium/high heat, flipping a few times to keep browning even.
- Serve with a starch and salad. For a riff on jaeger-schnitzel, serve with mushroom gravy and spaetzle.
Serve with lemon wedges. Goes nicely with German potato salad or fries and a tomato/onion vinaigrette.