Classic Chicken Schnitzel With Smashed Cucumbers
Updated September 25, 2018
Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food styling: Vivian Lui.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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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 ¼ cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs
½ cup flour
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ pounds), split in half crosswise and pounded ⅛-inch thick
Black pepper, for seasoning
Peanut oil, for frying
1 teaspoon harissa
2 lemons, halved
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
36 grams carbs; 183 milligrams cholesterol; 863 calories; 28 grams monosaturated fat; 19 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 63 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 598 milligrams sodium; 40 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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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.
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.
Private Notes
Comments
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!
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.
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?
For anyone interested in trying something a little authentically German, do a creamy cucumber salad: 2 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced paper-thin ¾ cup full-fat sour cream 1½ tbsp white vinegar 1½ tsp sugar ¾ tsp salt for salting cucumbers white pepper 1 tbsp dill (optional) Slice cucumbers very thin, salt, 20–30 minutes to release water, squeeze lightly (you don’t want them bone dry), then mix 2-3 tb of the salted cuke water with dressing. Drain off excess water and mix cukes & dressing. chill 1–3 hours. The cucumbers will release a little bit more water so it becomes very than like a watery coleslaw but it is so good and fresh with schnitzel.
No notes! Also, didn't use green beans and I'm glad of it!
Everyone talks up panko crumbs. But I only buy sourdough bread and keep all the end cuts, dry them and put them through the chopper. I find these add a superb extra flavour to the chicken. It takes little time to prepare a batch. They dry on their own sitting in a basket. For some reason weevils don't go to them - they're always bug free. Keep well in a jar.