Pork Schnitzel or Schweineschnitzel is a quick and easy recipe to prepare for those busy days where you want an amazing dish. Thin pieces of pork tenderloin are breaded and fried to perfection.
Some years ago when the Maser Taste Tester and I were in Vienna, we ate at a restaurant that had amazing Schweineschnitzel. The Schweineschnitzel was so large that it covered an entire plate and was a meal in itself. While this recipe for pork schnitzel does not cover an entire plate, it is just as delicious as what we had in Vienna.
Since then, I’ve been making Schweineschnitzel with pork tenderloin. It’s consistently perfectly breaded, perfectly fried, perfectly crispy, and perfectly delicious. It makes not only an incredible meal, but also one that’s quick and easy to prepare.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of Contents
Why You Should Make This Recipe
As I’ve already indicated, the pork schnitzel is absolutely delicious. However, other reasons the you should make this recipe include the following:
- Easy: This recipe is quite easy to make. The most time-consuming part is actually breading the pork.
- Economical: Pork tenderloin is relatively cheap, especially when compared to beef. In addition, the remaining ingredients are probably already in your pantry or refrigerator.
- Can Be Made In Advance: The pork schnitzel can be made in advance up to the point of breading it. I like to bread the pork early in the day and put it in the refrigerator for later on when I’m ready to cook it.
- Quick to Cook: Once the pork has been breaded and refrigerated. it is relatively quick to actually cook it.
- Versatile: This dish goes with a number of different side dishes. Therefore, you can dress it up or dress it down depending on the side dishes that you choose.
What You’ll Need
This recipe uses simple ingredients to produce an awesome dish.
- The Pork: I like to use pork tenderloin because it’s both tender and easy to pound to the perfect thickness.
- The Breading: The breading is a simple two-stage flour and plain breadcrumbs with egg and milk serving as the “glue” to hold the flour and breadcrumbs to the pork.
- The Seasonings: For the seasonings, I used nothing more than Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- The Oil: I like to use peanut oil to cook the pork schnitzel because of it’s high heating point.
Preparing the Pork
One of the key elements of pork schnitzel is using thin pork.
- First, I butterflied the pork tenderloin by slicing it horizontally with a sharp knife. I was careful not to cut the tenderloin all the way though.
- Then, I placed the pork between pieces of plastic wrap. I pounded the pork to a thickness of about ¼-inch, and cut it into serving-size pieces.
That’s it for the preparation of the pork!
Breading the Pork
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is actually breading the pork.
- First, I placed the flour, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag. Then, I whisked together the egg and milk in a dish and placed the breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
- I placed the pieces of pork in the Ziploc bag and gave it a shake to coat the pork.
- Next, I dipped the flour coated pork in the egg/milk mixture.
- After I had dipped the pork in the egg/milk mixture, I again coated it in flour and dipped it for the second time in the egg/milk mixture.
- Finally, I coated the pork in breadcrumbs, making sure that the breadcrumbs adhered to the pork.
- After each of the pieces of pork had been breaded, I placed it in a single layer on a wax paper lined plate. I refrigerated the breaded pork for at least an hour to allow the breading to set.
Cooking the Breaded Pork
When it was time to cook the Pork Schnitzel, I heated some peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. I cooked several pieces at a time, first on one side until golden brown and then on the other side until golden brown. This took 5 to 6 minutes per side.
When the pork was done, I transferred it to a plate lined with paper towels and allowed it drain while I cooked the rest of the pork.
I garnished the Pork Schnitzel with lemon slices and minced fresh parsley, and served it with Pommes Fondants and steamed fresh broccoli.
The Pork Schnitzel was perfectly breaded, perfectly fried, perfectly crispy, and perfectly delicious. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
I really like using the pork tenderloin in this recipe. However, I’ve also used pork loin in the past. It’s not quite as tender, but works well.
Once the pork has been breaded and put into the refrigerator, it can sit for several hours before cooking. The breaded pork can also be stored for a day or two in a Ziploc bag.
If there are leftovers of the cooked pork schnitzel, you can store them, covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. My preference is to reheat the schnitzel in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until warmed through.
Panko breadcrumbs work well in this recipe when substituted for the plain breadcrumbs.
Pork schnitzel is quite versatile in terms of side dishes. I like to serve steamed vegetables along with some type of starch. For the starch, Betsy’s Potatoes, Roasted Potatoes with Onions, Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto, Southern-Style Scalloped Potatoes, Easy Stove Top Roasted Potatoes, and Grated Potatoes Galettes all go well.
I first posted this awesome recipe on February 23, 2016. Since then, I’ve made it a number of times. You should make it as well!
Pork Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16-ounces) pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin and fat (See Tip 1)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup dried plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup peanut oil (See Tip 2)
- Lemon slices for garnish (optional)
- Minced fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Butterfly the pork tenderloin, making sure that you don’t cut all the way through. Place between two pieces of plastic wrap; pound to a thickness of ¼-inch. Cut into serving size pieces.
- Combine flour, salt, and pepper in Ziploc bag. Whisk together milk and egg in a flat dish. Add breadcrumbs to another flat dish. Bread the pork as follows: (1) coat pork in flour; (2) dip in milk/egg mixture; (3) coat again in flour; (4) dip again in milk/egg mixture; and (5) coat in breadcrumbs. Place in single layers on wax paper lined plate. Refrigerate for at least an hour. (See Tip 3)
- Heat about ½-cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add single layer of pork; cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining pork. Yield: 4 servings.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- May also use pork loin in this recipe. However, it won’t be quite as tender as the pork tenderloin.
- I like to use peanut oil in this recipe, but vegetable oil or canola oil will also work. I wouldn’t however use olive oil.
- This recipe can be prepared in advance for several hours up to the point of breading the pork and placing it in the refrigerator.
Fasntadtic tasting and simple.
Amazing!
Thank you.