How to chicken schnitzel - a.k.a comfort food :)

Buy or make your own finely crushed breadcrumbs. Mix in dry parsley, paprika, sesame, salt, pepper (or chili). Taste the mix and adjust the spices to your liking. experiment with additional spices.

I sometimes replace the classic breadcrumbs crust with ground almonds or walnuts. Tonight I was using both breadcrumbs and ground almonds.

You will also need 2 eggs, 1/2 lemon juice, a tsp of red paprika and tsp of dry mustard (or Dijon). I usually mix in the salt with the dry ingredients so I don't add it to the wet mixture.

Beat the eggs, mustard, paprika and lemon together. I got this really cute egg beater but I do a far better job beating with a fork.

And now for the star of the show... The chicken. Clean it well and filet each breast into 3-4 slices.

Beat it time... Take out that kitchen hammer and flatten out those slices. I filet my breasts ( that sounded wrong...) into 4 slices so I usually skip this step.

Time to put it together....

Coat a chicken slice in the egg mixture.

Transfer the chicken from the egg mixture to the dry mixture and coat it on both sides. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Optional: You can create little patties from the remaining dry and wet mixtures.

Frying time... (maybe I should spell it fr*ing time... It almost sounds like a swear word). Warning: if you skip this step and place the chicken in the oven you will miss out on the flavor

Set the temperature to medium high. Pour enough oil in the frying pan to ensure half of the chicken is swimming in it. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan.

The chicken will start shrinking in less than 30 seconds. So don't worry if the pieces overlap a little. After 3-4 minutes (depends on thickness) flip them over.

Almost there... Time to take out the first batch. Place on a paper towel to soak the extra oil. Keep an eye on the middle piece it is usually the first to be ready.

This is the second batch. The three lighter colored pieces are the almond crusted chicken. The darker three are the wet and dry mixture.

The wet and dry mixture will be ready in 1-2 minutes tops ( don't forget to flip it) so be careful not to burn it.

Done.

Notice how much oil is left over. So the good news is that its not all soaked in your schnitzel. The bad news is that its a waste that will now have to go down the drain.

Ta-da.... Almond crusted schnitzel pairs well with green beans and Dijon mustard. Breadcrumb crusted schnitzel pairs great with mashed or roast potatoes and pickles. Squeeze extra lemon if needed.

Got left over Breadcrumb crusted schnitzel? Extend the pleasure to lunch. Tastes delicious in a pita with mayo, Dijon and pickle. Or in a sandwich with mayo, Dijon, lettuce and tomato.

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