I loved studying German when I was in high school. I have so many fond memories from our EARLY mornings (German started an hour before school began). I was with a great group of friends and we always found ways to spice class up, like pulling pranks on Frau Meyers, wearing pajamas to school, earning gummibären to snack on, and having the “Great Autobahn Race” to class.
Of the three languages I studied in high school, German was the most natural to me. It was a fun language to speak. Words are mega long–“Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft” clocks in at 80 letters–and every chance we could, our teacher would have us sing the very guttural Hoch Soll Sie Leben. Plus, if you got guttural enough, you sounded like you would hock a loogie at any moment. I’m sure some of my class mates did!
Over the years I’ve made three trips to Germany (four if you include an overnight stay in Frankfurt to retrace my husband’s lost summer in college). It is a gorgeous country, with Bavaria stealing my heart.
During my first trip to Munich, we spent a day driving through the countryside to see the Bavarian Alps. Of all the things (and places) I have seen on this planet, the Bavarian Alps are still are one of the most amazing sights. “Majestic” doesn’t even do them justice. It was like driving into a postcard, with Neuschwanstein the crown jewel. During the trip we stopped in this beautiful little village. I couldn’t tell you the name of it, but I vividly remember the lovely glockenspiel clock set against the mountains. Here I am 16 or 17 years later with memories of that day so vivid that I can still tell you what I had for lunch in the pub we visited. Not many meals make that much of an impression, but for some reason I will never forget the gorgeous chicken schnitzel and spätzle I had that day.
Every year around Octoberfest, I think about that first trip to Bavaria. I was there in the summer (before the big celebration), but Octoberfest still brings the memories back. While Octoberfest would have technically ended a couple weeks ago–on the first Sunday of October–I decided to add an Octoberfest inspired meal to this week’s menu just because. And as you probably guessed, it had to be schnitzel and spätzle.
Schnitzel can be prepared with a few different proteins. Veal and pork are probably the most common. However, chicken is also an option you will run across. I personally like chicken schnitzel best, but you really can’t go wrong with any meat that is pounded thin, breaded and pan fried!
One of the more popular schnitzel dishes you’ll find in Germany is Jägerschnitzel or the “hunter’s cutlet.” Originally considered a very “manly” dish, it was made from venison or wild boar and served with a mushroom gravy. Now it is more commonly made with pork.
I do not eat a lot of pork (beyond cured meats!), so for tonight’s dinner I decided to take the gravy from Jägerschnitzel and pair it with chicken schnitzel. The combination is far from traditional, but sometimes you just don’t want naked chicken. Plus, in the spirit of my high school German classes, changing to chicken makes the name even more fun to say: Jägerhühnchenschnitzel. In fact, my daughter got the uncontrollable giggles when I told her we were eating Jägerhühnchenschnitzel mit käsespätzle for dinner. Between giggles she asked me if I could say that one 5 times fast. For the record, I couldn’t.
If you can’t say Jägerhühnchenschnitzel, don’t panic. (It’s a mouthful.) Whatever you decide to call this dish, it will be just as delicious.
Jägerhühnchenschnitzel (Hunter’s Chicken Cutlet)
Course: DinnerCuisine: GermanDifficulty: Easy4
servingsIngredients
- Schnitzel
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 tbs mayonaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
6 tbs olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
- Sauce
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups + 2 tbs low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and pepper
2 tsp sherry vinegar
2 tbs heavy cream (optional)
Directions
- For the Schnitzel: Turn oven on to 200F. Add flour to a large plate and season with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper as desired. In a large shallow bowl, whisk together egg, mayonnaise and mustard until combined. Add breadcrumbs to a separate large plate and toss to combine.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place one breast in a gallon size freezer bag or between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or heavy pan, pound to a 1/4″ thickness. Pound as evenly as possible. Don’t worry if meat tears. Set chicken on a plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken.
- Dredge chicken in flour, shake off excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture, allowing excess to drop off. Dredge in breadcrumbs, pressing crumbs to adhere. Set aside and repeat with remaining chicken.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil. When oil is shimmering, add 1-2 chicken cutlets as space permits and sear until crust is browned and chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer cooked chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Place plate in the oven to keep chicken warm. Repeat the process with remaining chicken, adding more oil as needed between batches. Keep chicken warm while you prepare the sauce.
- For the sauce: Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat until not too crispy and bacon foam develops, about 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add onion to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes, or until onions have softened and are translucent. Add mushrooms to the pan and sauté, about 5-7 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan by pouring in red wine and scraping any bits off the skillet. Once wine has reduced and 1/3 remains, add in 2 cups of broth.
- While sauce reduces, in a small bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons of cold/room temperature broth with cornstarch to create a slurry. When no lumps remain, pour slurry into the sauce skillet. Whisk constantly for 1-2 minutes to thicken sauce.
- Remove sauce from heat. Stir in vinegar and reserved bacon. For a creamer sauce, you can also stir in the optional heavy cream.
- Remove schnitzel from the oven. Plate chicken and cover with sauce. Serve with spätzle, mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables. Enjoy!
Notes
- While boiled potatoes are more culturally correct, I prefer this dish served with spätzle (also referred to as egg noodles or egg dumplings). You can make your own or Maggi is a popular brand found at online retailers or in most well stocked supermarkets.
