Knock-ya-socks-off-good, this pork schnitzel recipe requires minimal prep and takes minutes to cook. Pounded out pork loin chops are coated with panko bread crumbs and fried in a cast-iron pan until golden brown. Serve with a fresh lemon wedges and you have one delicious dinner!
Oktoberfest is a traditional festival held in Germany around this time of year with lots of beer and good times; this year it runs from September 16th to October 3rd so there’s lots of time to celebrate!
To celebrate the festivities, I’ll be making this easy pork schnitzel recipe. Golden brown and crispy on the inside and juicy inside, what’s not to love?
Not only does it taste delicious, this pork recipe is super simple to prepare!
What is Schnitzel?
Schnitzel is meat that is pounded thin with a tenderizer or mallet (or something of the sort) and then coated with flour, eggs and a bread crumb mixture.
It’s then fried until golden brown. Because the meat is on the thinner side, it cooks rather quickly so it makes for a delicious and easy weekday dinner.
What Type of Meat for Schnitzel? How to Make Pork Schnitzel?
There are various types of protein that can be used for schnitzel, but today we’re making an easy pork schnitzel recipe for Oktoberfest! However, chicken would work lovely here, too, if you want to branch out and try chicken schnitzel.
I have to admit, it was quite therapeutic using that mallet on those pork loin chops.
Other than getting those frustrations out (so much better than yoga, LOL), get your dredging station ready, dredge and cook.
Basically, all you do is:
- Get your dredging station ready (i.e. flour, panko and eggs)
- Cover pork with plastic food wrap and flatten
- Dredge pork in flour, egg and panko
- Fry until golden brown and cooked through
Tips for Making this Traditional Pork Schnitzel Recipe
This recipe goes super fast! I would suggest getting all your prep work done, laid out and ready to go.
You want the pork schnitzel on the thinner side, about ¼-inch think so they brown up and cook through quickly.
Obviously, I just had to use my cast-iron pan for this one. Don’t have the heat too high. Medium is the way to go. You want to crisp up those panko bread crumbs and make ’em buttery and golden, but not burn ’em, which can easily happen if your pan is too hot.
Speaking of oil, what type of oil to use of pork schnitzel? Use something neutral with a decent smoke point, like grapeseed or vegetable oil.
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What to Serve with Pork Schnitzel
- Potato salad
- Potatoes with some parsley and butter
- Lemon
- Sauerkraut
- Simple green salad
- Spaetzle (type of pasta)
How to Garnish
I roughly chopped some parsley for colour and freshness and sprinkled on. There’s absolutely nothing fancy here, folks, just good, comfort food eats.
A little squeeze of lemon is always a good idea too!
I recommend serving these pork schnitzel immediately but, honestly, why would you wait?
Cheers, my friends!
Hope you love this easy pork schnitzel recipe as much as we do!
If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed!
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Traditional Pork Schnitzel Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork loin chops (approximately 4 ounces each)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (approximately)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg (approximately)
- 1.25 teaspoon salt , divided
- 1.25 teaspoon black pepper , divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoon grapeseed oil , divided (or vegetable oil)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon , cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
- Place two pork chops at a time, side to side, on top of a heavy-duty board covered with plastic food wrap. Place two layers of plastic food wrap on top of the pork chops. Using a mallet, pound chops to roughly ¼-inch thickness.
- Remove plastic food wrap and sprinkle pork chops with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Get your dredging station going: crack egg in a bowl and whisk to mix up. On a plate, add flour, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir to combine. On another plate, add panko bread crumbs, ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
- Dip each pork chop in flour, shaking excess. Then, dip in egg, shaking off excess. Then, dip in panko, pressing down to coat both sides.
- To cook pork schnitzel, heat 2 tablespoons of oil In a 12-inch cast-iron pan over medium heat.
- Add two pork chops and cook 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer cooked pork chops to a plate and set aside. Repeat to cook remaining 2 pork chops (heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil of before placing last two chops in the pan). Note: Cook time may vary, depending on the thickness of your pork chops.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with fresh lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
