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Pork Schnitzel

Lean, quick, easy, protein-packed and crowd-pleasing, pork schnitzel is our schnitzel of choice!

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homemade pork schnitzel made with salt, pepper, flour, egg and plain breadcrumbs on a plate with lemon wedges for serving

One of Our Favorite Things: A Perfect, Crisp, Easy Pork Schnitzel Recipe.

Right up there with girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes and snowflakes that stay on our nose and eyelashes is a big slab of crispy, pan-fried pork schnitzel (with, or without noodles). Is there anything better on earth than a breaded, fried cutlet of juicy, tender meat? It’s just so delicious. Cooking this way is so genius, too. Pounding the meat tenderizes it, and cooking it quickly in a pan ensures that the meat doesn’t dry out—the crust helps with that, too. And not only is the finished result fun to eat, it’s really easy and fast to cook! OK, it’s not exactly the healthiest meal ever, but schnitzel also is far from the unhealthiest foods, too. Particularly our simple schnitzel recipe! It’s weeknight-ready and oh-so-delicious.

boneless pork chops, salt, black pepper, flour, eggs, plain breadcrumbs, vegetable oil, Lemon wedges in bowls on the counter

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What Exactly is Schnitzel?

Schnitzel is an iconic dish in Germany and Austria. Most traditional of all the schnitzels is probably Weiner schnitzel, which is most closely associated with Vienna, Austria and made with veal. Whatever type of meat is used to make your schnitzel, the process is always roughly the same. Take a cutlet of meat, pound it until it’s quite thin, bread it and fry it just until it is crispy and absolutely as golden and lovely as can be. Regular old pork chops are our favorite cut of meat for schnitzel, though. They’re pretty darn classic, too, and they’re much easier to find (and easier on the wallet) than veal. Lean, protein-packed and crowd-pleasing, pork schnitzel is our schnitzel of choice!

boneless pork chops on parchment paper with plastic wrap on top ready to be pounded with a mallet for pork schnitzel
pounded pork chops seasoned with salt and pepper on parchment paper ready to be dredged for homemade pork schnitzel
a pork chop being dredged in 3 bowl with flour, beaten eggs and plain breadcrumbs in them for making homemade pork schnitzel
pounded pork chops dredged in flour, egg and plain breadcrumbs on parchment paper ready to be fried for pork schnitzel

How To Make Schnitzel in 3 Easy Steps!

Crispy, pan-fried goodness is only three steps away. Like it’s pounded, breaded and fried cousins (hello tonkatsu! Ciao veal Milanese!) pork schnitzel is inherently very simple. It’s all about tender meat and a quick cooking time. Here’s how to make the best, easiest schnitzel ever:

  1. Pound the pork! Until it's about 1/4-inch thick.

  2. Coat the pork! First flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs.

  3. Fry the pork and eat it!

2 pork chops dredged in flour, egg and plain breadcrumbs being fried in vegetable oil in a frying pan for pork schnitzel

What To Serve with your Fabulous Pork Schnitzel

While this pork schnitzel recipe isn’t exactly the absolute healthiest thing you can possibly eat, it’s not too bad for you. Particularly if you keep the sides light, this is a quick supper that could absolutely have a place in your weekly rotation of dinner recipes! Here are a few sides that we love to pair it with:

Tools You’ll Need

homemade pork schnitzel made with salt, pepper, flour, egg and plain breadcrumbs on a plate with lemon wedges for serving

A Recipe to Love

Brown paper packages tied up with strings are fine and everything, but we would never call them one of our favorite things. Schnitzel, though, schnitzel is up there. We hope you love it too! And, in particular, we hope that you love our easy schnitzel recipe. When you try it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

Pork Schnitzel

  • Serves: 4
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  20 min
  • Calories: 544

Ingredients

  • 4 (1-inch-thick) boneless pork chops (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 11/2 cups plain breadcrumbs
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Method

1. Working with 1 pork chop at a time, place the meat between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound each pork chop to 1/4-inch thickness. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Place the flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. In a separate shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Place the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl. Dip each pork chop into the flour, turning to coat. Then dip it into the egg, allowing the excess to drip off. Press each pork chop into the breadcrumbs to coat evenly.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add 2 pork chops and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pork chops and repeat until the other side is golden brown, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining pork chops.

4. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top before serving.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories544
  • Protein47 g
  • Carbohydrates34 g
  • Total Fat25 g
  • Dietary Fiber3 g
  • Cholesterol174 mg
  • sodium596 mg
  • Total Sugars4 g

Pork Schnitzel

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Sarah

    Would this turn out well in an air fryer instead of traditionally pan frying it?

    Probably! We haven't tested it though to say for sure.

  • Dave

    What are your thoughts about cooking this on a flat top vs a skillet?

    Would probably be fine and delicious! Let us know how it goes, Dave.

  • Margaret

    I made this for dinner last night. It was so good; we couldn't stop eating! Thank you for another delicious, easy dinner!

    Thanks Margaret, we are so happy you loved it!

  • Jenn

    This is so good! I love the crispy-ness and it was super simple!

    Thanks Jenn, glad you enjoyed it!