Learn how to make gluten free schnitzel that’s crispy, golden and undetectably gluten free with only a handful of simple ingredients and your choice of meat cutlet: veal, chicken, pork, beef or turkey.
Good to Know
- Use your choice of meat:
- Schnitzel is simply the German for cutlet or a thin slice of meat. Unless you want to make a gluten free Wiener Schnitzel (in which case you should use veal) you can use chicken, pork, beef, turkey, whatever.
- Simple ingredients:
- Schnitzel is such an easy recipe to make, especially because of how basic the ingredients are: flour, salt, eggs, breadcrumbs and oil. Gluten free all purpose flour & breadcrumbs work just as well as regular flour & breadcrumbs – you will not taste a difference!
- It’s all about the prep:
- Make sure your meat cutlet is evenly tenderized and breaded. Fully heat the oil before cooking and cool your schnitzel on a wire rack to keep the breading nice and crisp.
How to Make Gluten Free Schnitzel
Prep the breading station then set aside until it’s time to add the breading.
Add to three large, shallow baking dished or plates:
- gluten free all purpose flour + salt (whisked together)
- whisked egg
- white, gluten free bread crumbs
Make sure to choose large dishes/containers for the breading ingredients to account for how much the meat will expand after you pound it out.
Tenderize the meat: Place the meat in between two pieces of plastic wrap, foil or in a large zip-loc bag then pound out into an even thickness using the flat side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin or even a heavy bottom pan.
The goal is to flatten the meat out so it’s very thin and even all over so it cooks quickly & evenly.
Bread the chicken: Work on at a time and make sure to lay the meat out flat so the outside gets thoroughly coated in breading.
- Coat in the salted gluten-free flour – make sure to get into all the little folds & crevices. Gently shake off the excess flour before moving on.
- Dip the meat into the whisked eggs and let the excess drip back into the pan.
- Finally, dip into the breadcrumbs. Press the cutlet into the crumbs and make sure not to leave any eggy bits visible.
Fry: When the oil is fully heated, carefully lower one cutlet to pan and cook about 2-4 minutes on each sides until golden brown.
Rest & repeat: Transfer the schnitzel to a wire cooling rack to rest while you finish frying the rest.
Tips
- Prep the breading station first so it’s ready when you need it. Save yourself the extra faff and knock this step out early.
- Bread the meat thoroughly. Make sure not to leave any bald spots or eggy spots visible before frying. This way you’ll end up with an even, crispy breading all over and prevent the meat from getting too greasy/oily while it cooks.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough. If the oil temp is too low, it will take longer to fry and absorb more oil than it needs which can make for a soggy schnitzel.
- Rest the freshly fried schnitzel on a wire rack instead of paper towels. This way the excess oil can drip off the breading and you get airflow all around keeping it crispy.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Gluten Free Schnitzel recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Gluten Free Schnitzel Recipe
The key to making crispy gf schnitzel comes down to how well you prepare it - pound the meat to an even thickness, thoroughly dredge in bread and heat the oil to the right temperature.
Ingredients
Schnitzel
- ¾ cup gluten free all purpose flour (105g) + ½ tsp fine grain salt - whisk together
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 cup white gluten free breadcrumbs (80g)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, turkey, pork, beef or veal cutlets (about 1½ lb | 680g)
- neutral oil suitable for frying
Instructions
- Breading prep. Assemble 3 large, shallow and rimmed baking pans or dishes. Fill the first dish with flour mixture, the second with whisked eggs and the third with breadcrumbs.
- Tenderize meat. Place a chicken breast in between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Pound the meat with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or a heavy rolling pin. Start in the center and work your way out toward the edges until the meat is very thin and even all over.
- Frying/post frying prep. Fill a large skillet or sauté pan with enough oil so that it's about 3/4-inch deep. Warm it over a medium-high or high heat until the oil is about 400°F (200°C). Line another large baking with foil or parchment paper and place a wire rack over the top. Place next to the stove top so you can transfer the schnitzel to the rack right after frying.
- Breading. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Next, dip into the eggs and let the excess drip back into the dish. Finally, press into the breadcrumbs making sure not to miss any spots. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
- Fry. Carefully lower one breaded cutlet into the oil. Fry about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through then transfer to to the wire rack to rest while you fry the remaining cutlets.
- Serve. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper then serve with fresh parsley and lemon wedges on the side or top with gravy and enjoy.
- Leftovers: Cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container in the fridge about 3-4 days.Reheat in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Spray or brush with a little bit oil first to keep it from drying out and cook on a wire rack over an oven tray.
Notes
- You ideally want your breadcrumbs to be pale to begin with so they're able to cook until nice and golden after frying. If they're golden brown to begin with, they might darken too much or burn.
- Keep some extra breadcrumbs on hand just in case you need a little extra to bread the last meat cutlet.
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