Pork schnitzel: how to cook it and what to serve with it
Pan-fry raw breaded schnitzel in hot oil, 2 to 4 minutes a side, to 71°C (160°F). Re-crisp cooked ones in the oven. Plus the classic sides.
The short answer
If your schnitzel is raw and breaded, pan-fry it in about ½ inch (1 cm) of oil at 350°F (175°C) for 2 to 4 minutes a side, until it’s golden and 71°C (160°F) inside. If it’s already cooked, re-crisp it on a rack in a 400°F (200°C) oven or in an air fryer until it reaches 74°C (165°F). Serve it with lemon, potato salad and cucumber salad, or spaetzle and mushroom gravy.
Our pork schnitzel has a following. Regulars buy them by the dozen, which tells you something. Schnitzel is simple: a thin cutlet, breaded and fried until the crust is crisp and puffed. How you cook it depends on which kind you brought home.
First, check what you’ve got: raw and breaded, or already cooked? The label will say, or ask us at the counter.
If it’s raw and breaded: pan-fry it
- Pour neutral oil, like canola, into a large heavy frying pan to a depth of about ½ inch (1 cm). It feels like a lot. It’s what makes the crust puff.
- Heat the oil to about 350°F (175°C). No thermometer? A cube of bread should brown in about a minute.
- Lay in one or two schnitzels, away from you. Don’t crowd the pan: the oil cools and the crust goes greasy.
- Gently swirl the pan so hot oil washes over the top. That’s what makes the crumb puff up and ripple away from the meat.
- Fry 2 to 4 minutes a side, until deep golden. Thin cutlets need less time, thicker ones more.
- Drain on a wire rack, not paper towel, which steams the bottom soft. Salt right away.
Pork needs to reach 71°C (160°F), Health Canada’s safe internal temperature. Check the thickest one with a digital thermometer, going in from the side. Keep finished ones warm on a rack in a 200°F (95°C) oven while you fry the rest.
Froze a few? Thaw them in the fridge overnight before frying.
If it’s already cooked: re-crisp it
Skip the microwave. It turns the crust soggy. Instead:
- Oven: on a wire rack over a baking sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping once.
- Air fryer: 375°F (190°C) for 6 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Heat it until the middle reaches 74°C (165°F), Health Canada’s number for reheating cooked food.
What to serve with it
- Lemon. A wedge on every plate. Non-negotiable.
- Potato salad. The southern German and Austrian kind is dressed with warm broth and vinegar instead of mayo.
- Cucumber salad. Thinly sliced cucumber with salt, vinegar, a little sugar and dill, and sour cream if you like it creamy.
- Spaetzle. Little egg noodles, buttered, to catch the gravy.
- Mushroom gravy (jägersoße). Brown sliced mushrooms and a chopped onion in butter, stir in a spoonful of flour, add a cup (250 mL) of beef broth and a splash of cream, and simmer until it coats a spoon. Schnitzel with mushroom gravy is jägerschnitzel.
- Red cabbage or lingonberry jam, if you want to go full Oktoberfest.
Leftovers: the schnitzel sandwich
In this part of Ontario, a schnitzel on a bun barely needs explaining. Re-crisp a cold one in the oven or air fryer, then put it on a crusty kaiser with mustard, a pickle, some lettuce and a swipe of mayo. Or eat it cold, standing at the open fridge. We won’t tell.
Leftovers go in the fridge within two hours, and Health Canada says to eat them within 2 to 3 days.
Making it from scratch
The recipe card below starts from plain pork. Ask at our butcher counter for boneless pork loin cut thin, and we’ll set you up.
RECIPE CARD · 4 SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork loin chops or cutlets, about 5 oz (140 g) each
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to finish
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1½ cups (about 170 g) fine dry breadcrumbs
- Canola or other neutral oil, for frying
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Put each piece of pork between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Season both sides with the salt and pepper.
- Set out three shallow dishes: flour in the first, the eggs beaten with the milk in the second, breadcrumbs in the third.
- Coat each cutlet in flour and shake off the extra, dip it in the egg and let it drip, then lay it in the breadcrumbs and turn to coat. Don’t press the crumbs on hard: a loose coating puffs better. Wash your hands and the board once the raw pork is done.
- Heat about ½ inch (1 cm) of oil in a large heavy frying pan to 350°F (175°C).
- Fry one or two at a time for 2 to 3 minutes a side, swirling the pan so hot oil washes over the top, until deep golden and the pork reaches 71°C (160°F).
- Drain on a wire rack, sprinkle with salt and serve right away with lemon.
Questions
What temperature should pork schnitzel be cooked to?
71°C (160°F), Health Canada’s safe internal temperature for pork. If you’re reheating a cooked schnitzel, take it to 74°C (165°F).
How do I keep schnitzel crispy?
Fry it in enough hot oil that it floats a little, drain it on a wire rack instead of paper towel, and don’t cover it while it’s hot. Trapped steam softens the crust.
Can I cook schnitzel in an air fryer?
Yes, and it’s a good way to reheat a cooked one: 375°F (190°C) for 6 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway. Raw breaded schnitzel works too if you brush it lightly with oil, but pan-frying gives a puffier crust. Either way, pork needs to reach 71°C (160°F).
What goes with pork schnitzel?
Lemon wedges first. Then potato salad, cucumber salad, spaetzle or mushroom gravy (jägersoße). Red cabbage and lingonberry jam if you’re going all out.
Food-safety temperatures: source 1, source 2, source 3 (Health Canada).