Chicken Fried Schnitzel

A Little Background

A True German-American Creation!
Chicken fried steak with country gravy is often thought of as a purely Southern classic,
but its roots tell a story that reaches back across the Atlantic.

German and Austrian immigrants brought with them a tradition of breaded cutlets
—schnitzel—prepared by pounding meat thin, coating it, and frying it until golden.
When those techniques arrived in America,
they met a very different landscape of ingredients. Veal was scarce,
but beef was plentiful, and buttermilk—already a staple in
Southern kitchens —became a natural addition to tenderize and give flavor
to this tougher piece of meat.
The result was a new kind of cutlet, one that stayed true to its Old World method
while adapting to the flavors and resources of its new home.

A True German-American Creation!
Chicken fried steak with country gravy is often thought of as a purely Southern classic,
but its roots tell a story that reaches back across the Atlantic.

German and Austrian immigrants brought with them a tradition of breaded cutlets
—schnitzel—prepared by pounding meat thin, coating it, and frying it until golden.
When those techniques arrived in America,
they met a very different landscape of ingredients. Veal was scarce,
but beef was plentiful, and buttermilk—already a staple in
Southern kitchens —became a natural addition to tenderize and give flavor
to this tougher piece of meat.
The result was a new kind of cutlet, one that stayed true to its Old World method
while adapting to the flavors and resources of its new home.

The transformation didn’t stop there.
In Europe, schnitzel was typically served crisp,
often with just a squeeze of lemon or a light accompaniment.
In America, the instinct leaned toward comfort and abundance,
and that’s where country gravy came in. Built from pan drippings,
milk, and pepper, it turned a simple fried cutlet into something
richer and more indulgent. Much like other smothered dishes,
the gravy softened the crust and brought everything together
into one cohesive bite. In that way, chicken fried steak with country gravy
stands as a true German-American creation—rooted in tradition,
but reshaped by the tastes, ingredients, and spirit of American cooking.

Prep

You can use a roast or slices of round or sirloin steak.
You can cut it similar to the way we do for Schnitzel.

My Schnitzel prep guide

Cut 4 nice Schnitzels
(I cut an extra one)

Also slice the onions and chop the bacon.

I pound it out fairly thin. Not every one likes it that thin but this is the German in me.

In addition I pound it with the teeth of the mallet to make it thinner.
My mother use to use the back of a knife.

Another option is to soak the cutlets in buttermilk. This is good especially if you have
a tougher cut of meat. 30 min to 1 hour is good if your in a hurry, and 4 hours you get
a nice tangy flavor addition. If you don’t have buttermilk, putting a 1/2 cup of plain yogurt,
with a cup of water works well to make a buttermilk substitute.

Here is the breading station set up.
1. coat each schnitzel with flour
2. Dip it in the egg wash.
3. Coat the Schnitzel with bread crumbs.

Let the Breaded Schnitzels sit for 15-20 minutes for the breading to set.

Meanwhile let’s make the Country Gravy.

You can either take 6 slices of bacon and dice them, or what I do is dice it frozen.
Here I diced about 6 slices worth or 8 oz.

Dice the onion as well.

Render the bacon in a large thick bottom pot or Dutch oven.

Add the oil and onions and cook till the onions are tender.

You can also add some sausage.

Add the flour and cook for 1 minute to make sure the flour is well blended and bubbling.

This cooks the flour enough so it isn’t “pasty” tasting.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer.

Pour in a bit of the slurry to thicken to a consistency you like.

A good rule of thumb, is if it coats the bottom of the ladel it is the right consistency.

Heat 2 cups of oil in a large heavy skillet to a medium heat.

It is ready to fry when you sprinkle a few crumbs in the oil and it sizzles.

Add one Schnitzel at a time and brown on one side.

Carefully turn the Schnitzel over and brown the other side, spoon some of the
oil over the top, to create the “Souflee effect”

Transfer the Schnitzels on a pan with paper towels
in a warm oven until your ready to serve.

By the way I did an extra Schnitzel.

I love serving the Chicken Fried Schnitzel with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Chicken Fried Schnitzel (A German American Creation) Ingredients:

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Ingredients

  

• 2 lbs Beef Steak Round Steak or Sirloin
• 2 cups buttermilk Optional
• Breading Station:
• 2 cups flour 240 gr
• 2 cups Bread crumbs 240 gr
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup 60 gr of the buttermilk, regular Milk or Water
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Country Gravy:
• 6 slices bacon* about 8 oz
• 1 large onion finely diced (about 8 oz / 225 g)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2.5 oz / 70 g
• 1 quart chicken stock 32 oz / 946 g
• 1 quart whole milk 32 oz / 946 g
• 1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper 0.1–0.2 oz / 3–6 g
• Slurry for thickeng:
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour
• *You can substitute sausage for some of the bacon
• or just add 4 oz.

Instructions

 

• I suggest you use a round steak or sirloin steak. You can cut it similar to the way we do for Schnitzel.
• Cut 4 nice Schnitzels
• I pound it out fairly thin. Not every one likes it that thin but this is the German in me.. In addition I pound it with the teeth of the mallet to make it thinner. My mother use to use the back of a knife. (Another option is to soak the cutlets in buttermilk. This is good especially if you have a tougher cut of meat. 30 min to 1 hour is good if your in a hurry, and 4 hours you geta nice tangy flavor addition. If you don’t have buttermilk, putting a 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, with a cup of water works well to make a buttermilk substitute.)
• Coat each schnitzel with flour
• Dip it in the egg wash.
• Coat the Schnitzel with bread crumbs.
• Let the Breaded Schnitzels sit for 15-20 minutes for the breading to set.
• Meanwhile let’s make the Country Gravy.
• You can either take 6 slices of bacon and dice them, or what I do is dice it frozen. Here I diced about 6 slices worth or 8 oz.
• Dice the onion as well.
• Render the bacon in a large thick bottom pot or Dutch oven.
• Add the oil and onions and cook till the onions are tender. You can also add some sausage.
• Add the flour and cook for 1 minute to make sure the flour is well blended and bubbling. This cooks the flour enough so it isn’t “pasty” tasting.
• Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
• Pour in a bit of the slurry to thicken to a consistency you like. A good rule of thumb, is if it coats the bottom of the ladel it is the right consistency.
• Now let’s fry the Schnitzel
• Heat 2 cups of oil in a large heavy skillet to a medium heat. It is ready to fry when you sprinkle a few crumbs in the oil and it sizzles.
• Add one Schnitzel at a time and brown on one side.
• Carefully turn the Schnitzel over and brown the other side, spoon some of the oil over the top, to create the “Souflee effect”
• Transfer the Schnitzels on a pan with paper towels. in a warm oven until your ready to serve.
• I love serving the Chicken Fried Schnitzel with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This dish has endless creative ways it can be prepared.
I would love to see what you come up with.
Please let me know.

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