Plan your whole week in seconds
Try it free
Wiener Schnitzel
Paper-thin veal pounded and fried in clarified butter until its breadcrumb crust ripples and soufflés away from the meat.
20 mins
10 mins
2 people
Austrian
Veal escalopes
2 x 200g
Plain flour
100g
Eggs
Beaten with 1 tbsp oil
2
Fine breadcrumbs (fresh)
150g
Clarified butter or ghee
Enough to shallow-fry
200ml
Lemon
1
Salt and white pepper
to taste
🍽️ Clarified butter (traditional)
→ Clarified butter or ghee
Regular butter burns at the required high temperature
🍽️ Veal
→ Chicken breast, very thinly pounded
Chicken schnitzels are excellent — common throughout Austria
Pound veal between plastic wrap to 3mm thickness. Season.
💡 Pro Tip: 3mm is the target. Thin = fast cooking = juicy inside, crunchy outside.
Coat: flour (shake off excess) → egg (let drip) → breadcrumbs. DO NOT press the crumbs in.
💡 Pro Tip: Never press the crumbs — loose crumbs soufflé away from the meat during frying, creating the characteristic rippled crust.
Heat clarified butter generously to 170-175°C in a wide pan.
💡 Pro Tip: More butter = more soufflé. Restaurants use much more fat than home cooks — this is why.
Fry schnitzel 2-3 minutes per side, continuously shaking the pan.
💡 Pro Tip: Constant pan movement keeps hot butter washing over the schnitzel, creating the soufflé puff.
Drain on paper towel, serve immediately with lemon.
💡 Pro Tip: Serve within 2 minutes. The crust softens quickly.
- ✓Never press the breadcrumbs — loose coating creates the soufflé crust
- ✓Shake the pan while frying
- ✓Generous clarified butter — not a thin coating
- ✓Serve within minutes of frying
- →With potato salad (traditional)
- →With lingonberry jam
- →With lemon wedge only