Schnitzel-style Chicken Tenders

Schnitzel is, as you are probably aware, a German classic.  But you mightn't know what it is.  Basically, it is veal or pork pounded thin and flat, breaded, then pan-fried.  It ends up being delicious and crispy, the perfect accompaniment to a tangy German potato salad.  A traditional one might be something for me to blog about later.  This blog, however, will be a riff on schnitzel-- a quick chicken strip dinner. 

Schnitzel-style Chicken Tenders
1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 C flour
1/2 C breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
butter and/or bacon fat

Begin by placing the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Pound flat with a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or other blunt instrument.  Your goal is an even 1/4 inch thick piece.  Cut it into strips, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.

On a plate or in a shallow dish, combine the flour with approximately 1/2 tsp. of some salt and pepper.  In another shallow dish, beat the egg and milk together.  In yet another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs with about 1 tsp salt and pepper.

Take a strip of chicken and coat it in the flour, then the egg, and finally the bread crumbs.  Repeat with each piece of chicken.

Finally, heat some butter, bacon fat, or even a bit of oil (or a mixture of those) in a pan over medium-high heat.  It doesn't need to be a lot of grease, but enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan.  Place the chicken in the pan and cook until crisp and brown.  Flip, and cook until crisp and brown on the other side; it shouldn't take long if you've gotten the chicken nice and thin.

Serve with a veggie of your choice.  It's better with something semi-acidic, like a salad with a  vinaigrette.  

While this is a quick meal, rushing it can lead to some problems.  I didn't get my chicken as thin as I would have liked, so the outside got crispy before the inside was fully cooked.  Try to avoid this by taking the time to get it FLAT.  If your chicken isn't fully cooked, do not despair.  Throw it in the microwave to finish cooking quickly.  It's not ideal, but it works.

I like my chicken strips with a sauce; a mustard-based sauce is very nice for these, because the acidic tanginess will balance the chicken nicely.  No sauce is really needed, though, or any sauce will do nicely.  Like BBQ?  Go with that.  Ranch?  Sure!  Eat it the way you like.