From cutlet to crunch in 20 minutes — the weeknight playbook from Toronto Kosher.
Pick your cutlet
- Chicken cutlets — the standard. Thin them out under a mallet and they cook in four minutes.
- Chicken scallopini — already pounded thin; the fastest dinner in the store.
- Veal cutlets & scallopini — the fancy one. Delicate, and worth it for a Thursday-night upgrade.
- Turkey cutlets — bigger and leaner; one cutlet feeds a teenager.
The three-station line
Flour → beaten egg → seasoned crumbs. One hand for dry, one for wet, and season the crumbs rather than the meat. Paprika, garlic powder and a little sesame make it taste like the bakery-counter schnitzel everyone remembers.
The fry
Quarter-inch of oil at 350°F — a crumb should sizzle instantly but not burn. Two to three minutes per side to deep gold. Drain on a rack, not paper towel, so the bottom stays crisp.
Make it a week
Bread a double batch: schnitzel freezes beautifully raw or cooked. Tuesday it's dinner with rice; Wednesday it's a sandwich; erev Shabbos it's cut into strips for the kids' table.
Skip a step
Chicken scallopini comes pounded thin already, so it goes straight into the crumbs — and dinner lands ten minutes sooner.