Wiener Schnitzel or Wiener style Schnitzel

“Wiener” means Viennese (from Vienna) in German. As the name suggests, the Austrians are accredited with the creation of the Wiener Schnitzel. The Wiener Schnitzel was perfected by the Austrians to become the delicious dish known today by every German and found in most German restaurants. However, the origin of the Schnitzel actually goes back to the 7th century Byzantine Empire.

The story goes that the Kaiser Basileios I (867-886AD) prefered his meat covered with sheets of gold. And what he liked soon became popular with the wealthy. But, this practice became too expensive, so an alternative was created – “yellow gold” (bread crumbs).

Over the years, the use of bread crumbs in coating meat spread to neighbouring lands. It was in Milan, Italy, in the 1800’s where the Austrian Joseph Graf Radetzky discovered a dish called “Costoletta alla Milanese” – a thick veal cutlet, coated with bread crumbs, and sauteed in butter. Radetzky, who was commander over the Austrian troops in Italy (1831 to 1857), reported military, political, and even culinary information back to the Austrian Kaiser.

Strauss wrote a nice Marsch for Radetzky.

 It was in Vienna that the recipe and technique was further perfected. Today, the large veal slices are a uniform finger-width thick. It is pounded thin, dipped in flour, egg, and bread crumbs, and fried in butter or oil to a beautiful, golden brown colour. (http://www.germanfoodguide.com/schnitzel.cfm)

Because I used chicken instead of veal, it looks like I made Wiener style Schnitzel and not Wiener Schnitzel:)).

It is very insteresting what I have heard lately in different places: you will make a mess making this dish, but it is worth it….

Are we  going to use gloves to cook?

Or we won’t cook anymore because wearing gloves are not healthy either??

Awful!

Anyways, I will prepare it. Very often I make  for the kids fast food style. Like nuggets. This can be something fancy too. A classical Hungarian lunch. Chicken broth with home made pasta and Schnitzel.

I wash the chicken breast, cut them in tiny slices, tenderize them, season with salt and pepper.

Than I will follow the 3 plates law: flour egg breadcrumbs:

I heat oil in a big pan, and I fry them on slow fire. I take them out when they are golden brown, put them on paper towel.

Sometimes I put grated cheese on the top of each of them.

Every single time I am very happy that I messed up my hands!!!