Classic Chicken Schnitzel With Smashed Cucumbers

By Sarah Copeland

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(210)
Notes: Read community notes

If making chicken schnitzel sounds hard, perhaps it’s because you’ve never tried. The technique itself is so simple, effective and addictive that you might find yourself turning to it all the time. For the crispest crust, you'll want to keep the hot oil circling the schnitzel as it cooks, creating a little space between the crust and the chicken. As for the side, giving your cucumbers and green beans a good whack with the rolling pin opens them up and creates crevices that soak up the harissa and garlic. Be generous with the squeezes of lemon at the end. They'll bring the chicken and spiced cucumbers to their fullest flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

6small Persian or hothouse cucumbers (about 14 ounces)
About 4 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4garlic cloves, smashed
2eggs, lightly beaten
1¼cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs
½cup flour
⅛teaspoon cayenne pepper
2large chicken breasts (about 1¼ pounds), split in half crosswise and pounded ⅛-inch thick
Black pepper, for seasoning
Peanut oil, for frying
1teaspoon harissa
2lemons, halved

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Smash cucumbers with a rolling pin on a large cutting board, to split them open. Break into bite-size pieces. Smash the green beans and toss them with the cucumbers, salt and garlic and drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Make the chicken: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggs, panko and flour in 3 separate shallow bowls. Season the flour with cayenne, and whisk. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat a thin layer of oil (about ⅛ inch) in your largest skillet.
Step 3
As oil heats, dip the chicken breasts, one at a time, into the flour. Shake off any excess and dip into the eggs, turning to coat evenly. Shake off the excess and dip into the bread crumbs, gently pressing the panko so it adheres. Holding the chicken gently by the ends to keep the coating intact, transfer to the lined baking sheet.
Step 4
When the oil sizzles, add the chicken, two at a time (if there’s space for them to fit completely flat, without overlapping) and swirl the pan to help the oil reach the sides and top of the chicken. When the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes, flip the chicken and swirl the pan again, cooking until both sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes more. When the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
Step 5
Toss the cucumbers, green beans and garlic with the harissa. Serve alongside the hot schnitzel with a lemon half for squeezing all over.

Tip

If you avoid nut oils for allergies, fry your schnitzel in a mixture of 3 tablespoons ghee and 1 tablespoon olive oil, or 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons canola oil. You can make the salad and the schnitzel up to 1 day ahead. To reheat the schnitzel, shallow-fry in hot oil for 30 second per side. Drain on a paper towel and season before serving warm, alongside the salad.

Ratings

4 out of 5

210 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Sarah Copeland5 years ago

Yes, the green beans are raw, but since they are smashed and seasoned they break down and loose that squeaky raw green bean thing. :) You could blanch them too--they will loose the snap but will soak up the flavors all the same!

Suzanne Leone5 years ago

So - are we not cooking the green beans here? They’re raw? Not usually a fan of raw green beans - would blanching them work here?

Charles E Dawson5 years ago

Smash/smush, I just don't find the flavor. Instead, chunk the cucumber into irregular shaped bite size pieces. For the string beans, quick saute them in olive olive (garlic, onion and pepper flakes optional), then cool them in the fridge. Sprinkle them with a white wine vinegar (Champagne or Chardonay) and make them the last thing you add to the salad.

Wm and Angela from South Australia5 years ago

Oven baking the schnitzel rather than frying in oil is more flavourful and healthful (two American words we love) in our humble opinions. Adding hot tomato sauce and cheese on top makes them an Australian favourite - Chicken Parmi

Maria5 years ago

You could probably also shred/julienne them for texture, so they aren't as fuzzy /squeaky (gotta reduce their mousey qualities).

Christie1 month ago

Fantastic! The whole family enjoyed this. We used the cutlets in buns to make some very tasty schnitzel burgers. This recipe has been added to the "make again" pile and we will definitely enjoy this in the future. I saw an interesting version of the recipe that included finely chopped rosemary in the flour along with the cayenne pepper and I think we might try that next time.

Froon3 months ago

I prefer to drain the schnitzel on a non-terry kitchen towel instead of paper towels.

JAM9 months ago

Delicious and easy. The unexpected surprise was that the cukes/beans seemed an unlikely pairing but were cool, crisp, fresh and great together.

lynda2 years ago

I’m with Holly on this- harissa powder or paste?

Sarah Copeland4 months ago

Hi Lynda, Harissa pasta would be preferred here!

Maggie3 years ago

I blanched the green beans and they were super tasty mixed up and let to sit in the garlic and salt. Skipped the cucumber and still was super tasty!

Ron Nemirow4 years ago

Made this. Unable to get chicken to 1/8 inch thick without fragmenting it. Used ordinary cucumbers which I peeled sliced and then smashed. Ran a rolling pin over the green beans, and that worked OK. Everyone liked it a lot. Not hard.

Tristan Seifer4 years ago

It’s miracle that my son asked for schnitzel today & I had all of the ingredients except the harissa - I subbed 1 tsp Vietnamese chili garlic oil. The smashed cukes dish was spicy and refreshing - a perfect accompaniment to the schnitzel. The only change to the schnitzel recipe I made was I didn’t swirl the pan. I used my large cast iron paella pan and swirling was out of the question. But the chicken came out perfectly nonetheless, crisp coating & tender meat. Highly recommend! Thanks!

Nadia4 years ago

This time consuming, messy and probably not the healthiest meal will impress and delight your co-quarantinees. There is no better time for throwing yourself into this. Thankful to have the means and time to make it. Would season the flour or maybe the meat a little more aggressively if we do this again. We had it with pasta, red sauce, and a basic green salad

Ron4 years ago

We liked the green bean/cucumber combo although the beans were a little tough to smash. Was definitely fun smashing the cucumber. Went easy on the harissa since my wife isn't a fan of hot.

Gabriela Palmer4 years ago

Still trying to find the harissa in the recipe. Is that for the cucumbers?

Jayne4 years ago

Loved this just as it is! Easy and with no condiments, quick and satisfying...my husband even ate the raw green beans and cucumbers without a scowl, as they were so flavorful.

Linda5 years ago

Why not use plain olive oil? Or a combination of olive oil and butter? Why is peanut oil or canola oil considered better here?

Peter5 years ago

equally good or better with boneless chicken thighs. Pounded thin as described. Fried 2 min per side 'til golden. Moist and tasty.

Holly5 years ago

This is the second recipe I encountered this week with harissa. When I asked for it at the store, they offered powder or paste, and I wasn't sure which one to choose....

Gina Bisaillon5 years ago

I prefer deep fat frying and reheating in the oven. Try that!

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