Chicken Schnitzel With Pan-Roasted Grapes

Chicken Schnitzel With Pan-Roasted Grapes
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Sylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(505)
Notes
Read community notes

No matter how you spin it, making schnitzel is a bit of a process. But by starting with thinly sliced chicken breasts, or chicken cutlets, this recipe removes the most time-consuming step — pounding the chicken — and makes schnitzel more doable on a weeknight. The contrast in temperatures and textures from the pan-roasted grapes and tangy sour cream make for perfectly balanced bites. Serve with a simple green salad with a lemony vinaigrette.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 2cups seedless red grapes, washed and dried (about 12 ounces)
  • tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • ¾cup sour cream
  • Zest and juice of ½ lemon
  • ½cup all-purpose flour
  • 2large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • cups panko bread crumbs
  • 4chicken breasts (about 1 pound total), pounded or sliced to about ½-inch thickness
  • ¼cup plus 2 tablespoons grapeseed, canola or safflower oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

866 calories; 43 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 18 grams polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 70 grams protein; 1189 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium. Add the grapes, 1½ tablespoons rosemary, the vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing often and smashing down some of the grapes with the back of a wooden spoon as they begin to soften. Transfer the grapes and their juices to a small dish. Wipe out the skillet with a damp paper towel and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the sour cream, 2 teaspoons lemon juice (reserve the zest for serving), and ½ teaspoon salt.

  2. Step 2

    Place the flour in a shallow bowl or rimmed plate. In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs and mustard until smooth. In a third bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon minced rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Working one at a time, dip the chicken breasts into the flour, shaking off any excess, then into the egg mixture, and finally, the panko mixture. Place the prepared breasts on a plate until ready to cook. (At this point, the chicken breasts may be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several hours before cooking.)

  4. Step 4

    Heat ¼ cup grapeseed oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (it should sizzle if you drop a bread crumb into the pan), place two breasts, evenly spaced, in the pan and cook for 1½ to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil to the pan and repeat the process with the other two breasts.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, spoon the grapes on top and sprinkle the lemon zest over the chicken. Serve with the lemon-sour cream on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
505 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

It takes an hour and twenty minutes to prepare this meal from start to finish.

Always pound/slice thinner than you think you need to. Cutlets thicken as they cook. 2 minutes a side likely requires a cutlet 1cm thick or less. Great recipe.

This is a good recipe, but the 20-minute time estimate is a joke. Also, it's written badly and backwards. The first step should be to prep the cutlets (which can take 20 minutes by itself). Then prep the sour cream, which is not all that necessary anyway. Then do the grapes (to which I added pomegranate seeds). Then fry the cutlets.

I love schnitzel and it's worth every minute it takes to prepare. One little thing that will make it even better: Use boneless thighs. They pound out beautifully and are NEVER dry.

And does everyone follow Jacques Pepin's advice never to put fried, crispy things on paper towels, but instead to put them on a wire rack, so that the bottoms don't become at all soggy? I do!

I used to do something just like this but with dangerously ripe strawberries instead of grapes. The sauce goes nicely with some steamed rice.

It's a great recipe and fried grapes are a great partner to many savory dishes. Also a good way to use fruit that has seen better days. An irritation in this recipe (as in many others) is not just the misleading prep.time but the fact that if you follow the steps, the fried grapes are set aside for ca. 20 minutes - why? Do you want cold, greasy grapes with your schnitzel? Of course not. So prepare the grapes alongside the chicken so that both are finished at the same time.

Very good! I bought breaded breasts and thighs from While Foods, and followed the recipe as written. Next time, as per a sheet pan recipe on this site, i’ll coat grapes lightly with oil and roast them for about 10 min. at 425 or until slightly shriveled and roasted-looking. Remove from oven, mash them a little, mix with the red wine vinegar and chopped rosemary. Roasting intensifies the flavor of the grapes.

This took under an hour for me, and was absolutely perfect. I made it gluten-free using brown rice flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs. I doubled the mustard with the eggs for extra flavor. My cutlets were not terribly thin, and I didn’t pound them, so cooked a little longer. They were perfectly crisp on the outside and juicy inside. The sauce is a nice complement. Add little more vinegar and smash most of the grapes, for some additional juice. Skip the sour cream, it doesn’t add to the dish.

I made it with pork since my husband is allergic to Chicken. Served with roast potatoes so the sour cream worked. I only had 1 cup of grapes so I added some quince paste to spread the sauce. Huge hit with everyone including my 4yr old grandson who said “We should eat this every night!” I had a tiny bit of sauce left and ate it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wow, was that delicious!

The head notes say that pounding a cutlet is too much for a week night... Grab two sheets of plastic or wax paper, pound for a minute or so... I think that is easier and uses the whole chicken breast.

We liked this very much, but the sour cream sauce, in our opinion, didn't add much. To simplify (and have a lighter dish), just serve the crisp chicken with the delightful grape sauce.

I'd never cooked grapes before, so this caught my eye. Very tasty dish! I'm not even a big fan of chicken breast, preferring dark meat, but this was excellent. Just one tip: I used cutlets or tenders (don't remember how they were labeled), but they were a little thick. I should have pounded them thinner. Mine browned very nicely, but did not totally cook through in the 2 min. per side. I kept them cooking at low heat for another 5 min. to ensure no pink remained. Skip the sour cream sauce.

This is a delicious—although the grapes could use a bit more liquid. Wine into the mix next time?

The more you make schnitzel--any kind of schnitzel--the faster and more sure the process becomes. Ten or 20 minutes should be all for the prep and sauteing. See Melissa Clark's technique for shaking the schnitzel as you saute.

Agree with others that the sour cream is not necessary, that the recipe (like most NYT recipes) takes longer than stated, though under an hour for me, and that you should prepare the chicken first. However, the savory-sweet grapes are delicious paired with the perfectly crispy cutlets. Yum!

I do not understand why everyone says this took so long. Either I’m doing something wrong or y’all are, but this was a fast and easy weeknight meal for me! It was maybe 35 min? And delicious. Strongly disagree with those that said to skip the sour cream. It balanced out the grapes so well, I only thought one didn’t need quite as much as it said. I served this over sautéed garlic spinach which was the absolute perfect complement.

This was horrible. Had to throw it all out.

This was great but only with some tweaks. Definitely pound the chicken breasts until twice their size. Per other peoples' notes, I doubled the amount of the sauce. When I pan-roasted the grapes and then mashed them, they gave up very little liquid and what liquid did come out was quickly evaporated. So, I deglazed the pan with some white wine, tasted it and decided it needed something more so I added some cognac. After letting it cool a bit, I finished the sauce with a knob of cold butter.

I've made chicken schnitzel based on NY Times recipes, and I'd skip the grapes and serve the schnitzel with a lemon wedge and some sauerkraut. Leftovers make a great sandwich with some melted cheddar, spicy mayo, and a really ripe tomato.

Lots of comments about how long this takes to put together. I don't get why it is taking these people so long. I can pound out a breast in a minute or so. I pull out a large piece of cling wrap and fold it over the chicken. My tenderizer/mallet flattens them out in no time. I'd do chicken prep/sour cream/grapes/ breading and frying the chicken. It's pretty tasty. In Germany and Austria I have had Weiner schnitzel many times. It is almost always served with lingon berries and sour cream.

If you're going to take the trouble to prepare schnitzel and spray grease all over your cook top, this recipe is the one that's worth the trouble and the mess. And then some. The grapes and sour cream sauce are absolutely delicious.

Added garlic powder to the panko crumbs and used season salt instead of regular. Based on other commenters' feedback, I left the chicken on the pan for 2:30 per side. Turned out delicious - will definitely make it again!

Pound the chicken breasts much MUCH thinner than you think is adequate. Don't trust the ruler!

Deceptively easy and very delicious. I was worried about the mustard but added both Tsp (I only had yellow mustard so that might’ve been it) and didn’t taste it at all. The pan roasted grapes were a revelation. I served it with buttery dill new potatoes, French 75s and a Rhône Valley white blend.

Good. Might be good with raspberries

A delicious recipe! Used what I had, boneless skinless chicken thighs, and fine bread crumbs. Made it for two but used the 2 full cups of grapes because we love sauce. Didn’t have any sour cream or crème fresh but didn’t really need it. Excellent!

Instead of frying the chicken, I would place on wire wracks and BAKE the cutlets. While they're baking, prepare the rest of the recipe. I usually bake cutlets that are prepared like these and they come out nice and crisp... no oil needed.

And does everyone follow Jacques Pepin's advice never to put fried, crispy things on paper towels, but instead to put them on a wire rack, so that the bottoms don't become at all soggy? I do!

The head notes say that pounding a cutlet is too much for a week night... Grab two sheets of plastic or wax paper, pound for a minute or so... I think that is easier and uses the whole chicken breast.

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