The classic German Jägerschnitzel combines tender, crispy-fried breaded pork cutlets served with a deliciously rich bacon mushroom gravy! This is truly a hearty pork entree that the whole family will love any day of the week!
Hearty, tasty Jagerschnitzel just like Oma made this classic German dinner!
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Jägerschnitzel Recipe
Do you have any of those old family recipes that you just love to make when you need a taste of home? This perfectly crispy Jagerschnitzel is one of those recipes for me!
Jagerschnitzel has a double effect for me as it also reminds me of Gustav's, one of my favorite restaurants in Portland, Oregon. My Pacific northwest nostalgia kicks in and I seriously crave some schnitzel and Gustav's heavenly Swiss cheese fondue with smoked bier brats or a chewy Bavarian pretzel! Yum!
What Is Jagerschnitzel
Schnitzel has many names throughout many countries! Your basic schnitzel is a thin cut of meat that has been fried. It can be made using beef, chicken, mutton, pork, turkey, or veal.
When we're talking about Jagerschnitzel, it is a pork cutlet that has been breaded and fried then served with a tasty mushroom gravy. The closely related Weiner Schnitzel of Austria and Germany is a geographically protected ( designation of origin ) recipe that is only made with veal.
Don't forget that 'traditional' and 'authentic' recipes are just as varied as saying you have the 'authentic' apple pie recipe! There are as many versions of each as there are our wonderful Grandmas that make them!!
Common Jaeger Gravy (Hunter's Sauce) Variations
- Wine - Whether or not you want to use wine is completely up to you! Purists may insist that wine has to be included. Half of them will swear by red wine, the other half by white wine. I'm not using wine in my jaegerschnitzel sauce, and it's absolutely divine!
- Cream or Sour Cream - Again, this component will be completely up to your taste! It's not used in my recipe, but can be added at the end when you remove the gravy from heat. Simply add a tablespoon of either half & half, heavy cream, or sour cream. Taste, and adjust as needed.
- Bacon - Definitely! But not for everyone. Sounds crazy, right?! Who can resist bacon? I suppose if I was out of bacon I could maybe live without it in my gravy. Maybe.
- Mushrooms - Mushrooms are definitely a part of my gravy recipe! They add an earthy tone to an otherwise rich gravy. However, some people will argue that only Pfifferlinge ( golden chantarelle or girolle ) mushrooms are to be used. It's past mushroom foraging season in Minnesota, so I have found that both button mushrooms and portabella mushrooms are equally wonderful in your jagerschnitzel gravy!
How To Make Jägerschnitzel
When making Jagerschnitzel, you'll want to start your gravy first. Finish the gravy and leave it warming while you move on to preparing a dredging station for frying the boneless pork chops or pork steaks.
Jägerschnitzel Ingredients
- Fats - The base of this rich and tasty gravy is the fat from the rendered bacon pieces and a few tablespoons of butter. They're the perfect combination for sautéeing the delicious mushrooms!
- Sauce - Your gravy sauce comes together with a tablespoon of tomato paste, a dash of Worcestershire sauce ( that can be replaced with browning sauce or Balsamic vinegar if desired ), plus two cups of beef broth. I'm a bouillon fan, so I can't help myself from adding a dollop of Better Than Bouillon to the gravy most times.
- Seasoning - Just a bit of salt and pepper, plus paprika, will round out the flavor of this easy gravy delightfully!
- Mushrooms - A traditional part of this easy-to-make gravy that adds a nice earthy flavor that is characteristic of mushrooms. Mushroom varieties are noted above, and typically include button mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, or chanterelle mushrooms. Can they be omitted if you have family members that don't like mushrooms? Certainly!
- Onions - Diced onions can be sautéed with the mushrooms after the bacon fat is rendered. I opted for dried minced onion in the plated jagerschnitzel you see here. It was added at the same time as the mushrooms to impart the onion flavor into the gravy.
- Pork - Pork steaks or pork chops are both wonderful as schnitzel! You need your pork cut to be about ¼ inch in thickness, and I will expand on tenderizing pork below.
- Breading - The pork is breaded in a basic breadcrumb coating with a simple three-stage dredging station. You'll need all-purpose flour, two large eggs, and plain breadcrumbs.
Preparing Your Pork Cutlets for Schnitzel
Tenderizing your pork cutlets ( either pork steaks or pork chops ) is optional. Once upon a time, the wild boar meat that the hunters brought in from hunting forays was tough and chewy. Modern-day meat practices yield tender cuts of meat, including the pork that we are using here!
I'm using pork shoulder steaks here. They're close to a ¼ inch in thickness so I have left them as-is. The beautifully marbled pork meat is absolutely tasty and wonderfully tender when done so I have not tenderized the pork cut. *I picture a certain blond, spikey-haired celebrity chef freaking out about meat being tenderized when I consider doing this.
Thin-cut pork chops, thick-cut pork chops that have been either butterfly cut and tenderized or cut in half for thin-cut chops, or pork steaks can be used for your schnitzels. If you opt to butterfly your thick-cut pork chops, you'll need to cut close to the seam and tenderize the chops to get an even thickness.
To tenderize your pork chops, place your butterfly-cut pork between two sheets of plastic cling film wrap. Use the smooth side of a meat tenderizer and gently pound the pork cutlet gently until the desired thickness is achieved.
Make the Gravy
- Pan-fry the cut bacon over medium-high heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of butter and melt.
- Sauté the diced onion ( or dried minced onion ) and sliced mushrooms for about 5 minutes. The mushrooms will shrink in size, losing moisture that will evaporate during cooking.
- Once the mushrooms are tender, add a tablespoon of tomato paste, the seasoning including salt, pepper, and paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth.
- Whisk to combine while bringing the gravy to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 - 10 minutes.
- The gravy will thicken while simmering. If the gravy has not thickened by this time, use 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the gravy to thicken. If gravy is too thick, add one tablespoon of water at a time to thin it. Stir and repeat if needed.
Fry the Pork Schnitzel
- Make the dredging station by using three shallow bowls or dishes. 1 with the all-purpose flour and salt and pepper for seasoning. 2 with two large eggs that have been gently beaten. 3 with the plain breadcrumbs.
- Move each piece of pork through the dredging station. Start with dipping the pork in the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour before moving on.
- Dip the floured pork into the egg. Coat thoroughly, but let excess egg drip from the pork before going to the final bowl.
- Set the egg-coated pork into the breading bowl and gently press into the breadcrumb. Pat crumb onto the sides of the pork but don't press the breading on too firmly.
- Heat a large, deep skillet or frying pan with enough oil to reach about half way up the sides of your pork. The oil should be hot enough to fry the pork over medium-high heat.
- Place one pork chop or pork steak into the heated oil at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, or until a light golden brown. Transfer cooked pork to a paper towel-lined plate.
Once the pork cutlets are fried they can placed in a warmed oven to keep heated while the remaining schnitzels are fried. Use the lowest temperature setting that your oven has to keep the pork cuts warm.
If your pork cuts ended up being a bit over ¼ inch in thickness, they can be transferred to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cook at 350ºF ( 175ºC ) for 5 - 10 minutes, or until they have an internal temperature of 145ºF ( 63ºC ) as read by a digital meat thermometer.
Warm the readied gravy if needed and serve over the fried schnitzels for your delicious jägerschnitzel dinner!
What To Serve With Jaegerschnitzel {German Side Dishes}
- Bratkartoffeln - Fried potatoes! One of the most popular potato sides in Germany, this side dish is made with boiled, peeled potatoes that are usually fried with onions and bacon. Try these pan-fried potatoes with onions ( and add some bacon ) to round out your pork meal!
- Kartoffelbrei - Mashed potatoes! German potatoes are more closely related to our red potatoes here in the states, not as starchy as russet potatoes. Try these garlic red skin mashed potatoes as the base of your schnitzel dinner!
- Nudeln - Plain cooked noodles! This is a super easy-to-make pasta side dish for many German entrees!
- Spätzle - Traditional German Spätzle is a thick pasta from southwestern Germany and a real treat with any German main dish!
- Grüne Bohnen - Green Beans! A delicious vegetable side dish of blanched green beans that are topped with butter-fried breadcrumbs!
More Great Pork Recipes
- Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops
- Brown Sugar Dijon Crusted Pork Roast
- Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
- Marinated Grilled Pork Chops
Jägerschnitzel
Ingredients
Jägerschnitzel Sauce {Bacon Mushroom Gravy}
- 3 slices bacon (thick cut - chopped into small pieces)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ½ cup onion (diced, or use 1 tablespoon dried minced onion)
- 1 lb mushrooms (cleaned, sliced - chanterelle, button mushrooms, or portabella)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (1-2 teaspoons, to taste)
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 2 cups beef broth
Schnitzel {Breaded Fried Pork Cutlet}
- oil for frying (enough so that the bottom half of your pork is covered)
- 4 pork steaks (or 2 thick cut pork chops cut into half-thickness, butterflied fully)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp each, salt & pepper
- 2 large eggs (beaten)
- ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
- parsley (fresh, chopped - optional garnish)
Instructions
Jägerschnitzel Sauce {Bacon Mushroom Gravy}
- Fry the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until browning and the fat has been rendered.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt with the bacon.
- Add the diced onion and sliced mushrooms, saute for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and the onion is translucent.
- Add the tomato paste, seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika), Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth.
- Whisk to combine and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- The gravy should thicken while simmering. If it does not combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the gravy to thicken if needed. If your gravy is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
Schnitzel {Breaded Fried Pork Cutlet}
- Using three shallow dishes, make a dredging station. Combine all-purpose flour with salt and pepper in the first, beat the large eggs in the second, and place plain breadcrumbs in the third.
- Move each piece of pork individually through the dredging station steps. Start with coating the pork in flour, shaking off excess flour before moving to the next step.
- Coat the flour-coated pork thoroughly with the beaten egg. Allow excess egg to drain off pork before moving to the next step.
- Bread the egg-coated pork with the plain breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumb into the pork gently, patting it onto the sides and all surfaces as needed.
- Pan-fry the breaded pork in a deep skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Use enough oil so that the heated oil comes up a bit over halfway on the sides of the pork cuts. Cook for approximately 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the fried schnitzels to a paper towel-lined plate when done and repeat for each pork chop or pork steak. Schnitzels can be kept in a warmed oven while the remaining pork is fried.
- Heat the gravy if needed before serving, then serve each schnitzel with a generous amount of gravy for a wonderful jagerschnitzel dinner.
Notes
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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