Garlic butter schnitzel with lemon aioli is one of my favorite recipes.
Crunchy breaded chicken, garlicky butter, and creamy aioli,
finished off
with fresh parsley and tart lemon juice. It’s a match made in
whatever
heaven you believe in.
inspiration
There’s a pub in Edinburgh called Rose Street Brewery. It’s tucked away on—you guessed it—Rose Street, which is right off Princes Street. I loved walking through Rose Street because there was a canopy of fairy lights over it. Somehow, I never made it to this pub when I actually lived in Edinburgh, but it happened to be around the corner from our Airbnb when I went back with my mom and my sister for graduation.
We met my best friend for dinner in this dark, cozy, cramped pub. It was rainy and hazy outside, and we were all still damp from the walk over. The Scotland chill has a way of getting into your bones, and nothing but a hot shower or a hot meal can really chase it out. I ordered the garlic butter schnitzel with lemon aioli. The waitress said they couldn’t keep it on the shelves, and I understood when I took the first bite. It was so good. So good we went back the next night for another round, and those in the party who had not ordered schnitzel ordered it.
Maybe it was the schnitzel, maybe it was the high of graduation, maybe it was the giddy safety and comfort and joy of being with people you love—but this was one of the best meals of my entire life. I loved every bite and knew I could not possibly live my life without being able to make this when I was no longer in the city I loved, no longer with my best friend, no longer with my family.
When I made it this time, two months after moving to a state I’d never been to, it brought back those same feelings of comfort and loving and being loved.
why i love this recipe
In addition to being associated with good memories, garlic butter schnitzel with lemon aioli is delicious.
This one is a little bit of work but absolutely worth it. The thin, crunchy chicken, garlic butter, lemon aioli, and sharp lemon juice come together to make something spectacular. It’s happiness with every bite. This is a great one if you have a little bit of aggression to get out since you have to pound the chicken. Plus, you get to make homemade aioli! How impressive are you?
It’s the perfect dish to make your own memories with.
details
First things first: pound and marinade the chicken. Use a meat tenderizer if you have one, but a rolling pin will also do just fine. I like to do this in a gallon-sized freezer bag so you can just mix the marinade and dump it right in. Marinade it for at least 30 minutes, but preferably a couple of hours, if you have time. Don’t be alarmed if the marinade doesn’t smell great—buttermilk rarely does, but it’s a great tenderizing agent and it also helps chicken absorb some flavor.
We’ll bread the chicken by dredging it in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. The combination of Panko and regular breadcrumbs makes it extra crunchy. I always press the chicken into the breadcrumbs and then pat more onto any part that’s a little lacking.
Chilling them helps the breading stick to the chicken during frying, so it’s pretty important! I chilled mine on a plate, covered, with a piece of foil separating each chicken. Be careful to cover it all with clingwrap or something so little raw chicken breadcrumbs don’t get in your fridge.
details, continued
The garlic butter is lightning-fast to make. All it requires is a few seconds in the microwave if your butter is cold and some mixing, and then you’re done. Make extra if you think you’ll need it—don’t skimp! The aioli is a little more involved, but should also only take a few minutes, even if it breaks. I’ve included instructions for that, too—it happens to everybody and it’s easy to fix!
Pan-frying the schnitzel is also straightforward: about five minutes on each side in hot, shimmering oil, or until it’s cooked through. If your pan is big enough, pan-fry two at a time so the oil doesn’t get too hot and burn the breadcrumbs before the chicken is cooked. But don’t overcrowd the pan or else the schnitzel won’t get crispy, and that’s a key part of this dish!
Schnitzel is traditionally served with fries and lemon wedges. Feel free to switch up the side, but don’t skip the lemon wedges—this schnitzel isn’t complete without a good squeeze of lemon.
faq
My aioli broke and I’m totally panicking. What do I do? First, don’t worry—mine did, too. It happens to everyone and it’s totally fixable! If you’re new to making aioli, “broken” means it hasn’t combined into a smooth fluffy mixture. It might look runny and/or grainy. But no worries!
Here’s what you do: Microwave some water until it’s very very hot—as close to boiling as you can get. Take 2 teaspoons of that water and put it in a bowl. Start whisking right away, with some urgency, and add your broken aioli bit by bit, whisking the whole time, until it’s smooth and fluffy. This should also only take a couple of minutes! (I learned this from Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.)
Looking for another delicious, memory-making recipe? Try mushroom, spinach & zucchini lasagna, spicy scallion wontons, or gruyère & crescent dough bites.
garlic butter schnitzel with lemon aioli
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Marinade chicken. Put chicken in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and seal. Using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, pound all 4 chicken fillets to an even thickness. I like mine about as thin as my patience can get them. Mix buttermilk, Dijon, paprika, and 1 generous tsp of salt in a small bowl, then pour into the bag with the chicken. Seal the bag and shake/rub/do whatever you have to do to coat the chicken in the marinade, and refrigerate for at least anhour, but preferably a few.
- Bread chicken. When you’re ready to make the schnitzel, set up a breading work station:flour in one bowl or container, egg in another, and breadcrumbs in a third. Whisk the egg until it’s combined, and toss the breadcrumbs with your hands to combine the different types. Remove the chicken from the bag and shake off excess marinade. Dredge both sides in flour, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs.I usually press the chicken into the breadcrumbs on both sides to make sure it’s really coated. When all four are coated, put them on a plate separated by foil and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Make aoli and garlic butter . For the aioli: whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice and zest, and salt together in a bowl or a cup big enough for an immersion blender until combined. Then add the oil slowly, bit by bit, making sure it’s fully incorporated after each addition. You can do this with either an immersion blender or a whisk. Set in the fridge to chill. For the garlic butter: Soften the butter in the microwave until soft enough to stir. Stir in the garlic and the parsley, and set in the fridge.
- Make chicken. Heat a cast-iron pan or skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chicken two filets at a time (if your pan is big enough) but don’t crowd them. Cook them for 4-5 minutes, or until browned, then use tongs to flip and cook a further 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain briefly on a paper-towel-lined plate. Make sure to check for doneness.
- Serve. Divide the garlic butter between the schnitzels and gently smash it around with a fork on the top until it melts. Serve the aioli and lemon wedges on the side.
I made this recipe and it turned out wonderfully! I was lucky enough not to have my aioli break, but having the tip on how to fix it was definitely a comfort.