We all know I take my German roots V seriously when it comes to food. Schnitzel was a way of life growing up when we would visit my Omi and Papa and today it's getting a spin in the form of this Chicken Schnitzel with Creamy Kale!
First things first - what is schnitzel. If you've never heard of it before - it's a thin slice of meat that's typically breaded and then fried in fat. More times than not, if you're in Europe, it's pork based. But in my family we did it 10 times outta 10 with chicken and fried it in some olive oil. Keeping it light over here in the Dalkin clan 🙂
That's the base of the Chicken Schnitzel with Creamy Kale recipe you'll find below. I've made it hundreds of times before. I'm 99% sure this is one of the reasons Thomas proposed to me. The other 1% is from my Chicken Parmesan recipe, which is basically another version of a glorified schnitzel but with red sauce and cheese. So it's safe to say - the man loves breaded and fried thinly pounded chicken! It is what it is!
Because it's fall, and cozy, and we're all hanging out at home more than usual, I topped this with some creamy kale so I could get my dose of restaurant style creamed kale in. The result was perfection. Crispy lemony bites of chicken with creamy cheesy kale on top. It's a match made in heaven and one that will be on repeat for the next few months!
If you need a handy tutorial on how to bread / fry a piece of schnitzel - I made one of you here!
Chicken Schnitzel with Creamy Kale
Ingredients
For the Schnitzel
- 4 4-6 ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Freshly chopped chives
- Lemon wedges
For the Creamy Kale
- 2 lbs kale, (roughly 3 bunches), stems removed and leaves roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
- 2 ounces grated fontina cheese
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the Chicken Schnitzel
- Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag, one at a time, and pound them so they are about ½ inch thick throughout its entirety.
- Prepare 3 bowls, one with flour, salt, pepper, lemon zest and the garlic powder, one with whisked eggs and the last with Panko bread crumbs.
- Place each piece of chicken in the flour, coating both sides, and shaking off any excess. Next dunk it into the whisked egg – let any excess liquid drain off. Next, coat it with the Panko breadcrumbs.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully place one piece of Chicken Schnitzel into the pan and let it cook for 3-5 minutes and then flip it over to finish cooking. Each piece should be golden brown on both sides.
- Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken. Once all the chicken is cooked, give it all a generous squeeze of lemon and a large spoonful of the creamy kale. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
For the Creamy Kale
- In a large bowl, add the kale and ¼ cup of olive oil and season with salt. Massage the kale to tenderize for 2-3 minutes. The kale should start to wilt and shrink.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in your largest pot or Dutch oven. Add the kale in batches, stirring to wilt even further until all the kale has been added. Cover the pot and cook on medium-low, stirring every few minutes, until the kale is soft, about 30 minutes. If the kale starts to brown, reduce heat to low and continue to cook. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice and remove from the heat.
- Break the cream cheese into small pieces and drop them into the Dutch oven with the kale, while still over low heat. Stir the cream cheese until it's fully combined into the kale. Add the fontina and heavy cream and combine for about 1 minute until the fontina is melted.
This recipe is so good it hurts!! It’s so satisfying. The creamy kale is bright from the lemon and you’ll eat it all!
Made this tonight and loved it! I believe you are missing chives in the method. I assume they go in with the flour mixture. Thanks for the recipe!!
Can't wait to make this tonight! Is curly kale ok? I couldn't get any dinosaur/lacinato. And one more question, how deep should the oil be in the pan for the chicken?
absolutely!! and just enough to cover the bottom of the pan! doesn't need to be DEEP
Looks fabulous! I love schnitzel, but have never had a chicken version. That creamy kale looks great too - reminiscent of creamed spinach. I'm looking forward to adding this to our Sunday dinner rotation.
This is Waaaayyyyyy better than a chicken nugget!! This checks all the boxes!! I just love the tenderness of this kind of preparation.
I can’t wait to try your chicken schnitzel recipe. I’ve never had that. There is a great German restaurant in Fredericksburg TX, where we have Jagger Schnitzel that is wonderful. They serve millet berry bread and the most delicious soup as well. They guard that soup recipe very well. We’re 350 miles away, but when it is gray and cloudy, I crave that soup and bread!