Pork Schnitzel & Mushroom Gravy (Jägerschnitzel)

Mom’s Pork Schnitzel is crisp and golden brown on the outside, and tender on the inside. Serve the pan-fried pork chops with a quick mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, rice or noodles, and a simple green vegetable. Jägerschnitzel is an easy 30-minute weeknight dinner that makes everyone at the table happy!

German Pork Schnitzel

Pork schnitzel, also called Jägerschnitzel, is one of Germany’s most popular dishes. This simple meal consists of crispy pan-fried breaded pork cutlets with a brown mushroom gravy. The pork and gravy are often served with a dollop of lingonberry jam, lemon wedges, buttered parsley potatoes, a simple potato salad, or French fries — but it’s versatile! Your family might enjoy the meat alongside mashed potatoes, egg noodles or a loaf of crusty bread. Pair it with a light and easy vegetable side like salad or steamed green beans and your meal is done — in about 30 minutes!

My mom’s easy pork schnitzel recipe takes advantage of simple pantry ingredients and a packet of brown gravy mix! It’s quick enough that you can pull the dinner together on a busy weeknight, and you can serve individual plates that suit your family’s preferences. For instances, skip the mushroom gravy altogether, or leave it off of the kids’ plates. Pick everyone’s favorite sides and you’ll have a table full of smiling faces!

The Best Cut of Pork for Schnitzel

“Schnitzel” refers to the cooking method that involves pounding a piece of meat so that it’s thin and tender, lightly coating that meat in a flour, egg, and breadcrumb mixture, and then quickly pan-frying it. There are endless varieties of schnitzel, depending on the type of meat used and how the dish is served. For instance, veal schnitzel is called Wiener Schnitzel, Schweineschnitzel is traditionally made with pork chops, and Jaegerschnitzel is served with a rich, brown, mushroom gravy.

Boneless pork chops are the best cut to use for pork schnitzel. They’re easy to pound into thin cutlets, they’re tender when pan-fried (since they don’t require a low-and-slow cooking method like other tougher cuts of pork), and they’re the perfect size.

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pork chop schnitzel recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Boneless pork chops: place each chop between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to pound the chops to ¼-inch thickness.
• All-purpose flour: helps the egg adhere to the meat.
• Eggs: help the breading adhere to the meat.
• Panko breadcrumbs: crispier than regular breadcrumbs, Panko is the top choice in this recipe.
• Vegetable oil: for frying the pork. You can substitute with other neutral oils that also have a high smoke point, such as canola oil.
• Butter: to sauté the mushrooms.
• Mushrooms: for the gravy. I use pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms for convenience, but white button mushrooms are also a great option.
• Brown gravy mix: this is the quick and easy shortcut that Mom uses — a packet of gravy mix made by McCormick.
• Cold water and white wine: for the gravy. If you don’t like to cook with alcohol, just omit the wine.
• Sour cream: adds a touch of tangy creaminess to the gravy.

How to Make Pork Schnitzel in a Frying Pan

This easy pork schnitzel recipe comes together from start to finish in about 30 minutes, making it a perfect family-friendly weeknight dinner.

1. Season the pounded pork with salt and pepper.
2. Dredge the pork in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs to coat.
3. Fry the pork in hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Season again with a little bit of salt and pepper. Remove to a plate.
4. Sauté the mushrooms in butter until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Whisk together the gravy mix, cold water and wine.
6. Pour the gravy mixture into the skillet with the mushrooms.
7. Bring to a boil, then cook for 1 more minute.
8. Stir in the sour cream and serve over pork.

What to Serve with Pork Schnitzel

Here are some easy and delicious ideas for your pork schnitzel sides:

• Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes
• Rice or Rice Pilaf
• Noodles
• No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread or French Baguette
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
• German Potato Salad
• Sauteed Asparagus or Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Broccoli
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
• Southern Style Green Beans
• Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad or House Salad with Candied Pecans
• Cucumber Dill Salad
• Fried Apples
• Sauerkraut

What wine goes with pork schnitzel?

Since there’s white wine in the gravy, you can serve this pork schnitzel with the leftovers from cooking. Classic German and Austrian white wines like Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Gewürztraminer are nice picks for this meal; however, drink what you love! Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio would all be fine as well.

Storage

Fried pork is best when it is fresh and crispy. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days; however, the breading will not be as crispy when reheated. You can also freeze the schnitzel for up to 3 months. You do not need to defrost the meat before reheating.

How to Reheat

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, place the pork on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Next, reheat the pork until the breading feels hot and very crispy, about 10 minutes for room temperature schnitzel or about 20 minutes for frozen schnitzel (flip halfway through).

Recipe Variations

• Pork Tenderloin Schnitzel: if you prefer to use pork tenderloin instead of chops, start with a 1-lb. tenderloin. Slice the tenderloin crosswise into 6 pieces. Pound each piece to ¼-inch thickness and use in the recipe as instructed.
• Chicken Schnitzel: substitute with thinly-pounded chicken breast instead of pork.
• Cooking just for two? Cut the ingredients in half; the rest of the instructions remain the same.
• Adjust the Seasoning. Use herbs that you enjoy on both the pork and in the gravy, such as parsley, chives or rosemary. Garlic powder or garlic salt is also a nice addition.
• Omit the mushroom gravy if it’s not your preference. The cutlets are still delicious on their own!
• Pork Schnitzel Sandwich: Skip the gravy and serve the fried pork on a toasted sandwich roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickles!

Tips for the Best Pork Schnitzel Recipe

• Give the breaded chicken time to rest (dry) for a few minutes while the oil heats. This will help the breading adhere to the meat when it cooks.
• Cook the pork in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the skillet. If the skillet is too full, you will bring down the temperature of the oil and risk steaming the schnitzel instead achieving that golden brown crispy exterior.
• Adjust the temperature of your oil so that the pork browns evenly to a golden brown finish in about 3-4 minutes. If the breading is getting too dark too quickly, or if the skillet is smoking, turn down the heat.
• Never cover your warm schnitzel with foil. This traps steam and moisture, which will make your pork soggy. Instead, if you want to keep the schnitzel warm while you finish the gravy, place it on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
• If you’re frying many batches of pork, you may need to switch out the oil when the first batch of oil gets too dark and dirty.

More Pork Chop Recipes to Try

• Grilled BBQ Pork Chops
• Smothered Pork Chops and Gravy
• Garlic and Rosemary Pork Chop Brine
• Country Pork Chop and Rice Bake
• Oven-Fried Breaded Pork Chops
• Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops

Pork Schnitzel

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 541 kcal

Mom's Pork Schnitzel with an easy mushroom gravy is a perfect 30-minute weeknight dinner!

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Ingredients

  

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• 1 – 1 ½ lbs. boneless pork chops, pounded to ¼-inch thickness
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 (0.87 ounce) packet brown gravy mix (I use McCormick brand)
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley; lemon wedges

Instructions

• Place flour in a shallow dish, eggs in a second shallow dish, and Panko breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.
• Season the pork with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Working with one piece of pork at a time, dredge the meat in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in the eggs, shaking again to remove any excess egg. Finally, coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat with remaining pork.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan, fry the breaded pork in the skillet until browned and no longer pink, about 3 minutes per side. If the breading is browning too quickly, or if the skillet starts to smoke, reduce the heat. Remove browned pork to a paper towel-lined plate. While it’s still warm, season the pork with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
• Wipe out the skillet. Melt butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the gravy mix, cold water and wine. Add the gravy mixture to the skillet with the mushrooms; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for one more minute. Remove from the heat; whisk in the sour cream.
• Serve the pork with mushroom gravy, fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Notes

• Give the breaded chicken time to rest (dry) for a few minutes while the oil heats. This will help the breading adhere to the meat when it cooks.
• Cook the pork in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the skillet. If the skillet is too full, you will bring down the temperature of the oil and risk steaming the schnitzel instead achieving that golden brown crispy exterior.
• Adjust the temperature of your oil so that the pork browns evenly to a golden brown finish in about 3-4 minutes. If the breading is getting too dark too quickly, or if the skillet is smoking, turn down the heat.
• Never cover your warm schnitzel with foil. This traps steam and moisture, which will make your pork soggy. Instead, if you want to keep the schnitzel warm while you finish the gravy, place it on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
• If you’re frying many batches of pork, you may need to switch out the oil when the first batch of oil gets too dark and dirty.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 541kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 33gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 176mgSodium: 565mgPotassium: 702mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 336IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg

Keyword: german pork schnitzel, Jägerschnitzel, pork schnitzel

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, European

Author: Blair Lonergan

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