BAKED CHICKEN SCHNITZEL WITH MUSHROOMS

BAKED CHICKEN SCHNITZEL WITH MUSHROOMS

Very tender chicken, pure comfort food and a simple recipe. Breaded chicken is briefly fried on both sides in a large skillet to golden crispy crumb perfection and arranged on top of mushrooms in a casserole dish and then a reduced chicken stock poured over top and the chicken is covered with more mushrooms and then Mozzarella cheese. The chicken stock adds flavor and moisture to the chicken as it bakes. If you want more liquid, then do not reduce it as much.

You can pound the chicken with a meat mallet if you like, but I find using the big chicken breasts, sliced in half longitudinally that they are sufficiently thin for my liking. However, pounding the chicken makes it more authentically thin like chicken schnitzel is famed to be. Cook over medium-high heat.

It is not a mushroom sauce or mushroom gravy as such, but the reduced stock is poured over the mushrooms and golden brown chicken. This sort of dinner is popular in Austria. You can cut down on one of the side dishes due to the mushrooms already in the meal. Since potato salad would be a good side but it is not low-carb, cauli potato salad would be lovely.

You could add some paprika to the breading for more color. If desired, serve the meal with lemon wedges.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter

Olive oil

1 lb. sliced mushrooms (0.45 kg)

1 onion, diced

¹/₂tsp salt (2 mL)

¹/₄tsp black pepper (1 mL)

1 tbsp minced garlic (15 mL)

³/₄cup chicken stock (175 mL)

1 cup shredded Mozzarella, OR more (250 mL)

Egg Wash:

2 large eggs

1 tbsp water (15 mL)

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts, sliced in half

Longitudinally

Breading:

¹/₂cup Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, OR almond flour (125 mL)

4 tbsp Parmesan cheese (60 mL)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (5 mL)

³/₄tsp salt (3 mL)

¹/₄tsp black pepper (1 mL)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In large nonstick frying pan, melt about 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter and add about the same amount of olive oil. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms along with salt and pepper and cook until moisture evaporates. Stir in garlic and cook briefly. Put half mushroom mixture in 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish. Set the other amount aside. Add about the same amount of butter and olive oil to the pan

Egg Wash: In small bowl, whisk eggs and water together.

Chicken: Cut chicken breasts in half longitudinally.

In small bowl, combine Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.

Using 4 chicken cutlets at a time, dip them in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off, and then spoon the breading over them on both sides. In some olive oil, cook the chicken in a large, good nonstick frying pan. Cook on both sides over medium heat about 2 minutes each side. Cook in 2 batches.

Arrange semi-cooked chicken over mushrooms in dish. Once all chicken cutlets have been removed from the frying pan, pour in the chicken stock/broth.

Allow chicken stock to reduce to about ¹/₄cup (60 mL), scraping the browned bits into the liquid. Watch it as the liquid evaporates fairly quickly. Place remaining mushrooms on top of the chicken breasts. Pour over the reduced chicken stock. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Yield: 8 servings

1 serving

201.8 calories

22.8 g protein

9.3 g fat

1.0 g fiber

5.3 g net carbs