Jägerschnitzel Is A Classic German Recipe That People Just Love To Make!
Let’s cut right to the chase: Jägerschnitzel is pork schnitzel with mushroom sauce and it’s delicious!
Made from fresh pounded, breaded, and fried pork, Jägerschnitzel – literally “Hunter Schnitzel” in German – is then covered in a creamy Jager Sauce that is loaded with onion and mushrooms.
There’s just something about this combination of “Hunter sauce” with a classic German schnitzel that people search far and wide for – so here’s our Jaegerschnitzel recipe!
If you’re wondering how to say Jägerschnitzel, it’s pronounced “Yag-er-schnit-zul”. You do not pronounce the “J” like a J at all!
Lisa ate Jägerschnitzel growing up in Germany so we have a pretty good idea of what it’s supposed to look and taste like.
Jägerschnitzel is best served with potato dishes like potato salad, French fries, and even fried potatoes. But you can also serve it with pasta – such as homemade spaetzle – if you are not a huge fan of potatoes.
Recipe Tips/Substitutions
Making Jagerschnitzel is pretty straightforward but here are a few things to keep in mind when making this Jägerschnitzel recipe:
Pound the meat thin but be careful when doing so. You don’t want to have holes in your schnitzel. Pound with the smooth side of the hammer and not the tenderizing side which is more likely to puncture the meat.
The schnitzel for Jägerschnitzel is not always breaded. In the region where Lisa grew up in, many restaurants serve hunter schnitzel with a non-breaded, fried schnitzel.
So if you are not a fan of breaded schnitzel, simply pan fry it without breading it first and then make the gravy as described below.
Try to use a paper towel to clean the mushrooms (unless they are very dirty) and don’t put them in water. They can absorb quite a bit of water and then change their flavor. If you have to clean them with water, do so quickly under running water.
There are two ways to thicken the sauce – butter and flour or cornstarch. In Germany, people are very used to thickening gravy with butter and flour. However, we know that in North America it is not as common.
So, choose the method you are more comfortable with and read about how and when to thicken the sauce with your preferred method in the recipe card below (because they are slightly different).
We usually add some thyme to flavor the sauce. However, if you don’t have the spice at home, you can also just add some Italian spice. That has thyme in it and gives the gravy a nice taste as well.
Don’t pour the hunter sauce onto the schnitzel too early (especially when it is breaded) as it can make it too soggy. Either serve the sauce on the side or just add it right before serving.
How to Make Jägerschnitzel – Step by Step Instructions
If you want to make Jägerschnitzel, you can find the recipe card at the bottom of this post with exact measurements.
For those wanting to follow along with visual step-by-step instructions, you can check out the Jägerschnitzel recipe process photos below.
For the schnitzel, grab three large plates with high sides.
Put flour on the first plate, the cracked and whisked eggs on the second, and breadcrumbs on the third.
Trim any excess fat on the pork chops if desired.
Then place one piece of pork chop between two pieces of cling wrap – you can also use a freezer bag – and pound it with a meat hammer until it’s very thin.
Make sure to use the smooth side of the hammer so you don’t pound holes into your meat.
A small chop can become quite large when pounded thin – but be careful not to break through/create holes in the meat.
Remove the cling wrap and add salt and pepper to both sides of the meat, then set this piece aside. Pound and season the rest of the pork.
To coat the meat, take one piece and place it onto the plate with flour.
Press down gently so the underside is coated in flour, then flip the meat and do the same with the other side.
Lift the meat and place it flat into the egg plate. Again, press gently into the egg, lift, flip, and coat the other side.
Lift the meat again and allow any excess egg to drip off back onto the plate.
ow, place the meat flat into the breadcrumbs. Press down lightly and make sure the whole side is covered in breadcrumbs, then flip the meat and coat the other side.
Put this coated meat on a clean, dry plate and repeat the steps for the rest of the meat.
Heat the oil, lard, or shortening in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot (place a wooden spoon in the hot grease – if bubbles form, it’s hot enough) place one piece of meat into the pan.
Depending on the size of the frying pan, you may have to cook the schnitzel one or two at a time.
Fry the meat on medium heat for around 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip the schnitzel carefully in the pan to brown the other side for 3-4 minutes.
Be careful not to break or damage the delicate breadcrumb outer coating.
Transfer the cooked Schnitzel to a plate and fry the rest of the breaded pork chops.
To make the sauce, first, clean the mushrooms with a paper towel. Don’t clean them under running water unless they are very dirty since they’ll soak up the water and might lose some of their taste.
Cut the mushrooms into slices. Also, peel and finely chop the onion.
Heat the oil in a medium-large frying pan. Add the onions and sauté them on medium heat until translucent.
Now add the mushrooms.
Fry the mushrooms on medium heat until they lose some of their water content and appear browned and cooked. Make sure to stir regularly.
Now you have to decide how to thicken the sauce. You can either push the contents of the pan to one side now, melt the butter, then add the flour and mix until lump-free.
Alternatively to thicken you can also just add some cornstarch later – your choice (we chose the cornstarch method this time).
Now slowly add the broth, the whipping cream, and the thyme (alternatively Italian spice) and give everything a good stir.
Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat until it has reached your desired consistency.
If you haven’t added the flour and butter earlier and want your sauce to thicken more, dissolve approximately one tablespoon of cornstarch in a little bit of cold water and add it to the pan.
Stir well and bring the sauce back to a simmer to allow the cornstarch to activate and thicken the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the pan with the sauce from heat and serve immediately with the Schnitzel and french fries, fried potatoes, or homemade spaetzle. A small green side salad is also a great addition.
Whether you pour the sauce on top of the Schnitzel, place the schnitzel on top of the sauce or eat it on the side is completely up to you.
Storage Tips
For any Jägerschnitzel leftovers, be sure to keep the Schnitzel and the mushroom sauce separate.
Store the creamy sauce in a sealed container and keep it refrigerated. Consume it within 1-2 days.
Similarly, store the schnitzel in a sealed container or bag in the fridge and consume it within the same time frame.
To reheat Jägerschnitzel, you can pan fry the Schnitzel (or just microwave it) and put the sauce in a small pot on the stove. Try to gradually warm the sauce without re-boiling it.
FAQ
Jägerschnitzel is pork schnitzel served with a creamy mushroom sauce. The sauce can go on top, underneath, or on the side and it can be eaten with potato dishes like french fries or spaetzle.
Jägerschnitzel is pork schnitzel eaten with a creamy mushroom sauce, Wiener Schnitzel is schnitzel that is made from a cut of veal, and Rahmschnitzel is schnitzel served in a cream sauce (which can but doesn’t always contain mushrooms).
A Riesling, a Gewürztraminer, or even a sweeter Chardonnay work well for whites. If you want red wine, choose a red that puts fruit at the forefront.
Jägerschnitzel is made similar to how you make German Schnitzel (the schnitzel batter is identical). You just prepare a simple creamy mushroom sauce on the side. You can check out the full recipe above for step by step instructions.
Related Recipes
For more classic German recipes that feature a little bit of meat, you should definitely try:
- Schnitzel Sandwich – Delicious German Schnitzel on a bun with tangy Remoulade sauce!
- Königsberger Klopse – German meatballs in a creamy, caper sauce
- Maultaschen – German stuffed meat pasta served in a light broth
Jägerschnitzel (German Hunter Schnitzel)
Ingredients
The Schnitzel
- 4 boneless pork chops
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup lard, shortening, or oil
The Sauce
- 14 ounces brown champignons
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3/4 cup broth, beef or vegetable
- 1/3 cup whipping cream, more or less to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme or Italian spice
- 1 tablespoon flour + 1 teaspoon butter OR 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the schnitzel, grab three large plates with high sides. Put flour on the first plate, the cracked and whisked eggs on the second, and breadcrumbs on the third.
- Trim any excess fat on the pork chops if desired. Then place one piece of pork chop between two pieces of cling wrap – you can also use a freezer bag – and pound it with the smooth side of a meat hammer until it’s very thin. A small chop can become quite large when pounded thin – but be careful not to break through/create holes in the meat.
- Remove the cling wrap and add salt and pepper to both sides of the meat, then set this piece aside. Pound and season the rest of the pork.
- To coat the meat, take one piece and place it onto the plate with flour. Press down gently so the underside is coated in flour, then flip the meat and do the same with the other side. Lift the meat and place it flat into the egg plate. Again, press gently into the egg, lift, flip, and coat the other side. Lift the meat and allow any excess egg to drip off back onto the plate. Now, place the meat flat into the breadcrumbs. Press down lightly and make sure the whole side is covered in breadcrumbs, then flip the meat and coat the other side. Put this coated meat on a clean, dry plate and repeat the steps for the rest of the meat.
- On the stove, heat the oil, lard, or shortening in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot (place a wooden spoon in the hot grease – if bubbles form, it’s hot enough) place one piece of meat into the pan. Depending on the size of the frying pan, you may have to cook the schnitzel one or two at a time. Fry the meat on medium heat for around 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip the schnitzel carefully in the pan to brown the other side for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to break or damage the delicate breadcrumb outer coating. Transfer the cooked Schnitzel to a plate and fry the rest of the breaded pork chops.
- To make the sauce, first, clean the mushrooms with a paper towel – don’t clean them under running water unless they are very dirty since they’ll soak up the water and might lose some of their taste.
- Cut the mushrooms into slices. Also, peel and finely chop the onion.
- Heat the oil in a medium-large frying pan. Add the onions and sauté them on medium heat until translucent. Now add the mushrooms and fry them on medium heat until they lose some of their water content and appear browned and cooked. Stir regularly.
- To thicken the sauce, you can either push the contents of the pan to one side now, melt the butter, then add the flour and mix until lump-free. Alternatively to thicken you can also just add some cornstarch later – your choice.
- Now slowly add the broth, the whipping cream, and the thyme (alternatively Italian spice) and give everything a good stir. Let it simmer on medium-low heat until the sauce has reached your desired consistency. If you haven’t added the flour and butter earlier and want your sauce to thicken more, dissolve approximately one tablespoon of cornstarch in a little bit of cold water and add it to the pan. Stir well and bring the sauce back to a simmer to allow the cornstarch to activate and thicken the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the pan with the sauce from heat and serve immediately with the Schnitzel and french fries, fried potatoes, or similar. Whether you pour the sauce on top of the Schnitzel, place the schnitzel on top of the sauce or eat it on the side is completely up to you (but it’s been a long-debated topic).
Notes
- Don’t fry the Schnitzel in regular butter because butter has a low smoke point and has the tendency to burn. We definitely recommend lard, vegetable shortening, or oil with a high smoke point (e.g. avocado oil). You should still keep an eye on your pan heat, though, no matter what you use for frying.
- You can store leftovers in sealed containers in the fridge for 1-2 days. Make sure to store the schnitzel and the mushroom sauce separately so the breaded meat doesn’t get soggy.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
