Sausage Schnitzels
This 4-ingredient Sausage Schnitzel is made with sausage meat coated in crispy panko, then pan fried or air fried until golden and delicious!
Servings: 4 schnitzels
Equipment
- Baking/Parchment Paper
- 3 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging patties)
- Large Pan & Tongs or Air Fryer
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 1lb / 450g Sausage Meat (see notes)
- 1/4 cup / 40g All Purpose/Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups / 100g Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper (see notes)
- Vegetable Oil, as needed (if pan frying)
- Oil Spray, as needed (if air frying)
Instructions
- Divide the sausage meat into 4 portions. One by one, take a portion and place it on a sheet of baking/parchment paper. Use your hands to press down and shape it into a 6" x 4" patty.
- Line up 3 large shallow dishes: the first with flour and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, the second with beaten eggs and the third with Panko and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. One by one, take a patty and carefully dredge it through the flour, then in the egg, then finish in the Panko. Make sure the patty is completely coated at each stage; just don't be too firm, otherwise the patties could break apart. Keep in mind that firmly pressing the flour/Panko into the meat too hard will cause it to expand and get thinner.
- Pan fry: add enough oil to comfortably coat the base of a large (preferably heavy-based) pan, then place it over medium-high heat. You want the oil hot enough that a crumb rapidly sizzles (350F/180C to be precise if you have a thermometer). Once hot, add 2 schnitzels and fry both sides for 3 minutes until golden and crisp on the outside and piping hot right through the centre. Remove and place on a wire rack with a tray or paper towels underneath to catch excess oil, then repeat with the remaining schnitzels. You can gently pat the schnitzels with paper towel to remove a little oil if you'd like.
- Air fry: space out the schnitzels in the air fryer and liberally spray the top side with oil. Cook at 400F/200C for 7 minutes. After, carefully flip them over, liberally spray again, then cook again for 5-7 minutes, or until golden and crisp and piping hot right through the centre. You will likely need to do this in two batches.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) Sausage meat - In the US, look for bulk or ground pork sausage; mild breakfast sausage would work nicely, or you can use mild Italian sausage if you don't mind the extra seasoning. My folks in the UK, I typically use ready-ground sausage meat, but you can also squeeze the meat from regular sausages. I prefer something fairly lightly seasoned here, but you can absolutely experiment with different flavours.
b) Seasoning - Sausage is already well-seasoned, so you don't need much in the crumb. I just add a little salt and pepper to make sure it's not bland. I wouldn't add more salt than stated in the recipe; if you feel it needs more, just sprinkle some more over at the end. In terms of other seasonings (paprika, garlic powder etc.) I did test this, but found they were just distracting, as again, the sausage adds plenty of flavour.
c) Cooked sausage - USDA guidelines recommend 160°F/71°C for pork sausage. Since sausage brands and schnitzel thicknesses can vary, this is the safest temperature to aim for if you've got a thermometer.
d) Calories - per schnitzel assuming it has been air fried.
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.3g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 22.7g | Saturated Fat: 7.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 1.2g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.9mg