People say just because you put the word “French” in front of something, it doesn’t mean it’s better. But my passport would like to disagree! These schnitzels are your regular crumbed pork cutlets with a French upgrade, simply by adding Herbes de Provence into the breadcrumbs. Let’s go!
Nagi's Notes
You wouldn’t think that adding a few dried herbs into the breadcrumb would make such a difference to a schnitzel – but it does!! You can really smell and taste the herbiness, and it just makes the schnitty feel a little bit fancy. I got a bit obsessed with this one……and may or may not have been busted trying to sneak the last schnitzel home!
French Pork Schnitzel
Hi everyone, today we are making Pork Schnitzel the French way. Schnitzel is not classically French, but when I make it, I like to add French flavour to it. Sp instead of the usual plain breadcrumb coating, I add Herbes de Provence into it which gives the crust a beautiful unmistakably French aroma.
Herbes de Provence is probably the most used dry herb blend in France. It’s a mix of South of France herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, savory or marjoram and is commonly used to season roast dishes. It can be surprisingly difficult to find outside of France but it’s very easy to make your own – here is my recipe.
Before being crumbed, the pork is pounded thin, so it cooks quickly but stays juicy inside, thanks to the crumb coating that traps the moisture. It’s shallow-fried in oil until the outside becomes crisp and golden, then finished the best way possible with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt flakes.
Ingredients
Here is what you need to give regular Schnitzel a citizenship upgrade.
1. PORK
Pork schnitzel can be made from pretty much any pork chops or steaks suitable for quick cooking, such as:
sirloin steaks – This is my favourite cut because it’s lean and tender and it doesn’t have too much fat.
loin chops
loin medallions
loin steaks
sizzle steaks – Just make sure they are not pre-pounded less than 0.5cm / 2″, as that is too thin and it will overcook too quickly and dry out. Controlling the thickness yourself is a key to a juicy result!
If your pork has bone in it, just remove it and also trim off any excess fat. You could also cut pork tenderloin into medallions and make more smaller schnitzels. Pork scotch fillet (neck) would work too.
Slow cooking cuts such as shoulder are not suitable and pork belly is too fatty so I don’t recommend using these.
2. CRUMBING AND COOKING
Herbes de Provence – This is the key ingredient here, a classic French herb blend usually made from thyme, rosemary, oregano and either savoury or marjoram. It adds a lovely herbal aroma to the crust while it cooks. In Australia it’s only sold at specialty stores, so if you can’t find it, make your own. It’s really easy!
Plain flour (all-purpose flour) – The first step of the crumbing process. It helps the egg stick to the pork.
Eggs – Helps the breadcrumbs stick to the pork and creates the base of the crispy coating.
Panko breadcrumbs – Japanese-style breadcrumbs that are lighter and crispier than regular breadcrumbs. They create the extra crunchy crust we want for schnitzel. Like a lot of us, I moved on to Panko a long time ago! Just don’t tell Nagi, she has proud Japanese roots and will definitely find a way to use this against me! ☺️
Cooking salt / Kosher salt – Used to season the pork before crumbing. If you’ve only got table salt, halve the amount. For salt flakes, increase by 50%. (We also use some salt flakes at the end as a nice touch to enhance the dish.)
Black pepper – Just cracked black pepper, the one we always use.
Vegetable oil (or any other neutral flavoured oil) – Neutral oils are best for deep-frying. It won’t take over the flavour of the pork and herbs, and it will give a beautiful golden crust.
3. LEMON
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end cut through the richness and really lifts the whole dish. It might seem small, but it plays a very important role. Don’t skip it! I know, often schnitzels are associated with gravy but you can trust me here. Lemon is the sauce and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
How To Make French Pork Schnitzel
Pound the pork thin, coat it in flour, egg and “French” breadcrumbs, fry until golden and crisp, then squeeze some fresh lemon juice over it! That’s it!
1. PREPARE THE PORK
Pound the pork – First remove any excess fat from around the pork if necessary, then place a pork steak between two sheets of baking paper or freezer bags (or, as I do, use “Go Between” freezer film). Make sure it sits neat and flat.
Now pound the pork using a meat mallet (a rolling pin or the back of a small frying pan work too!) until it is 0.5cm / 0.2″ thick. Be careful not to tear the pork. But if you do, it’s not the end of the world, you’ll just have a little hole in your schnitty!
Season – Sprinkle both sides with cooking salt and black pepper.
2. COATING
Prepare the crumbing station – Place the flour, eggs and panko breadcrumbs mixed with the herbes de Provence in three separate bowls. Make sure the bowls are large enough so you have enough room to easily coat the pork without struggling or making a mess. Chef tip, it is much easier to crumb the cutlets one by one so you can coat them evenly.
Flour – Use a tong to coat a pork cutlet in flour and shake off the excess.
Egg – Then dip it into the lightly whisked eggs. Allow the excess to drip off.
Breadcrumbs – Place the cutlet in the panko breadcrumbs mix then use your hand to sprinkle with panko. Press firmly to adhere so the crumbs stick well. Flip it and repeat with the other side.
Set aside – Place the crumbed pork on a tray and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
3. COOKING
Cook Schnitzels – Heat the oil in a frying pan (I use a 28cm / 11” one) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, cook two schnitzels at a time for about 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp.
Transfer to a rack set over a tray and place in a pre-heated oven. This will keep them warm while you cook the rest.
Cook the remaining schnitzels.
Rest – Place the last two schnitzels on the rack and let rest 2 minutes. Squeeze over some fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with a pinch of salt flakes and enjoy!
How To Serve French Pork Schnitzel
Serve while hot and crisp. It doesn’t need a fancy sauce in my opinion, just lemon juice because otherwise it could easily take over the subtlety of the Herbes de Provence so the simpler the better. IF you are a big sauce lover and determined to not have it without one, I’d recommend gravy or honey mustard.
It’s pictured with my French bistro style Baby Gem Lettuce Salad. It works beautifully with mash potato (a classic!), roast potatoes, sautéed green beans with garlic or a simple rocket salad.
This French pork schnitzel is my little adaptation of a classic. The idea stays the same but with a small French twist thanks to the Herbes de Provence. Perfect for a midweek dinner cook with a slightly fancy touch. I really hope you get to try it! Add a glass of chilled Riesling on top of that and it will feel like the weekend just started. Bon appétit! – JB
FAQ – French Pork Schnitzel
Yes. Chicken breast or boneless thigh work very well and cook in about the same time.
You can, but panko breadcrumbs are best. They are lighter and create a much crispier crust.
Yes. You can crumb the pork up to 1–2 hours ahead and keep it in the fridge in a single layer ideally on a rack. This will help the coating to stay dry and prevent the breadcrumbs from absorbing too much moisture from the meat
Yes. Once crumbed, place the schnitzels in a single layer on a tray and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the schnitzel in the fridge on a rack before cooking. The rack allows air to circulate around the schnitzel, so the crumb stays drier and doesn’t become soggy as it defrosts.
Watch How To Make It
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JB’s French Pork Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 4 pork steaks or chops (125g to 150g / 4.4oz to 5.3oz each) (Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
CRUMBING AND COOKING:
- 1/3 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked , from large eggs (55g / 2oz each in shell)
- 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp herbes de Provence (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil , or any other neutral flavoured oil
TO FINISH:
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- sea salt flakes
HERBES DE PROVENCE:
- 4 tsp dried thyme
- 3 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/4 tsp dried marjoram or savory , sub with more thyme or rosemary
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Pound pork to 0.5cm / 0.2″, season with salt and pepper. Coat in flour, egg, then panko mixed with herbes de Provence. Fry over medium-high heat 2 minutes per side until golden.
FULL RECIPE
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 70°C / 160°F (all ovens).
- Pound the pork – Place the pork between two sheets of baking paper / parchment paper or freezer bags. (Note 3) Pound with a meat mallet until evenly 0.5 cm / 0.2 inch thick. (Note 4)
- Season – Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
CRUMBING AND COOKING
- Prepare the crumbing station – Place flour, eggs, and panko mixed with herbes de Provence in three separate bowls. (Note 6)
- Crumb – Coat pork in flour and shake off excess. Dip in egg and let excess drip off. Press into the breadcrumb mixture so it sticks well. Transfer on a tray and repeat with remaining pork.
- Cook the schnitzels – Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, it should be 0.4cm / 0.15" deep. When hot, add 2 schnitzels. Cook 2 minutes until golden. Flip and cook the other side 2 minutes. Transfer to a rack over a tray and place in the warm oven. Repeat with the remaining two schnitzels. (Note 7)
- Rest and Serve – Let the schnitzels rest on the rack outside of the oven for 2 minutes before serving with a wedge of lemon and a sprinkle of salt flakes.
Recipe Notes:
- sirloin steaks – This is my favourite cut because it’s lean and tender and it doesn’t have too much fat.
- loin chops
- loin medallions
- loin steaks
- sizzle steaks – Just make sure they are not pre-pounded less than 0.5cm / 2″, as that is too thin and it will overcook too quickly and dry out. Controlling the thickness yourself is a key to a juicy result!
Nutrition Information:
Remembering Dozer
When the kitchen wasn’t dog-friendly, usually during deep-frying, we use to put tape on the floor. The “Dozer line”. That was his boundary. He’d (most of the time) sit just behind it, watching, smelling, waiting patiently, doing his best not to cross. Sometimes a paw crept forward. Then he’d look up at us, checking if it was ok. Of course it was. ♥️
Oh, and I forgot: those Herbs are so very much part of Provence. They grow wild everywhere (like, in the „dentelles du midi“ and in fields and… basically everywhere) and the air smells of them. So very French!
Oh, and I forgot: those Herbs are so very much part of Provence. They grow wild everywhere (like, in the „dentelles du midi“ and in fields and… basically everywhere) and the air smells of them. So very French!
I will definitely try this. Last year and the year before we were in Provence and I still have Herbs. Could I do that to Cordon Bleu too or would that be sacrilegious? My family quite likes Schnitzel, but loves Cordon Bleu.
I add a tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan. Just personal preference, these are wonderful schnitzels, thank you.
Looks so good. Is it possible to air fry this?
JB – let’s ask Shazza to try this and tell us the air fryer times! 🙂
It wasn’t even a paw over that line, just a claw 😂 I hope you gave him some of whatever you were cooking that day, JB! He wasn’t breaking your rules!
PS I can 5 star this recipe because I’ve made it and I’ve eaten way more than my fair share of it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
These are similar to Escalopes panées, right ?
Pork cuts pimped up with herbes de Provence, what a bright chef’s bright idea !!!!
I am French but I never thought about adding herbes de Provence there!!! Well, well well…let’s face it, I am not a chef, am I 😉 ?!?!?! Maybe …just on my long long long way thanks to you and Nagi 🙂 !
My family love schnitzel with paprika, but as will eat anything with wonderful herbs, will try this for change with some lemon roast potatoes.
Do you have any ideas on good gluten free bread crumbs? I can’t have gluten, including oats. And attempts with gram flour, gluten free flour and bread have not been great.
Not sure what country you’re in but supermarkets sell gf bread crumbs which isn’t too bad. Otherwise what I have done is used my gf bread toasted it then blitzed in in food processor you can then roast it a bit to take all moisture out and give it a toasty flavour, let cool and use..amazing!
Hi, I am gluten intolerant, if you use regular g/f flour for the first stage but then use polenta instead of panko it really works,you wouldn’t know! SX
My family love schnitzel with paprika, but as will eat anything with wonderful herbs, will try this for change with some lemon roast potatoes.
Do you have any ideas on good gluten free bread crumbs? I can’t have gluten, including oats. And attempts with gram flour, gluten free flour an bread have not been great.
Sam you can buy really
Yummy and crispy gluten free bread crumbs – I even like them better than the panko for my fish cakes and schnitzels. I’m not sure where you are but in Oz we can get them at Woolies
You should try version that is marinated day before in milk and chopped onion. That is game changer. Without herbs of course
Has no-one heard of double crumbing? I’ve got two neck chops in the freezer and they’re both going tom be double crumbed.
Sorry forgot to give the 5 stars for this recipe. Amazing! You have to try it, and also can add some of the herbs to fried chips with some garlic powder too what a hit!
Hi JB – dozer is so good and he would not have gone over that line !!!! (Intentionally anyway 😂) absolutely loving the schnitzel – one of my favourites – can’t wait to try it with the French herbs (I love french cooking). Also Just letting you know that in the section on what to serve with the schnitzels – the link to the baby gem salad does not work. Thanks again for a great recipe 😊
This is the correct link. I replied earlier but my post seems to have been removed.
https://fast-enhancement.today/little-gem-lettuce-salad/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks steve
Hey Jb, what great timing. May daughter was wanting schnitzel for dinner and I bought some today. Have just made the crumb mixture and smells divine. I am making normal schnitzel not pork and know this will also work as I use most of these herbs in my every day cooking, didn’t know I was part French cook 👩🍳 Miss Dozer and love his pic here, am sure he can smell the amazing food been prepared by you and Nagi.
Loving your recipes coming through and loving the Dozer memories too. Keep up the amazing work, and sharing Dozer with us is also part of the healing through grief, so it is helping many of us too.
I will be making this over the weekend, I love herbs de provence! I just wanted to echo another commenter about the broken link for the French bistro style salad, as I would love to make it to go with!
The link for the French Bistro style baby gem lettuce salad isn’t working! Would love if this can be fixed as I would love to try it ☺️
https://fast-enhancement.today/little-gem-lettuce-salad/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
OK technically the 5 star rating is premature, but such is my confidence in JB that I KNOW it will be. Already planning a trip to the butcher tomorrow. But there’s one very important fact I’d appreciate help with. Or guidance. Or both….. WHICH Reisling goes best with this? I’ve only recently started on them and just don’t know what to buy. Any suggestions appreciated.
I must admit, not a big pork person, but this recipe makes me want to try it! Or substitute chicken if you think that would work.
Funny thing about Herbs de Provence…my husband would smoke whole chickens in his hand built smoker. We made 4 different rub types to have a taste off. Lemon pepper, BBQ, Italian and Herbs de Provence. Honestly, we thought the Herbs de Provence would score last. Boy were we wrong! Hands down, the unanimous favorite. A very underrated herb combo. Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Kelli, thank you for sharing your Herbes de Provence story 🙂 I love the way you say “a very underrated herb combo”! Totally right and I might use that phrase again!! Also, hand built smoker! Wow!
Thanks JB! I noticed that your recipe doesn’t include lavender and ours did. Is lavender not typically included in traditional Herbs de Provence? I thought it provided a lovely subtle flavor.
This looks delicious JB! Can’t wait to try it, thank you! 😊 I bet you all miss Dozer so much! 😞
Thanks Bec! Yes, you can’t be more right, we miss me everyday. ♥️
Thank you definitely going to try this recipe
Thanks Sharon! Please report back 🙂