Easy Potato Flake Turkey Schnitzels is a simple-to-make turkey cutlet recipe. Dairy free and gluten free, it’s great on a plate or anyway you want to eat it!
Easy Potato Flake Turkey Schnitzels are perfect for lunch or dinner, for kids or adults.
Don’t care about gluten free? Have in a pita or on a roll!
Terrific with French fries. Eat plain, with ketchup, or with dressing.
Cut into strips before frying and make fingers, cut into rectangles and make nuggets – kids will love them!
The options are endless.
Want to try fish or chicken cutlets? Try: Easy Fried Potato Flake Fish or Easy Potato Flake Chicken Schnitzels.
A little of my cooking background
I really wanted to title this blog “If I can make it, anyone can”, because – honestly – if I can make it, anyone can.
I never really liked cooking and when I was single, a meal for me meant grilled cheese, eggs, tuna, or something else that didn’t require effort or time.
When my kids were young, I was still able to get away with preparing only a small variety of easy meals, but the older they got, the more dishes I learned to make at their request.
Still, I insisted on keeping it simple.
Honestly, I never understood why some cooks unnecessarily complicate meals. I have seen recipes that have several ingredients that don’t really seem to add much, if anything, to the dish. So, why bother?
It has always been important to me that whoever eats at my table will have plenty to enjoy and that includes my kids (I never agreed with the “You will eat what is served or you won’t eat” ideology) and, because I keep it simple, I can prepare a variety of dishes in a relatively short period of time.
I have a philosophy regarding being a great cook: Prepare food according to the tastes of those who will be eating it and they will love your cooking!
As far as I am concerned, start with the basic ingredients that make the dish what it is, adapt according to taste, and voila! you are an amazing cook!
The bottom line is that while there are certainly delicate recipes out there for specialty dishes, making delicious meals doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. It’s not difficult to impress – just make sure it tastes good.
While some of the recipes on my blog are more time-consuming than others, they are all tried and true easy-shmeezy!
Of course, one always has to consider the conditions under which they cook. Weather (humidity, heat, cold), different types of ovens, different quality of pots, etc. – all of which can affect your cooking and baking.
Nevertheless, as I said, if I can do it, anyone can!
Everyday pantry essentials (suggested)
As I learned to prepare more and more recipes, I also learned which basics and seasonings are good to have on hand to have the ability to make a dish on short notice and not have to run out to the store or borrow from a neighbor.
While I will admit that I am not always prepared when one of my kids will ask for eggplant parmesan or lasagna at the drop of a hat (which they have done), I dislike having to postpone making something just because the ingredients needed to make a reasonable meal were not readily available.
So, I maintain selection of what I consider “pantry essentials” in my refrigerator and on my shelves at all times.
Initially, many of the herbs and spices were useful to me only on occasion (having been purchased for a particular recipe) and I usually just had them around as leftovers. However, as I began to cook more of a variety, I was really glad to have them (hey, look, I already have that !) and that is how my list began.
While, of course, most of the essentials will not be needed just for any one recipe, at least some of them are needed for most recipes, and you would be surprised how many recipes be made just with this list. So, if you keep whatever you use regularly on hand, it can really save you time and effort.
Everyone has their favorite recipes, preferred seasoning, and just whatever they like to use to cook. Your own list should certainly reflect your own cooking tastes and style.
Just to give you an idea, the list below is a comprehensive list of what I normally keep on hand (this does not necessarily include what I keep for baking and there may be some overlap between the two lists as some items are used for both, such a brown sugar) and, of course, it reflects the meals and desserts that I like to make for my own family and guests.
Seasoning and flavoring:
- salt (my receipes use regular table salt)
- ground black or white pepper
- granulated garlic or garlic powder (I prefer granulated)
- onion powder
- sweet paprika and/or sweet pepper flakes (paprika is ground dried red pepper, pepper flakes are crushed dried red pepper)
- hot paprika, hot pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper (moderately spicy dried ground chili pepper) for those occasional spicy dishes
- ground turmeric
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground Cloves (for pumpkin flavors)
- sugar (granulated)
- brown sugar
- chicken consomme powder / beef bullion powder (regular or vegetarian)
- onion soup mix
- onion flakes (substitute for fresh onion – 3 tablespoons for 1 medium onion).
- various herbs
- additional spices to adapt taste to preference
Misc:
- oil / margarine / butter / cooking spray
- coconut cream as a dairy free cream substitute
- corn starch as a thickening agent
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- bread crumbs or Corn Flake crumbs (you can make these with your blender or food processor) for coating
- condiments – such as ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce
- tomato sauce/tomato paste/canned tomatoes – diced or crushed/pasta sauce
- soy sauce
- ready made pie crusts and dough (to just add filling)
We always have eggs in the fridge and onions, rice, and potatoes on our shelves as well as pasta.
In addition, having some fresh vegetables in the fridge, such as carrots, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers (red, green, etc), etc. can be very useful when putting together a quick, but delicious meal.
It is also a good idea to have some ground meat or chicken (breast, ground, or in parts), in the freezer for anyone who likes meat dishes in a snap.
Weather can have an affect on some of the spices and on the chicken consommé powder, so I keep as many of the seasonings in the refrigerator or freezer as I can and I keep everything tightly closed in containers (you will be surprised to know just how determined moths are at getting into sealed bags and how hot red pepper powder can attract little black bugs – YUCK!).
Therefore, store your items well.
Why are these pantry essentials beneficial to have on hand?
Personally, having the above ingredients in my kitchen is very advantageous, as I make a variety of dishes and use most of the items on the list regularly enough to warrant storing them. However, I do not store items for dishes that I make seasonally or only on rare occasions or those that spoil easily.
Whether or not it is workable for you depends on your cooking style, the space you have to store, and whether or not you mind running out to the store as needed. Of course, the more you cook and the more varied your recipes, the more you will use, and the more you will need.
What is a schnitzel?
The word schnitzel comes from German, meaning a cutlet and is prepared from fried or baked tenderized slices of meat coated with egg and flour or breadcrumbs.
The story goes that schnitzel as brought to the Austo-Hungarian Empire from Italy in the middle the 19th century.
Ever heard of the term weinerschnitzel (the w being pronounced like a “v”)? Well, apparently, the schnitzel dish of veal coated in breadcrumbs and fried in butter or lard was named after the Austrian city of Vienna somewhere around the turn of the 20th century and the weinerschnitzel was born!
Then, like today, the dish was often served with fries or mashed potatoes.
Before coating, the meat is either tenderized- using a meat tenderizing hammer – or just cut into thin slices.
Today, this original dish is prepared and served throughout the world in a variety of ways, using veal, lamb, beef, pork, turkey, or chicken, and may be known by different names (such as breaded veal cutlet, breaded pork chop, or chicken fried steak).
Schnitzels in Israel
I learned to cook schnitzels in Israel, where they are a very popular dish.
Fast food stalls in Israel serve schnitzel in a pita or on a French Baguette, accompanied by veggies or French Fries and there are eateries entirely dedicated to serving schnitzel in a variety of ways.
At home, people serve schnitzel also in a pita with vegetables and humus or techina or on a plate with sides. Israeli salad of diced cucumber and tomato is a common pita filler or side.
The Israeli version of schnitzel is made from chicken or turkey breast, but the name “schnitzel” is used also for other breaded foods, such as fish (fish schnitzel) or the vegetarian packaged version made with corn (corn schnitzel).
Most of the popular food in Israeli cuisine is from Mizrachi Jews (Jews that immigrated to Israel from Arab countries, mostly when they were expelled from there after the establishment of the State of Israel).
However, schnitzel is one of the few foods in popular Israeli cuisine that were brought to Israel by Ashkenazi (Jews from Europe).
Today, most Israelis make schnitzel by coating with egg and then the breadcrumbs, but back when I was taught to make them, the coating was eggs, breadcrumbs or flour, and then another coating of eggs before placing in the hot oil to fry.
Also, some people will coat with flour before the egg because a dry piece of chicken or turkey may hold the egg better. Personally, I haven’t found any difference.
While frying is the usual way Israelis make their schnitzels, baking them will reduce fat and thus reduce calories. Note that they might be a little less favorable.
Before frying, spices can be added to the dry coating, such as salt, paprika, or grill powder (as in this recipe) and, unless someone doesn’t keep kosher and intentionally adds milk to the eggs, schnitzels in Israel are traditionally made dairy free.
In my home, we make schnitzels with a variety of dry coatings; flour, breadcrumbs, and…cornflakes!
Instant potato flakes is another dry coating that we use and it is gluten free!
Easy Potato Flake Turkey Schnitzels
Potato flake coated turkey cutlets, gluten free and dairy free
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce raw boneless turkey breast cutlets (slice turkey breast horizontally into cutlets, weight is optional)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup cup of instant potato flakes
- 1 tablespoon Israeli Grill Seasoning Mix **
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the potato flakes and the Israeli Grill Seasoning Mix in a bowl and combine well. Then, place the beaten eggs in another bowl (make sure both bowls are large enough to easily accommodate the raw chicken cutlets).
- Pour oil into a frying pan so it reaches approximately 1/8 - 1/4 inch high and heat on medium. (You will know it's hot enough when you can toss a little bit of potato flakes in and it sizzles.)
- Take a piece of the raw turkey cutlets and dip in the egg, coating well. Let the excess egg drip off a bit and then coat well with the potato flakes on both sides.
- Gently place in the hot oil.
- Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Make sure to leave a little room between the cutlets.
- Fry on one side until golden brown, then gently turn and fry on the other.
- Remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate too absorb excess oil and cool.
Notes
** This is a recommendation. You can spice as you wish or not at all (they may be somewhat bland if not spiced at all).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1288mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 42g