Jägerschnitzel is crispy fried pork cutlets topped with one of the tastiest and creamiest mushroom gravies you can cook. It is a very rustic and classic traditional dish all the way from Austria, though it is also a classic in Germany.

Your otherwise oh-so-boring pork loin gets transformed after some beating into tender pork schnitzel.

Pair it with an awesome gravy over some spaetzel or egg noodles with some cool beers on the side and you are all set for some great food!

Fall is in the air. Octoberfest has come and gone. As I saw the news of all the eating and drinking they do in that Bavarian land this time of the year, I thought one of these days I would love to go to all of those European countries and try their festivals and foods and culture.

Octoberfest sounds so fun and festive. I have been kind of curious about German culture after becoming a Beiser. You see, it’s predominantly a German name. My husband has lots of English and French in his blood, but mainly it’s German.

I really wanted to surprise Jas one of these days by cooking something that would make his German genes happy, so I dug a little deeper than their Sauerkrauts, wursts and, of course, the famous schnitzels. I love gravy and I love mushrooms, so I decided to try Jägerschnitzel.

What is Jägerschnitzel?

Schnitzels are thin, often pounded, fried slices of meat. They are known by many names throughout the world, including “escalope” in France, “milanesa” in Italy and South America, and “tonkatsu” in Japan. The word schnitzel is of German origin.

Though originally from Austria, Jägerschnitzel is now a major part of German cuisine. It is traditionally cooked with veal, venison or wild boar, but now a days it is more commonly cooked with pork.

After pounding it is often breaded. It’s then fried and served with a rich, creamy mushroom gravy. The name Jägerschnitzel translates to “hunter’s cutlet”.

Ingredients for the Schnitzels:

• Boneless pork chops – We are using loin, but any thin boneless pork chops will work.
• Flour, eggs and bread crumbs – For dredging, in that order.
• Salt and pepper – for flavor.
• Oil – to fry your schnitzels in.

And for the gravy:

• Butter, flour and beef broth – Your brown gravy standards.
• Mushrooms – hence the “mushroom gravy”.
• Sour cream, pepper, thyme and a touch of balsamic vinegar – because we want this gravy to taste really good!

How to make the mushroom gravy:

Sauté mushroom slices and garlic with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat (you can caramelize a little chopped onions before adding mushrooms, but I avoided onions for my onionphobic husband, as this is something special for him). Remove mushrooms from pan when soft.

Reduce heat to medium and add 4 Tbsp butter into the pan. Yes, I never said anywhere this is a waist-friendly dish, this is rustic hunter-style cooking with a rich depth in flavors. And, as I always say for flavors, you need to add flavor to get flavor.

When the butter melts, add your flour and stir in for few seconds till the raw smell of the flour goes away. Then, slowly add your beef broth and stir continuously to avoid clumps for about 5 minutes.

Once you have a beautiful smooth gravy, add your mushrooms back in along with pepper, thyme and a touch of balsamic vinegar. In the very end, add a little sour cream to make it Germany 😊. If it gets too thick, just add a little water.

How to make your schnitzels:

Start out by getting you skillet preheated over medium high heat with 1/4 to 1/2 inch cooking oil (we used canola).

It’s all about pounding your schnitzels very thin, about ¼ inch thick, that’s what gets them nice and tender. I recommend placing them, one at a time, in a ziploc bag and beating with a meat mallet, or any reasonable alternative (years back, we once used an empty wine bottle to pound conch!).

Season the floor with salt and pepper, then dredge your pork cutlets in flour followed, by beaten eggs and finally breadcrumbs.

Immediately place these schnitzels in hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per side until they are a nice golden brown. They turn out perfectly crispy outside, yet nice and tender inside. Remove to a paper towel lined dish to drain off excess oil.

How to serve Jägerschnitzel

Traditionally, this amazing dish is served with french fries or potato salad, but we want something to sop up some of that delicious gravy! We found some späetzle (a type of noodle local to central Europe) at our local grocery store.

Other great, if not traditional, side dish options are mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Whichever side you choose, spoon plenty of that wonderful gravy over your schnitzels. Perhaps you want to have an all out German night and have a side of my sauerkraut balls!

People Often Ask:

Now all that is left, my dear friends, is garnish with some parsley and dig in with some nice chilled beer… Guten Appetit!!

Jägerschnitzel, on my GypsyPlate… Enjoy!

Want to try more comfort foods from around the world?
Creamy Lemon Chicken
Welsh Rarebit
Puerto Rican Picadillo
Caribbean Coconut Mussel Curry
Blackened (AKA Cajun) Shrimp and Grits
Alpana’s Chicken Masala
Eggplant Parmesan
Chicken Caldereta
Pastel de Choclo