Zigeunerschnitzel or Gypsy’s Schnitzel is simply a German Schnitzel served with bell pepper sauce. Thin pieces of chicken breasts or pork chops are breaded and fried then served with finger-licking sweet and sour sauce with colorful bell peppers and sweet onions.
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Zigeunersoße (bell pepper and onion sauce)
Here’s what you need to make bell pepper and onion sauce:
- Bell peppers – preferably colorful for a variety of colors and flavors but if you have just one kind it will work too.
- Onions and Garlic
- Tomato in some form – I’m using tomato paste to keep the sauce more bell pepper-forward with just a touch of tomato flavor. Some recipes call for using fresh chopped tomatoes or canned tomatoes.
- Chicken broth
- Wine – any kind you like to drink, but preferably dry wine, which is more on the sour side. You can also use white wine but red wine is more popular and works slightly better in this recipe. Wine adds flavor and acidity to the sauce. If you don’t want to use it, omit it, but you will need to add more vinegar to the sauce so it won’t come out too sweet.
- Ketchup – don’t try to skip it! It adds great flavor, sweetness, and tanginess to the sauce. It also helps to get a silky thick consistency.
- Flour – thickens the sauce. You could also use cornstarch, but then the sauce will be more glossy and translucent.
- Spices: paprika and cayenne. I’m adding just a small pinch of cayenne pepper to add a slight kick to the sauce. Don’t add too much, the sauce should not be spicy.
Schnitzel
Here’s what you need to make Schnitzel:
You can use boneless and skinless chicken breast or boneless pork chops.
The best cooking fat for Schnitzel is clarified butter. It can be quite pricey but it’s very easy to make at home, see instructions here: how to make clarified butter. Clarified butter is a special kind of butter that can be used for frying in high temperatures, it won’t burn and tastes just like regular butter. If you don’t have clarified butter, use any kind of high-smoke point vegetable oil, such as canola oil.
For the breading, you need all-purpose flour, eggs, and fine breadcrumbs. You could also use Panko breadcrumbs, which are more crunchy, but then you won’t make a traditional German Schnitzel.
Alternatively, you could also make “Naturschnitzel” which is an unbreaded Schnitzel. This is a popular option in this recipe since some people don’t like to have a sauce with a breaded Schnitzel. My kids love breaded Schnitzel too much for me not to make it, so it’s breaded Schnitzel to us! To make an unbreaded Schnitzel, simply pound the chicken fillets thin, as described in the recipe, season them with salt and pepper, and cook on both sides until golden.
Petersillienkartoffeln (Parsley Potatoes)
Here’s what you need to make parsley potatoes:
How to make it step-by-step
Start with making the sauce because it’s very easy to warm up. Parsley potatoes are also easy to warm up but are best warm. Schnitzel must be served directly after frying so prepare it at the end!
Make the sauce
Cut the bell peppers and onion into strips. Finely chop garlic.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add bell peppers and onions. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened and very lightly browned. Make sure to not burn the onions.
(2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 medium/large onion, 3 bell peppers, 4 cloves garlic)
Add garlic, paprika, cayenne, cook for 30 seconds.
Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
(1 teaspoon paprika, small pinch of cayenne, or to taste, 2 tablespoons flour)
Add wine and cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost evaporated.
Add chicken broth, ketchup, tomato paste, and vinegar.
Cook for a couple of minutes until all the ingredients are well combined and the sauce is thickened.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. If your sauce is too sweet, add more vinegar (the sweetness may depend on ketchup and the brand of store-bought chicken broth), if you’ve added too much vinegar, you can add a small pinch of sugar to sweeten it. The sauce should taste mostly sweet but also have a tang to it.
Set the sauce aside.
(1/3 cup (80ml) dry red wine, 1 1/4 cups (300ml) chicken broth, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar)
And here’s your Zigeuner sauce! Now make the parsley potatoes.
You will have enough bell pepper sauce to make a second batch of Schnitzel the next day (so you will need 2 pounds or 1kg of chicken for the whole amount of the sauce).
Petersillienkartoffeln
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large even-sized chunks. Add to a large pot filled with cold water. Season the water with salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.
Drain the potatoes on a sieve and return to the pot.
Add the butter and stir gently with a wooden spoon until it’s melted and the potatoes are coated in butter.
Stir in chopped parsley and season with salt.
(2 lbs (900g) potatoes, 5 tablespoons (70g) butter, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, salt)
Cook Schnitzel
Prepare chicken cutlets: Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally. Place a thick ziplock bag on top and pound the thickest part of each cutlet. The cutlets should be of even thickness, about 1/4-1/3 inch (1/2-3/4 cm).
Prepare the breading: Add the flour to the first shallow plate. In the second, deep plate beat the eggs. Add the breadcrumbs to the third shallow plate.
(1 lb (450g) chicken breasts, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup (40g) flour, 1 cup fine breadcrumbs)
Bread the chicken: Pat the chicken fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge in flour on both sides (shake with the cutlets allowing excess flour to fall off), then dip in the egg mixture (allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl), then coat in breadcrumbs until coated on all sides. Place on a clean plate.
Fry the cutlets: Add the oil or clarified butter into a large frying pan, warm up until well heated, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot cook the cutlets on both sides until golden in color and cooked through in the middle.
Assemble
Warm up bell pepper sauce (simply in a pan in which you were cooking it) and parsley potatoes (just warm them up briefly in the pot).
Place your cooked Schnitzel on a plate, pour over the sauce (preferably just in the center of the Schnitzel and not on the whole surface of the Schnitzel), and serve with parsley potatoes. Make sure to pour the sauce over the Schnitzel just before serving it so it stays crispy.
Enjoy!
Sides for Schnitzel
- vinegar-based potato salad
- vinegar-based cucumber salad (Gurkensalat)
- creamy cucumber salad
- Bratkartoffeln (German fried potatoes with bacon and onions)
- Petersilienkartoffeln – potatoes with parsley butter – included in the recipe!
- potato wedges
- French Fries
- Sauerkraut Salad
More Schnitzel Recipes
- Traditional German Schnitzel
- Traditional Austrian Schnitzel – Wiener Schnitzel
- Jägerschnitzel (Hunter’s Schnitzel) – Schnitzel with mushroom bacon gravy
- do you want to read more on Schnitzel? – we have an article dedicated to all things Schnitzel – What is Schnitzel? (+ Recipes!)
- Chicken Schnitzel (or Breaded Chicken Cutlets) – these chicken fillets are breaded in breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, they are also seasoned with lemon zest and chopped parsley
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Zigeunerschnitzel (Gypsy’s Schnitzel) – Bell Pepper Sauce for Schnitzel
Ingredients
for the Zigeunersoße (bell pepper sauce) – makes extra:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium/large onion
- 3 bell peppers preferably colorful
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- small pinch of cayenne or to taste
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup (80ml) dry red wine
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar or to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
for the Petersillienkartoffeln (parsley potatoes):
- 2 lbs (900g) potatoes
- 5 tablespoons (70g) butter
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt to taste
for the Schnitzel:
- 1 lb (450g) chicken breasts
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (40g) flour
- 1 cup fine breadcrumbs
- 6 tablespoons clarified butter or vegetable frying oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start with making the sauce because it’s very easy to warm up. Parsley potatoes are also easy to warm up but are best warm. Schnitzel must be served directly after frying so prepare it at the end!
Make the sauce:
- Cut the bell peppers and onion into strips. Finely chop garlic.1 medium/large onion, 3 bell peppers, 4 cloves garlic
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add bell peppers and onions. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened and very lightly browned. Make sure to not burn the onions.2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Add garlic, paprika, cayenne, cook for 30 seconds.1 teaspoon paprika, small pinch of cayenne
- Add flour and cook for 1 minute.2 tablespoons flour
- Add wine and cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost evaporated.1/3 cup (80ml) dry red wine
- Add chicken broth, ketchup, tomato paste, and vinegar.1 1/4 cups (300ml) chicken broth, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Cook for a couple of minutes until all the ingredients are well combined and the sauce is thickened.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. If your sauce is too sweet, add more vinegar (the sweetness may depend on ketchup and the brand of store-bought chicken broth), if you’ve added too much vinegar, you can add a small pinch of sugar to sweeten it. The sauce should taste mostly sweet but also have a tang to it.
- Set the sauce aside.
Make the parsley potatoes:
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into large even-sized chunks. Add to a large pot filled with cold water. Season the water with salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.2 lbs (900g) potatoes
- Drain the potatoes on a sieve and return to the pot.
- Add the butter and stir gently with a wooden spoon until it’s melted and the potatoes are coated in butter.5 tablespoons (70g) butter
- Stir in chopped parsley and season with salt.3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Cook Schnitzel:
- Prepare chicken cutlets: Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally. Place a thick ziplock bag on top and pound the thickest part of each cutlet. The cutlets should be of even thickness, about 1/4-1/3 inch (1/2-3/4 cm).1 lb (450g) chicken breasts
- Prepare the breading: Add the flour to the first shallow plate. In the second, deep plate beat the eggs. Add the breadcrumbs to the third shallow plate.2 large eggs, 1/3 cup (40g) flour, 1 cup fine breadcrumbs
- Bread the chicken: Pat the chicken fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge in flour on both sides (shake with the cutlets allowing excess flour to fall off), then dip in the egg mixture (allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl), then coat in breadcrumbs until coated on all sides. Place on a clean plate.
- Fry the cutlets: Add the oil or clarified butter into a large frying pan, warm up until well heated, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot cook the cutlets on both sides until golden in color and cooked through in the middle.6 tablespoons clarified butter or vegetable frying oil
Assemble:
- Warm up bell pepper sauce (simply in a pan in which you were cooking it) and parsley potatoes (just warm them up briefly in the pot).
- Place your cooked Schnitzel on a plate, pour over the sauce (preferably just in the center of the Schnitzel and not on the whole surface of the Schnitzel), and serve with parsley potatoes. Make sure to pour the sauce over the Schnitzel just before serving it so it stays crispy.
- Enjoy!
No Comments