I'm here to say the chicken schnitzel is the national dish Australia needs.
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Sure, we might be actually be appropriating it from the Austrians, but the humble crumbed escalope of chicken is the meal that unites a nation.
Don't get us started on the parmi, parma, parmy debate. We've had enough of the potato scallop/cake divide to last us a while.
Indeed, don't even order us a parmi. I reckon a slathering of tomato and cheese actually spoils a good schnitzel. I like mine plain and simple.
So too does renowned Australian cook and author Bill Granger.
"Along with the meat pie, the [chicken schnitzel] has to be Australia's favourite pub food," he says in his 2020 book Australian Food.
"We see a really good chicken schnitty as one of our basic human rights."
He's pimped his version, shared below, with a parmesan crumb and some creamed corn and a heritage tomato salad. A version of it has been on his cafe menus for almost 25 years.
Ross Dobson is another Australian chef who champions the schnitty. In his book Australia, he shares a recipe for the chicken schnitzel sandwich.
"Given the chance, Australians will put anything between two slices of bread."
He also has a recipe for a parmigiana.
In my pursuit of truth in food journalism, some people might call it lunch, I searched Canberra far and wide for our best schnitzel.
I know I've probably missed some, please let me know via email where your favourites are and what's the best deal.
The cheapest deal I could find - and there's almost a deal for every night of the week - was a Wednesday night at the Mawson Club, schnitzel and sides for only $11.
Some of you new to Canberra might not have heard of the legendary schnitty at the Dickson Tradies. Like Bigfoot, it's been elusive for a few years. But, the menu suggests it's back. It weighs in at 420g.
Now too, perhaps with some deference to the schnitzel's origins, we have a couple of The Bavarian restaurants, in Woden and Belconnen. Keep an eye out on staggering specials of schnitzel stacks to feed the hordes. Ironically, we've picked The Bavarian's Surf on a Schnitty as our "most Australian". Read on.
If you look back through The Canberra Times, you might think we're a little obsessed with schnitzels. We've already campaigned for its national recognition, written about Canberra's best (in 2020 it was the Belconnen Labor Club), and interviewed top chefs about the food memories associated with a good chicken schnitzel.
This time around, I've just picked a few I like, and spoken to some people who make them.
You probably won't agree with me, but isn't that being Australian is all about? Let's sit down, have a schnitty, some chips and sides, I'm more a gravy kind of woman but if you want sauce Diane you can.
I'll get a house wine, bring you a schooner. A simple meal for the simple times we need.
Best overall
The Old Canberra Inn, Lyneham
You have to try this. It takes great skill to cook such a thick schnitzel without burning the crumb, but they do it every time at the OCI. It's a meaty, free-range offering, almost as thick as it is wide. Comes with two sides, can't go past the garlic mash and the green beans. Unless you choose the mac and cheese. There's even a little version on the kids' menu for $12, served with chips and salad.
Most Australian
The Bavarian, Woden and Belconnen
A true-blue surf and turf schnitty. A good size, tender schnitzel topped with two butterflied king prawns, well-cooked and swimming in garlic and herb butter. Comes with fries, mash or potato salad.
This is what diplomacy is all about, a melting of cultures, and butter.
Other offerings worth seeking out at The Bavarian include kruezberg schnitty burger with Swiss cheese and cranberry sauce. Or go mad and get one of the platters where your schnitzel will be buried under pork knuckle.
In a burger
Little Theo's, Kambah
Anthony Ferraro says the secret to a good schnitzel burger is to keep it simple.
"We like to keep the fillings simple with juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh, crunchy lettuce and a huge dollop of mayo," he says, recommending the Birch and Waite brand if you don't have time to make it yourself.
"For a succulent, juicy protein, don't fry it straight out of the fridge. It'll shock the fibres and become really tough.
"Leave it on the bench for at least 20 minutes to half-an-hour as you prep the rest of the burger, before you fry it."
When it comes to the crumb, Little Theo's adds a few ingredients to the breadcrumbs: parmigiano cheese, rind included, salt, pepper and basil which goes really well with the fresh ingredients in the burger.
"You can deep fry or shallow fry the schnitzel, but it's crucial the oil is hot ... but not too hot, " Ferraro says.
"We've found the perfect temperature sits somewhere between 158 and 163 degrees Celcius. Any hotter and it'll blister and burn. Any cooler and it'll act like a sponge and just absorb the grease.
"When you're deep frying, you'll know the schnitzel is cooked when it starts to float to the surface. When shallow frying, it'll have a beautiful golden colour and will bounce back if you press it."
Delicious.
Fanciest
Canteen, Fyshwick
It's not only Canberra's clubs and takeaways which are doing schnitzel. Some of our finest restaurants are reimagining the schnitty. At Canteen, out at the Dairy Road precinct, chef John Leverink does a chicken katsu sando.
"It's a crispy panko-crumbed chicken breast with house-made barbecue sauce and mayonnaise," he says.
"We finely slice the cabbage, the sweeter the better and pop it all between thick, fluffy white bread which has been hand cut with the crusts removed.
"How can something so simple have so much technique involved? Hot tip, always brine your chickens."
In a wrap
Two Hands, Fyshwick
Something to be celebrated when you can wrap up a schnitty to take it back to your desk. OK, the chicken in the crispy chicken wrap is actually fried, but we love it so much we're putting it in here.
We all know everything tastes better in bread. But here it's how the crunchy coleslaw and that hot sauce all mix together in their little wheat tortilla blanket.
Deals for days
Monday
Eastlake Football Club, Kingston: $16, schnitzel with two sides and sauce.
Tuesday
Southern Cross Club, Woden, Jamison, Tuggeranong: $15, with sauce and sides. Parmi upgrade, $2. Plant-based options also available.
Hellenic Club, City: $15, with sides and a schooner or house wine.
George Harcourt, Gungahlin: $20, plus chips and sauces. Parmi upgrade, $2.
The RUC, Turner: $15, choice of salad, fries and sauces.
Harmonie German Club, Narrrabundah: $12, choice of sides and sauces.
The Tradies, Dickson: $13, choice of sauce and two sides. Upgrade to the 420g "legendary" for $3.
Olims, Ainslie: $17, choice of sides and sauces.
Wednesday
Vikings, Erindale: $16, with two sides and garlic bread.
Vikings, Town Centre: $15, choice of sides and sauce.
Edgar's Inn, Ainslie: $20, choice of sauces, salad and fries plus a house drink.
Mawson Club, Mawson: $11, chips, salad, choice of sauces.
Raiders Club, Belconnen: $15, choice of salads and sides. Upgrade to a parmi or Hawaiian for $4 or a meat lovers for an extra $8.
Thursday
The District, Crace: $25, sides and sauces, plus a house drink. Lunchtime weekday special $25, from noon til 3pm.
Ainslie Football Club, Ainslie: $17, with chips and salad and house sauce. Add a topping for $3, a new one every month.
Sunday
The Pedlar, Campbell: $18, with sides and a house drink. Wednesday is $25 parmi night with a house drink.
Parmesan-crumbed chicken schnitzel with creamed corn and heritage tomato salad
Along with the meat pie, this has to be Australia's favourite pub food. We see a really good schnitty as one of our basic human rights.
This is the comfort food of my childhood, updated with a heritage tomato salad.
This schnitty first appeared in Sydney Food, with creamed potato and a crisp fennel salad - it was on our first dinner menu when we opened bills Surry Hills, and it's been there ever since.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken escalopes
- 75g plain flour
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- 30g fresh breadcrumbs
- 45g grated parmesan
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Creamed corn:
- 50g butter
- 200g red onion, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 2 teaspoons sliced red chilli
- 250g sweetcorn, cut from the cob
- 50ml double cream
Heritage tomato salad:
- 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 green tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground sumac
- 120ml olive oil
Method
1. Place the escalopes between sheets of baking paper on a board and flatten by gently hitting with a rolling pin.
2. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat the milk and egg in another bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a third bowl.
3. Dip each chicken escalope in the flour, then the egg, then in the breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken (you might need to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding) and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Meanwhile, to make the creamed corn, heat the butter in a saucepan until sizzling. Add the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the sweetcorn, cover the pan and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until tender. Add the cream and 50ml water and bring to a simmer. Remove one-third of the corn from the pan and blend until smooth. Return the blended corn to the saucepan and mix through. Season well and set aside to cool.
6. For the heritage tomato salad, toss together the tomatoes, onion and parsley with the sumac. Toss with the olive oil and a sprinkling of salt.
7. Serve the schnitzels with the creamed corn and tomato salad, with lemon wedges on the side.
Serves 4.
- Recipe from Australian Food, by Bill Granger, photography by Mikkel Vang. Murdoch Books. $49.99.
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