Polish breaded pork cutlet — Poland's answer to Wiener Schnitzel, eaten at every family Sunday dinner.
Kotlet schabowy (pork cutlet schnitzel) is Poland's most beloved everyday main course — a thin pork loin cutlet pounded flat, breaded in a classic egg-breadcrumb coating and fried in lard or oil until golden and crispy. It is the Polish equivalent of Austria's Wiener Schnitzel (and indeed shares a common lineage through 19th century Central European cuisine), but the use of pork rather than veal and the traditional frying in lard give it a distinct character. It is the centrepiece of the traditional Polish Sunday dinner, served with mashed potatoes and pickled red cabbage.
Serves 4
Place pork cutlets between sheets of cling film. Pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to 5–6mm thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Set out three shallow dishes: flour, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs.
Dip each cutlet: flour first (tap off excess), then egg (let excess drip off), then breadcrumbs (press gently to adhere). Do not press too hard — the breadcrumbs should be even but not compacted.
Heat lard or oil to 170°C in a wide pan — enough to come halfway up the cutlet. Fry 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through.
Drain briefly on paper towels. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes, pickled red cabbage and a lemon wedge.
Do not press the breadcrumbs firmly — the coating should be loose enough to puff slightly during frying, creating the characteristic texture.
170°C oil is correct — too hot burns the coating before the meat cooks; too cool makes oily, limp schnitzel.
Fry in batches and do not crowd the pan — each cutlet needs space.
Marinate pounded cutlets in milk for 1 hour before breading — a family secret that makes them exceptionally tender.
Use chicken breast for kotlet drobiowy — the same technique with significantly shorter cooking time.
Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for 2 days and reheat in a 200°C oven for 10 minutes to restore crispness.
Kotlet schabowy arrived in Polish cooking in the 19th century through Austro-Hungarian cultural influence — the technique is identical to Wiener Schnitzel, which itself evolved from Milanese cotoletta. The choice of pork reflects Polish culinary tradition, and the dish became the standard Sunday family dinner in both urban and rural Poland throughout the 20th century.
Lard has a higher smoke point than most vegetable oils, making it stable at frying temperatures. It also conducts heat more evenly and imparts a richness and flavour to the coating that vegetable oil cannot match. This is why traditional Polish cooking uses lard for schnitzel.
Per serving · 4 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes