Jägerschnitzel (pork schnitzel & mushroom gravy)

Jägerschnitzel is a classic German and Austrian dish of breaded cutlets covered in a mushroom gravy.

In the US, it's wildly popular for Oktoberfest, but don't let that stop you from eating it any day of the year. Mushrooms are available year-round and it's easy to serve with a seasonal side dish.

This jägerschnitzel recipe uses pork chops, but you can also use pork tenderloin, veal, or even wild boar if you can find it! The mushroom sauce can be made with readily available cremini mushrooms, or an assortment of wild mushrooms (more on those below the recipe).

Classic options for jägerschnitzel

Jägerschnitzel translates from German to "Hunter's cutlet," originating in Austria but is considered a traditional dish in both Austria and Germany. This history provides some context around the choices of meat and mushrooms you can use in the dish.

Meat

The traditional meat is veal, a classic hunter's catch. But pork is now more common, and wild boar has been gaining popularity on restaurant menus. Pork chops are the go-to cut, but a pork tenderloin can also be used (as shown on The Pudge Factor).

In fact, a pork tenderloin can be kept whole and made into a giant piece of jägerschnitzel. I had one at a restaurant (in Madrid of all places!) that served it on a round pizza tray because it was easily 10-12 inches in diameter. It was a delightful surprise when they delivered it to the table.

Mushrooms

It's hard to find a definitive source for the original mushrooms used for the jägerschnitzel gravy. But some sources suggest it was traditionally made with foraged oyster and chanterelles mushrooms (along with morels in spring).

That seems to track, since those are commonly foraged mushrooms in Germany. However, any wild or common mushroom will do! Each type of mushroom brings its own characteristics, which I'll discuss further in the article.

How to make the schnitzel

Jägerschnitzel (and other schnitzels) pound a regular piece of meat really thin, about ¼" thick. Then it's breaded and pan-fried (basically sauteed).

How to flatten the meat

In order to get the meat this thin, you pound it with the flat part of a meat tenderizer, or whack it with a rolling pin.

But first, you'll want to cover it with plastic wrap. It helps prevent the meat from tearing when aggressively beaten, and it also keeps tiny pieces or juices from splattering all over your or the kitchen.

Make sure you have the meat on a cutting board, or something that can take a heavy whack if you have bad aim! (Don't ask my why I know this!)

Breading the schnitzel

Jägerschnitzel uses the classic breading technique where the pork is first dredged in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs.

Step 1: dredge pork in flour

Step 2: dip pork in egg mixture

Step 3: coat in bread crumbs

Cooking the schnitzel

Grab your favorite metal or cast iron pan (even enamel coated works). Just don't use a typical non-stick... they don't fry things as well. Coat the pan with 2-4 tablespoons of a high-heat oil.

I've used everything from avocado oil to olive oil for frying the pork cutlets. It should be just enough to barely coat the bottom of the pan. You can use more actually, but I try to keep it on the low end to be healthier.

Because the meat is so thin, it cooks up really fast, in about 2-4 minutes per side. For the record, it actually is just 2-4 minutes per side. (I know I often don't believe short cooking times, considering the number of recipes that say a full-size chicken breast only needs 3-5 minutes per side... which seems to defy physics.)

Types of mushrooms

Mushroom gravy is the defining characteristic of jägerschnitzel, so mushrooms deserve a little extra attention in this recipe.

Cremini mushrooms

Cremini mushrooms are the best option for common grocery store mushrooms. They have more flavor than white button mushrooms with a light (but classic) mushroom flavor.

Shiitake mushrooms

Some grocery stores also sell shiitake mushrooms. Whole Foods has them most of the time, and Trader Joe's occasionally does too. Shiitake mushrooms don't have a ton of flavor, but they make up for it with 3 times the umami levels (savoriness).

If you can find shiitake mushrooms, add some in (or replace about 25% of the cremini). Use only the caps, the stems are too tough and fibrous.

Wild mushrooms

A lot of wild mushrooms are also cultivated (grown in greenhouses and farms) - so I'm using this term loosely right now. If you have access to a farmers market or specialty store, you'll find wild mushrooms throughout the year, as different varieties pop up when the weather (and rain) is right.

• Maitake (hen of the woods): very strong earthy flavor with a black pepper finish. Great texture - never spongy
• Oyster mushrooms: very mild flavor, meaty (sometimes spongy) texture
• King oyster: thick stems with excellent texture, subtle flavor, and off the charts umami levels (even more than shiitake)
• Beech mushrooms: flavor is between cremini and oyster, with a nuttiness when cooked. Leave whole for a super cute presentation
• Morels: found only in the wild (not farmed) and extremely expensive, but the honeycomb shape holds the mushroom sauce perfectly (leave whole).

Mushroom gravy

Jägerschnitzel gravy can vary from dark brown to a light brown, creamier version. The main difference is the amount of heavy cream that's added to the gravy (or omitted entirely).

This recipe is written to let you customize the mushroom gravy to your liking. It starts out dark brown, at which point you should taste it. If you want it to be creamier, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Taste again, then add more heavy cream until it's just right!

As written, my jägerschnitzel recipe sits in the middle of the spectrum, using ¼ cup of heavy cream, which is 1 tablespoon per person. Adjust it as you see fit.

There are some variations out there that tweak the ingredients slightly if you're looking for more inspiration:

• A gravy with red wine and tomato paste by Wonderland Recipes
• A Balkan version that adds carrots, celery, and peppers to the gravy, by Balkan Lunch Box
• Adding bacon (and the fat) to the gravy, from Food Network

How to make the gravy

This is a classic gravy that mixes flour with butter to essentially make a roux, then the liquid is slowly whisked in until the desired consistency is reached. If you've made gravies like this before - carry on and skip this section!

However, if you're new to making gravies or find them intimidating, I urge you to continue reading along with me.

Step 1: clean & dice the mushrooms & onions

Cleaning mushrooms can be time consuming. Sometimes they are really clean straight from the store, other times they are covered with spots of dirt. I usually wipe dirt off mushrooms with a paper towel.

Next, choose if you want to cut the mushrooms into tiny pieces, leave larger slices, or use a combination of the two. I like them chopped small - I think the texture is better, but it's definitely a personal choice. You can chop them with a few pulses in a food processor (you'll likely have to do it in a couple of batches).

Lastly, dice the onions. The small pieces should blend into the background, without taking the spotlight in the mushroom gravy.

Step 2: cook the mushrooms in leftover oil from the pork

In the same skillet you used for frying the pork schnitzels, cook the onions until they start to soften, then add the mushrooms and cook them both until golden brown and smelling divine. This takes maybe 10 minutes.

Then add in chopped garlic and continue to cook until they mushrooms have browned and are more dried out. (Adding in the garlic sooner can cause it to burn and turn bitter). This takes another 2-5 minutes.

Step 3: add more butter & the flour

Add some butter to the pan and let it melt. Don't skip this to be healthy - it's a crucial element for a smooth gravy. The flour needs to bind to a fat (butter) to coat some of the starches and prevent lumps.

Once the butter is melted, add the flour to the mushrooms and onions. The amount of flour used compared to the amount of liquid (next step) determines how thick the mushroom sauce will be.

A thin gravy will use about 1 tablespoon of flour per cup of liquid, whereas a thick sauce might use 2-3 tablespoons. Gravy for jägerschnitzel tends to be slightly thicker, so this recipe uses about 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of liquid.

Once you add the flour, mix it with the butter and cook the mixture until it smells toasty, then continue to cook it for another 5 minutes-ish until it turns golden brown.

Either method will make a delicious mushroom sauce for jägerschnitzel. It can be easily adapted because you'll be adding the liquid slowly and stopping once you reach the desired consistency.

Step 4: slowly add in the broth

This is where most people (myself included) have messed up in the past. You must add in the liquid a little bit at a time, whisking continuously. If you add it all at once, your sauce will be watery with floating flour lumps.

The first step is to add a small amount of liquid, about a quarter cup. Whisk it into the flour mixture with the mushrooms and onions.

When only a tiny bit of beef broth (about a quarter-cup) is added, the flour mixture quickly absorbs it. It turns from a dry-ish flour paste, into a wet, sticky blob like ball.

Then you add a little more of the beef broth (another quarter cup), and as you whisk, it will still be very pasty, but more like a cookie dough texture. A little more liquid and it becomes more like a muffin batter texture.

Keep adding a little broth at a time and it eventually becomes a smooth gravy, and it's the thickness you're looking for. You might only use ¾th of the liquid, or you might need it all. If it's too thick, add more broth. If it's too thin, just simmer it until it thickens.

Step 5: Taste & add heavy cream

This is the easy part. Taste the sauce. Season it how you see fit. Does it need more salt? Pepper? Want to add some herbs?

This is also where you decide if you want to add heavy cream. If you do, add just 1-2 tablespoons at a time, tasting it as you go. Add heavy cream until it has the desired creaminess.

You can also substitute milk for the heavy cream. It won't be as rich and it will thin the gravy down more, but it is a whole lot cheaper! If you accidentally make the gravy too thin with milk, just simmer it down until it thickens (usually 3-5 minutes should do the trick).

What to serve with jägerschnitzel

The best things to serve with jägerschnitzel also pair well with the mushroom gravy.

Carbs:

• Spaetzle (a German egg noodle or dumpling)
• Egg noodles
• Biscuits (like biscuits & gravy)
• Rice (not common, but it works)

Potatoes, of all kinds:

• Mashed potatoes
• Roasted potatoes
• French fries
• German potato salad

Seasonal vegetables:

• Spring: asparagus
• Summer: green beans (reminiscent of a green bean casserole)
• Fall: brussels sprouts
• Winter: carrots
• All year: Side salad or a grain salad (acidity cuts through the rich jägerschnitzel gravy).

For Oktoberfest

Making jägerschnitzel for Oktoberfest? Pair it with some German classic sides and beer. Here are some menu ideas and a source of recipes at Dirndl Kitchen (by Sophie Sadler, author of "The German Home Kitchen").

• Red cabbage
• Roasted potatoes and marinated green beans or 3-bean salad
• German potato salad

More recipes & resources

Love mushrooms? Try some of these recipes.

If you're wondering what else is currently in season, check out my calendars to see what produce is in season each month (and coming up soon).

Seasonal calendars

Get a full list of fruits & vegetables in season for each month.

See what's in season