Jägerschnitzel (Hunter’s Schnitzel)

A variation of the classic German schnitzel, jägerschnitzel is traditionally topped with a rich mushroom gravy, and then served alongside any number of sides. Späetzle noodles, a leafy green salad, creamy mashed potatoes, or even french fries are all popular accompaniments.

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What Is Schnitzel?

If you’ve never heard of schnitzel, you can learn more about it in our detailed guide to making pork schnitzel at home, but basically, a schnitzel is a thinly pounded pork, veal, chicken, or other meat cutlet, which is then breaded and fried. Simple, yet very tasty!

Popular Schnitzel Variations

There are numerous variations on the classic form of schnitzel which is usually made with pork or veal. The most popular variations include:

• Wienerschnitzel (Viennese style schnitzel) – traditionally made with veal, and actually originates in Austria where it is a national dish.
• Rahmschnitzel (cream schnitzel) – served with a cream sauce, sometimes containing sliced mushrooms or other garnishes.
• Paprikaschnitzel (sometimes also called zigeuner (gypsy) schnitzel) – served with a tomato-based sauce with bell peppers and onions.

Jägerschnitzel Recipe

Besides of course needing to make the schnitzel itself, (pounding out the meat, breading it, and frying) the key to a good jägerschnitzel lies in the sauce. It is after all the defining feature of this recipe!

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This recipe will focus on and walk you through making the simple mushroom gravy with finely chopped bacon, onions, and beef broth.

You can use homemade beef broth for this recipe or choose a store-bought brand, just keep in mind store-bought brands are generally high in sodium and can taste quite salty.

If you’d like to learn how to pound out and bread the pork schnitzel itself, please read our pork schnitzel recipe for detailed instructions.

Mushroom Gravy Ingredients

To make the gravy you’ll need:

• 150 grams sliced bacon – about 6 slices cut into small chunks
• 1 small onion – finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic – minced
• 8 oz button or crimini mushrooms – thinly sliced
• 2.5 cups beef broth or stock
• 1 tbsp red wine
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped
• 1 tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt – optional

Instructions

When making a simple gravy on the stove, like we will be in this recipe, I like to start by preparing and measureing out all the ingredients first. This way, everything is ready to go as soon as you need to add the next ingredient to the pot.

To start, measure out and chop up the onion, garlic, mushrooms and parsley. Set these aside in separate little bowls or other containers. Chop up the bacon into small cubes, and measure out the beef broth, and flour.

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Heat a deep pan, or medium-sized pot on the stove over medium heat, and then add the diced bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook the bacon and onions until all the fat has rendered out, the bacon is nicely browned, and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally

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Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir to ensure all the mushrooms are coated in the bacon fat. This helps ensure even cooking. Cook the mushrooms with the bacon and onions until the mushrooms start to soften, about 2-3 minutes.

Mix the flour, salt, and paprika together and add it to the pan. Stir the flour into the mixture, ensuring any large clumps are broken up. The flour will mix with the fat in the pan and create a sort of paste. Quickly add the beef broth and red wine, then stir immediately to ‘dissolve’ the flour mixture.

Be sure to kind of scrape the bottom of the pan at this stage to loosen any stuck on bits of flour, bacon, or onions.

Let the jägerschnitzel sauce come to a simmer and cook the sauce over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until fully thickened and there is no pasty taste of flour when tasted. You can stir in a spoonful of Greek yogurt or sourcream to add extra richness and an extra creamy texture.

At this point the sauce can be set aside and kept warm while you fry your schnitzel, or cooled and refrigerated for future use.

Once the schnitzel itself is fried and ready to serve, top it with a generous spoonfull of the mushroom gravy and garnish with the parsley.

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