food & dining
Chicken Schnitzel Sandwiches
Inspired by Chef Michael Solomonov
Garnishes of choice: halved cherry
tomatoes, sliced avocados,
shredded lettuce, pickles, et
cetera Keri White
Chicken Schnitzel
he Wall Street Journal recently
featured one of my idols in
its weekend “Slow Food Fast”
section: Michael Solomonov’s chicken
schnitzel recipe caught my eye, and
I was inspired to make a version for
dinner this week.

I did not use the chef’s recipe
precisely for numerous reasons —
none of which involved a notion that
I was improving the James Beard
Award winners’ technique. I did not
have matzah meal, so I used panko. I
did not have his recommended hawaij
spice blend, but a Google search
revealed that the Israeli seasoning is
a mixture of the spices listed below,
so I created a makeshift version. I
also used an “oven-fry” technique to
avoid standing over a hot skillet and
marinaded the chicken to optimize
the fl avor.

We served this dish with a simple
green salad — arugula, shredded
carrots and shaved raw beets, dressed
with a mustard vinaigrette.

My daughter and her friend said the
meal “slapped,” which is, apparently,
very high praise from Gen Z.

Here’s what I did:
Chicken and marinade:
2 pounds boneless chicken
breasts, sliced horizontally into
thin cutlets
2 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Photos by Keri White
T Serves 4
Coating: 2 eggs
1 cup plain panko
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons oil for cooking plus
cooking spray
Dressing: ⅔ cup tahini
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Cold water
To serve:
4 loaves pita
1-2 tablespoons za’atar
Mix the chicken and marinade ingre-
dients together, and let them sit for
2-24 hours.

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F,
and place a large rimmed baking sheet
in the oven to heat.

While the oven heats, prep the schnit-
zel: In a large, shallow bowl, lightly beat
the eggs. In another shallow bowl, mix
the panko and seasonings. Dredge the
chicken pieces in the egg, then the
panko mixture, and place them on a
plate. When the oven is at temperature,
remove the cooking tray and coat it
with oil. Place the chicken pieces on
the hot tray, then spray the tops of the
chicken with cooking spray. Place the
tray in the oven, and bake for about 25
minutes until golden brown, crispy and
cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, make the
dressing: Mix the tahini, lemon juice,
salt and garlic. Add the cold water, a bit
at a time to achieve a consistency that
is spreadable but not too thick.

When the chicken is done, assem-
ble the sandwiches — sprinkle the
chicken with za’atar. Schmear the pita
with tahini, add the chicken, tomatoes,
lettuce, avocados, pickles, et cetera
and more za’atar, if desired. ■
Keri White is a Philadelphia-based
food writer.

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