Sesame Schnitzel Sandwich with Harissa Honey and Tartar Slaw

Everyone should have a schnitzel recipe in their back pocket. It’s (a) the perfect way to release all your anger while pounding the chicken thin, and (b) a total family-pleaser. What kid doesn’t like some kind of crispy chicken dish? Forget that—what adult is going to turn down perfectly golden fried chicken mounded with creamy slaw?! It’s a Middle Eastern take on a good ol’ American fried chicken sandwich.

Chicken Schnitzel

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
4 large eggs
Kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko bread crumbs, pulsed in a blender until fine
1 cup sesame seeds
Grapeseed oil, for shallow-frying

Tartar Slaw

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped pickle (Israeli pickles are great, but any garlicky variety will work)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ head of red cabbage, finely sliced

Assembly

2 tablespoons Harissa
2 tablespoons honey
4 brioche buns, potato buns, or pita, split and lightly toasted
Butter lettuce leaves
1 radish (regular, watermelon, or purple), very thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)

Directions

Prepare the chicken schnitzel: Place the butterflied chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap and use a rolling pin or skillet to pound them out until each is ¼ inch thick. Then cut each cutlet in half.

Set up a breading station: In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Place the flour in a second shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a third, mix together the panko, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Working with one piece at a time, place the chicken cutlets in the flour, dust off any excess, then dredge through the beaten egg. Let any excess drip off before placing the chicken in the panko-sesame mixture. Gently press the panko onto the chicken to ensure it’s well coated. Transfer to a plate.

In a large skillet, heat about ½ inch grapeseed oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add 2 or 3 pieces of chicken (as many as you can fit without overcrowding the pan) and fry until crispy and golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a wire cooling rack, immediately seasoning it with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces as necessary.

Make the tartar slaw: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, dill, capers, pickle, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. Add the cabbage and massage the sauce in with your hands, ensuring the cabbage is totally coated and beginning to soften.

To assemble: In a small bowl, mix together the harissa and honey. On each bun, build a sandwich with a leaf of butter lettuce, 2 pieces of the crispy chicken schnitzel, a drizzle of harissa honey, a scoop of the tartar slaw, and a few slices of radish.

Excerpted from Eating Out Loud by Eden Grinshpan. Copyright © 2020 by Eden Grinshpan. Photography by Aubrie Pick. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.