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These loaded Sesame Chicken Schnitzel Bowls offer a fun weeknight dinner that feels extra special. Homemade chicken schnitzel made with sesame seeds and served bowl style with all the “extras”. Lettuce, lots of peperoncini, a simple avocado cucumber salad, and plenty of feta. Add delicious creamy tzatziki sauce and garlic tahini for a wonderful, colorful dinner bowl that really is SO GOOD. Serve each bowl with soft, warm buttery pita bread and homemade fries for a meal that everyone will truly love.
We’re making schnitzel! This is a first for us. I’ve only made one other schnitzel recipe (that I can remember at least) and it’s in the HBH Super Simple cookbook. So this schnitzel is a first on the website and I’m so excited about it.
It’s a bowl recipe so that already gives it a major advantage. We love the bowl recipes on the site. But the schnitzel, the Tzatziki, and all the “extras” hidden throughout this bowl make it extra special. Creighton says Tzatziki may be one of his favorite sauces. Actually, everyone over here LOVES Tzatziki.
I made a schnitzel recipe for another project a few weeks ago and couldn’t stop thinking about how much I loved it. I started to brainstorm recipes that could include chicken schnitzel. At first, this started out looking like a slightly different recipe, but I’m so happy with how it ended up.
The Tzatziki sauce along with the schnitzel is not traditional, but it’s why this is such a yummy bowl. I wanted a bowl complete with ALL the extras, plus some fresh pita and crispy fries on the side.
I have so much fun creating restaurant-style dishes at home.
Here are the details
Instead of oven-baking, I lightly fried the schnitzel in a small amount of avocado oil. So not a deep fry, I promise it’s so easy.
Let’s start with the chicken, you’ll need to bread it. Using chicken cutlets is key for this dish. I get mine pre-cut from Whole Foods, but our local Kroger grocery store usually sells chicken cutlets too.
Dredge the chicken through flour, then dip it into beaten eggs, and then through a Panko and sesame crumb mix. Transfer the chicken to a skillet and pan-fry it in a bit of avocado oil. Using avocado oil is a healthier route than vegetable oil, so I do recommend it.
The next part is my secret. Mix up a seasoning blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. Sprinkle this spice mix over each piece of hot chicken.
This adds such a delicious, smoky, spicy kick. Don’t skip it!
Now that chicken is cooked up, we can quickly assemble it. Use the store for help and pick up some Tzatziki sauce, garlic tahini, and if you like spicy – grab some harissa oil too (or mix harissa with toasted sesame oil, honey + salt).
Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods almost always have the above ingredients. You can also make homemade sauces too. Do what time allows for!
This is basically like a big loaded salad. Lots of shredded lettuce, then cucumber, avocado, crumbled feta, and plenty of fresh dill and lemon. The rest is up to you, but peperoncini are key for me!!
Throw the chicken on top, then add dollops of tzatziki sauce, and a drizzle of tahini!! I serve the bowl with warm pitas and a side of fries. So many yummy flavors and textures and much better than any restaurant.
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are some favorites:
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki
Lastly, if you make these Sesame Chicken Schnitzel Bowls with Feta Tzatziki, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sesame Chicken Schnitzel Bowls with Feta Tzatziki
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 598 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chicken Schnitzels
- 3/4 cup flour
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 4-6 chicken cutlets, or 3 boneless chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally
- avocado oil, for frying
Bowls
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 Serrano or jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1-2 cups Tzakiki sauce
- lettuce, peperoncini, and pitas, for serving
- garlic tahini, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Add the flour to a shallow dish. In a separate dish, combine the Panko, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, then beat.2. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and a pinch of salt. Set the seasoning aside. 3. Working in an assembly line, dredge the chicken through the flour, then the eggs – allow the excess to drip off into the bowl, then dip through the Panko crumbs. Place on a plate and repeat. 4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and immediately sprinkle on the seasoning, using to your taste. Thinly slice the chicken. Season with salt. 5. In a bowl, toss the cucumbers, avocados, peppers, lemon juice, and dill. Add the feta and toss. 6. To assemble, add lettuce and peperoncini to a bowl. Top with chicken, and cucumber/avocado salad. Add a few dollops of Tzaziki sauce. Drizzle over the tahini (homemade recipe in notes).
Notes
Garlic Lemon Tahini – whisk together 1/2 cup tahini, 1-2 cloves grated garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1/3 cup warm water in a bowl or use a blender. If needed, add water to thin the sauce as desired. Generously season to taste with salt.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I have been looking for a recipe where the chicken was seasoned, then coated in sesame seeds and fried so I can use it in a Chinese chicken salad. This looks like it might very well work for that purpose! If not, I’ve copied the garlic lemon tahini sauce for dipping. I’m not a fan at all of cucumber so the tzatziki sauce is not something I’m interested in but I can see using the chicken schnitzel prepared this way could have all kinds of applications. Thank you so much for posting this!
Hope you enjoy this recipe! xT
This dish was amazing, both my husband and I absolutely loved it. So many layers of flavor with the tzatziki, tahini sauce, vegies, lemon and schneizel . Better than most dishes we could get at our local restaurants. I find myself turning more and more to Tieghan’s recipes every week for dishes that don’t take hours to make, yet are incredibly flavorful and unique.
Hi Anita,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and your review!! 🍓🫐🍉
This turned out so perfect! I combo’d this with your roasted red pepper / feta mix recipe. I layered the lettuce, cucumber salad, roasted peppers, and the feta mix, then put the chicken on top with the garlic tahini drizzled all over. Tajiki on the side. It was a massive crowd pleaser! Will be a summer staple for sure.
Hey Kelly,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great week:)
Made these last night with Naan Bread and I got a 10/10 from the family. So good and so easy…I really like the avocado/cucumber/jalapeno/feta mix. LOVE all of your recipes!
Thanks so much Heidi!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear the dish was a hit! xT
Everyone in our family loved this recipe from top-to-bottom! I followed the recipe “to the t,” with the exception of not having the volume of sesame seeds called for. The chicken cooked up perfectly and beautifully in the avocado oil; it may be my new oil for pan frying for life now! The garnish salad was delicious too. We love a bowl to assemble and this was certainly a delicious one!!!
Hi Danielle,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it! xT
I have it in my brain that I’m not a fan of peperoncini even though I’m not sure I’ve really had them. I’ll be brave and try it, but it’s there a good replacement just in case? Maybe jarred roasted red peppers? I scanned the comments quickly and didn’t see this question but apologies if this is a repeat.
Hi Meredith,
The peperoncicnis are just for garnish, so you could easily skip them or replace them with another veggie of your choice, the roasted red peppers would be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
The chicken was so delicious, you have to pound it out nice and thin for easy cooking. The breading was really good and the sesame seeds and spice topping really stuck on through/after cooking. The salad was a perfect addition and the flavors went so well with the tzatziki and tahini sauces (my favorite)!
Hi Rita,
Happy Wednesday!! 🍉🍓 Thanks a bunch for testing out this recipe, I’m so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Very tasty combo
I didn’t have tahini so I substituted almond butter. Turned out really good
Hey Toni,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xx
This one is an absolute winner for me and my two (picky) guys and will be featured quite heavily in tour dinner rotation for the forseeable future. Thanks for another great one Tieghan!
Hey Brodie,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
“Oh my goodness gracious” is what my 5 year old said when he had this for dinner. So delicious and so easy to follow. I put my chicken in the airfryer. I found that more manageable while trying to cook and watch the kids.
Excited to add this to the rotation!
Hey Brittany,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Made this with pork schnitzel and it was to die for! Next time with chicken!
Thanks so much Lynne!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Friday! xT