Chicken schnitzel in walnut breading with pomegranate sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 chicken schnitzels
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 30 g walnuts, ground
• 1 egg(s)
• 3 tbsp flour
• salt, pepper
• Fat, for frying
• 1 large onion(s), finely diced
• 1 garlic clove(s), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme
• 2 pomegranates
• 500 ml chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp sauce (pomegranate sauce), optional
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar, to taste

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Preheat oven to 120°C. For the sauce, halve the pomegranates, squeeze the juices from three halves, and remove the seeds from one half. This is easy if you tap the skin with the back of a spoon. The seeds will then loosen and fall into a prepared bowl or deep plate placed underneath. Mix the breadcrumbs and ground walnuts. Season the schnitzel with salt and pepper. Coat one after the other in flour, beaten egg, and the walnut-breadcrumb mixture. Fry in hot fat in a pan on both sides until crispy and brown. Then place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper in the hot oven for about 15-20 minutes to finish cooking. In the meantime, sauté the onion and garlic in oil and butter and add the thyme sprig to the pan. Deglaze with the stock and pour in the pomegranate juice. Reduce by half, strain, and season with pomegranate sauce, salt, and pepper, and a pinch of sugar if desired. Serve the schnitzel with the pomegranate sauce and garnish with the reserved seeds. Serve with regular rice, saffron rice, or rice cakes with mint or parsley. Note: If you don’t like pomegranate seeds, you can also squeeze both pomegranates completely and let the juice reduce.