Although schnitzel did not originally have a sauce, there are several different schnitzel sauces that have been developed over the years. Some schnitzel dishes with sauce include jaeger schnitzel, zigeuner schnitzel, and paprika schnitzel. There are also types of schnitzel toppings that are not sauces, such as melted cheese.
Schnitzel is meat dish, typically veal, that has been pounded thin. It can be breaded or unbreaded, and is pan fried until golden brown. Similar meat dishes existed as early as Ancient Rome.
The most common form of schnitzel is weiner schnitzel. This Austrian dish is a thin veal cutlet that has been dipped in flour, egg, and bread crumbs, and then fried until golden brown. It is usually served with a lemon wedge. Some German restaurants now offer weiner schnitzel sauces. One of these sauces is made with white wine, lemon juice, and heavy cream.
Jaeger sauce is another popular schnitzel sauce. The sauce is made with mushrooms, cream, and sometimes red wine. A dish topped with this sauce is called jaeger schnitzel. The meat used for this schnitzel can be veal, pork, or venison, and can be plain or breaded in the same fashion as weiner schnitzel.
Two schnitzel sauces, called zigeuner and paprika, are tomato based. Zigeuner schnitzel can be made with veal, pork, turkey, or chicken that is coated in either flour or breadcrumbs. The tomato sauce is made with peppers, mushrooms, onions, red wine, and chicken broth. Paprika schnitzel is made with the same meats as ziegner schnitzel, and the sauce is seasoned with paprika and red peppers.
Rahm schnitzel is made with turkey, pork, or veal. It is coated in flour and then fried. The sauce is made with white wine, heavy cream, and black pepper.
There are other toppings for schnitzel other than schnitzel sauces. Schnitzel Holstein is topped with a fried egg, onions, and capers. The meat used is veal, pork, turkey, or chicken.
Käse schnitzel is made with veal, turkey, chicken, or pork. It is coated with bread crumbs and Asiago cheese and then fried. When finished, it is topped with more cheese.
Cordon bleu is a schnitzel dish from Switzerland. It is traditionally made with veal, but pork, turkey, and chicken may also be used. It is stuffed with ham and cheese. Parisian schnitzel is a dish from France. It is a veal cutlet dipped in egg and flour, and then fried.