The Schabowy Burger — Poland’s Crunchiest Pork Sandwich (Schnitzel Meets Burger)
I brought this to a cookout once and three dads asked me for the recipe before I finished eating mine. The schabowy burger is what happens when a Polish kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet) decides to become an American burger — and honestly, it might be better than both.
Kotlet schabowy is the most beloved dish in Polish cuisine. It’s a pounded pork cutlet, coated in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried until golden and crispy. It’s served at every Sunday dinner, every family gathering, and every significant life event in Poland. It’s basically our schnitzel, and we are very passionate about it. One day I looked at a leftover schabowy, looked at a hamburger bun, and thought: why not? That “why not” turned into the most requested recipe I bring to any cookout, barbecue, or potluck.
What Is a Schabowy Burger?
It’s a ground pork patty, seasoned and breaded exactly like a traditional schabowy — flour, egg, breadcrumbs — then pan-fried until shatteringly crispy, and served on a burger bun with all the fixings. You get the satisfying crunch of a classic Polish breaded cutlet in a format that’s portable, stackable, and perfect for eating with your hands at a summer barbecue.
This is a Polish Mom original fusion creation. You won’t find this on any other food blog or in any Polish cookbook, because it came from my kitchen and my inability to stop putting Polish spins on American food. My husband calls it “the Frankenstein burger” but he eats two of them every time I make it, so his opinion is noted and disregarded.
Ingredients
- • 1.5 pounds (680g) ground pork — not too lean. You want some fat for flavour and juiciness. 80/20 is ideal.
- • 1 teaspoon salt
- • ½ teaspoon black pepper
- • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- • ¼ teaspoon marjoram — the secret Polish seasoning. Every schabowy has marjoram.
- • ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour — for dredging
- • 2 eggs, beaten
- • 1 cup (120g) plain breadcrumbs — panko for extra crunch, regular for a classic schabowy texture
- • Vegetable oil for frying
- • 4-6 burger buns
For Serving
- • Mustard (Polish musztarda if you can find it — it’s sweeter and tangier than American yellow mustard)
- • Pickles — extra points for Polish pickled cucumbers (ogórki kiszone)
- • Shredded cabbage (basically coleslaw, but Polish style — vinegar-dressed, no mayo)
- • Sliced onion
- • A thick slice of tomato
How to Make Schabowy Burgers
Form the Patties
In a bowl, combine the ground pork with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and marjoram. Mix gently — don’t overwork the meat or the burgers will be tough. Divide into 4-6 patties, depending on how big you like your burgers. Make them slightly thinner than a regular burger — about ¾ inch thick — because the breading adds volume and you want even cooking.
Set Up the Breading Station
Three shallow dishes: flour in the first, beaten eggs in the second, breadcrumbs in the third. The holy trinity of Polish breading. This is the same process used for every kotlet schabowy in every Polish kitchen — it’s muscle memory for anyone who grew up watching their mama cook.
Bread the Patties
Take each pork patty and coat it in flour (shake off excess), dip in egg (let excess drip off), then press firmly into breadcrumbs on both sides. Make sure the breadcrumbs adhere well — press them in with your palms. Set breaded patties on a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes. This helps the coating set and prevents it from falling off during frying.
Fry
Heat about ¼ inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the breaded patties. Don’t move them — let them cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until the bottom is deep golden brown. Flip carefully and cook another 4-5 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 160°F / 71°C for pork. Drain on paper towels.
Assemble
Toast the buns lightly. Spread mustard on the bottom bun. Add the crispy schabowy patty, shredded cabbage, pickles, onion, and tomato. Close the bun. Try not to eat it too fast — this is not a race, even though it feels like one because it’s that good.
Why This Works at Cookouts
Regular burgers are good. Everyone makes them. They’re expected. But nobody expects a breaded pork burger with Polish pickles and mustard. It’s different enough to be interesting but familiar enough that nobody’s scared of it. The crispy breadcrumb coating stays crunchy even inside a bun, which is more than I can say for most fast-food breaded chicken sandwiches. And the marjoram in the seasoning gives it a flavour that people can’t quite identify but love — that’s the Polish secret ingredient doing its work.
At the last cookout I brought these to, I also brought a bowl of mizeria as a side and a batch of air fryer onion ring chips. The three together were demolished in about 20 minutes. One of the dads asked if I catered. I don’t. But I probably should.
Tips
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Don’t skip the marjoram. It’s what makes this taste Polish. Without it, it’s just a breaded pork burger. With it, it’s a schabowy in burger form.
✓ Rest the breaded patties. Five minutes on a plate helps the coating stick. If you go straight from breading to frying, the breadcrumbs will fall off in the oil.
✓ Medium-high heat, not high heat. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Pork needs to be cooked through — no pink centres.
✓ Use Polish pickles if you can find them. Ogórki kiszone (fermented pickles) have a different tang than American dill pickles — more sour, more complex, and perfect with pork.
Variations
• Air fryer version: Spray breaded patties with cooking spray and air fry at 190°C / 375°F for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway. Less crispy than pan-fried but healthier.
• Chicken version: Use ground chicken instead of pork. Season the same way. Chicken doesn’t have the same richness as pork, so add a tablespoon of melted butter to the meat mixture for moisture.
• Spicy version: Add ½ teaspoon cayenne to the breadcrumbs and serve with a spicy Polish mustard. My kind of burger.
• Slider-sized: Make them smaller for party appetizers. Mini schabowy sliders disappear from a party platter faster than you can make them.
How to Store
Cooked schabowy burgers keep in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 190°C / 375°F for 8-10 minutes to re-crisp the coating — don’t microwave them or you’ll lose all the crunch. They can be frozen (unbreaded or breaded-but-uncooked) for up to 2 months. Fry from frozen, adding a couple extra minutes to the cooking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grill these instead of frying?
Not really — the breading won’t crisp on a grill the same way. If you want a grilled option, skip the breading and make a regular seasoned pork burger with the marjoram and garlic. It won’t be a “schabowy” burger, but it’ll still be delicious. The breading needs oil contact to develop that golden crunch.
What side dishes go with this?
Mizeria (Polish cucumber salad) is the classic pairing. Crispy oven potatoes work great too. Coleslaw — the vinegar-based Polish kind, not the mayo-drenched American kind — is my favourite cookout sidekick. And honestly, a bag of chips. This is a burger. Chips are allowed.
What’s the difference between this and a regular schnitzel sandwich?
A schnitzel sandwich uses a whole pounded cutlet. This uses ground meat formed into a patty, which gives you a juicier, more burger-like result. The schabowy burger is more forgiving and easier to cook evenly — no thin spots that overcook while the thick centre stays raw. Plus, forming patties is way faster than pounding cutlets.
More From Polish Mom
Kotlet Schabowy (Breaded Pork Cutlet) · Air Fryer Onion Ring Chips · Crispy Sliced Potatoes (Oven) · Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp