Veal Milanese (Cotoletta alla Milanese)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: people

Calories: 514kcal

Veal Milanese (cotoletta alla milanese) is a classic Italian dish that features breaded veal chops fried in butter until perfectly crispy and golden.

Start by cutting out the excess fat from the cutlets, without detaching the meat from the bone. With the help of a very sharp knife, scrape the bone, removing all the attached parts of meat. Using a meat tenderizer, lightly and gently pound your chop until the height of the meat is uniform across the entire surface.
In a shallow plate whisk the eggs until they're properly mixed. In another shallow plate place the breadcrumbs. Dip each veal chop in the whisked eggs, making sure it's well coated on both sides.
Dip each veal cutlet into the breadcrumbs, pressing gently with your hands and making sure the meat is coated on both sides. Repeat the process if necessary.
Take a knife and, with the back of the blade, strike the surface of the cutlets, forming diamonds: this will help the breading remain attached during cooking.
Heat a large pan with the clarified butter, over medium-low heat. Place the cutlets into the pan and cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, then turn them onto the other side, turn the heat to low, and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes, until golden and brown on both sides.
Remove the veal milanese from the pan and transfer them to a plate covered with kitchen paper, to absorb the grease. Transfer them onto a serving plate, season with sea salt (or Maldon salt) and freshly cracker black pepper to taste, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Pound the veal chops between two sheets of baking paper or even in a freezer bag, this will prevent the meat from sticking to the cutting board.

The meat should never be salted before cooking, because salt releases liquids. Always salt right before serving, preferably with sea salt flakes.

Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper, so that the breading sticks better to the meat.

Although you can bread the veal just once, for extra crispy cutlets, I recommend making a double breading, this means to dip the cutlets again in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs.

Clarified butter is used because it has a higher smoking point. If you want to use regular butter, add a drizzle of peanut oil, it should prevent it from browning too much.

While cooking the cutlet, spoon a small amount of butter over the top to ensure even cooking.