🇮🇹 Italian · Main Dish
🍖 Cotoletta alla Milanese
Cotoletta alla Milanese
A thick, bone-in veal cutlet breaded and fried in clarified butter until deeply golden, Milan's proud answer to (and possible ancestor of) Vienna's famous schnitzel.
Milanese tradition insists on a properly thick cut of veal, bone still attached, breaded and fried gently in butter rather than oil, resulting in a cutlet that stays juicy within its crisp golden crust — a point of considerable civic pride against comparisons to Austrian schnitzel.
Ingredients
Equipment: Meat mallet, Shallow dishes for breading, Large heavy skillet
- 4 bone-in veal chops, about 2.5cm thick
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 200 g (2 cups) fine breadcrumbs
- 60 g (½ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
- 150 g (⅔ cup) clarified butter or a mix of butter and oil
- Salt, to taste
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Method
- Gently pound the veal chops to an even thickness, keeping the bone intact.
- Set up a breading station: beaten eggs in one dish, breadcrumbs mixed with Parmigiano if using in another.
- Dip each chop in the egg, letting excess drip off, then press firmly into the breadcrumbs to coat evenly on both sides.
- Let the breaded chops rest for 15 minutes, which helps the coating adhere during frying.
- Warm the clarified butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
- Fry the chops for about 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and cooked through, adjusting heat as needed to avoid burning the butter.
- Drain briefly on paper towels, season with a little salt, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Chef Tips
- Letting the breaded cutlets rest before frying genuinely helps the coating stay put rather than falling off in the pan.
- Clarified butter allows for a higher cooking temperature without burning compared to regular butter.
- A proper Milanese cutlet should be thick enough to stay juicy inside its crisp crust — avoid pounding it too thin.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pounding the veal too thin, resulting in a dry cutlet by the time the coating turns golden.
- Skipping the resting step after breading, causing the coating to flake off during frying.
- Using plain butter at too high a heat, which burns and turns bitter rather than golden.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein from the veal.
Cultural Note
Milan fiercely defends cotoletta alla Milanese as distinct from, and in local lore predating, Vienna's wiener schnitzel, with the bone-in cut and butter-frying method considered essential markers of authenticity.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten fresh; refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a hot oven to help re-crisp; avoid the microwave, which leaves the coating soggy.
Serve with: Lemon wedges, A simple arugula salad, Risotto alla Milanese