Cotoletta alla Milanese | Classic Italian Fried Cutlet Recipe

This is the most classic form of Italian “cotoletta,” or fried meat cutlet. You’ll find it from the north to the south of Italy, everywhere from gas station diners to fancy restaurant menus. It’s a beloved staple of Italian cuisine that’s easy to whip up in a flash, and can be enjoyed hot and fresh on its own or incorporated into a delicious sandwich.

What Meat Works Best?

The traditional “costoletta alla Milanese” uses a bone-in veal rib chop, cut very thin, but this style of cotoletta is fantastic because it can be adapted to use just about any type of meat you prefer: beef, veal, pork, chicken, turkey, etc. What’s important is that the cut of meat is a very thin cutlet (no thicker than about ⅓ inch, or 0.85 cm). This is a great way to use leaner cuts of meat that might not be very delicious on their own.

The size of the cutlet is really up to you. Cotolette can be huge (sometimes called “elephant ears”) or they can be more modestly sized to comfortably fit in a sandwich roll. Just make sure that the cutlet comfortably fits in the frying pan of your choice, keeping in mind that the size will increase slightly after tenderization.

Frying Cutlets: Butter vs. Oil

Because this cotoletta style comes from northern Italy, where butter is king, the traditional frying fat of choice is butter. Actually, clarified butter (also known as ghee), to be precise, because it has a higher smoke point and is better suited for frying than normal butter.

That being said, if you don’t have any clarified butter on hand, you can absolutely make a great cutlet using a neutral frying oil of your choice, or even extra-virgin olive oil.

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Cotoletta alla Milanese Recipe

Makes: 1 large cutlet, can be easily scaled up to cook multiple cotolette

Cook Time: 30 minutes

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 large meat cutlet (see above)
• 3 large eggs, or as needed
• 1 cup (100 grams) plain dry bread crumbs, or as needed
• 9 tablespoons (125 grams) clarified butter, or as needed
• Salt
• Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Using a pair of scissors, cut a few small incisions (about ½ inch or 1.25 cm) around the edges of the meat cutlet. This will help prevent the meat from curling and puckering when cooked. Place the cutlet in between two sheets of parchment paper and tenderize it with a mallet.

Whisk the eggs and pour them into a large, lipped plate or shallow dish. Spread the bread crumbs on a large plate. Bread the cutlet by first dipping it into the egg on both sides. Transfer the meat into the breadcrumbs and evenly bread it on both sides. If you want an extra crispy cutlet, you can double-bread it by repeating the process in egg and crumbs.

Melt the clarified butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. The listed amount is enough to fill a roughly 10 inch (25.5 cm) pan with about ⅓ inch (0.85 cm) of melted butter. Depending on the size of your cutlet/pan, you may need slightly more or less. Heat the butter until it just starts to smoke.

Carefully lay the breaded cutlet into the pan. Fry, flipping occasionally with tongs, until golden on both sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool slightly.

Sprinkle with salt and serve warm. Optionally, you can drizzle some lemon juice on top.

Buon appetito!