Cotoletta alla Palermitana | Sicilian Style Breaded Cutlet Recipe

This style of Italian cutlet, hailing from the Sicilian city of Palermo, is unusual in that it isn’t deep fried like its much more famous cousin, cotoletta alla Milanese. In our opinion the end result is much more delicious, however, due to the delicious seasoning of cheese and herbs in the bread crumbs. This is the perfect way to take a boring cut of meat and turn it into something extraordinary with very little fuss!

What Meat Works Best?

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.

A Note on the Bread Crumbs

Because this cutlet isn’t deep fried, it’s advisable to use “fresh” bread crumbs, as opposed to dry bread crumbs, as they will prevent the breading from drying out or burning. Fresh bread crumbs are made by taking bread that is a few days old but not completely stale, and grating it or finely chopping it in a food processor.

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Cotoletta alla Palermitana 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)
• 1 cup (about 150 grams) fresh bread crumbs, or as needed
• ¼ cup (25 grams) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, or to taste
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon (4 grams) chopped fresh parsley
• 5 to 7 fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the meat
• Salt
• Grated lemon zest for topping

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. 

On a large plate, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmigiano, garlic, parsley, and mint. Brush both sides of the meat cutlet with olive oil and place it in the bread crumbs. Press and flip the meat until it is evenly breaded on both sides.

Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Lay the breaded cutlet into the pan and cook it, flipping occasionally, until golden on both sides. Serve warm, topped with a generous sprinkle of salt and a grating of lemon zest.

Buon appetito!