The cotoletta alla milanese is the signature dish of Milan: a thick, bone-in veal chop, coated in egg and breadcrumbs and fried golden in butter. People often confuse it with the Wiener schnitzel, but the real cotoletta keeps its bone, uses no flour and is cooked only in butter.
I had it at Ristorante Al Meazza in Milan, right after a plate of lasagne. Lasagne and cotolett’, as they say in Milan! Way too much food that day, and the day before as well, but I have no regrets.
Here is the traditional Milanese recipe, not the restaurant’s. The secret is a well-pressed breadcrumb coating and clarified butter that is not too hot, for a golden crust and meat that stays pink and juicy inside.
The recipe
Classic recipeThe traditional recipe for the dish, not the one from the restaurant where I tasted it.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in veal rib chops (about 300 g each, 2 cm thick)
- 2 eggs
- 200 g fine breadcrumbs from stale bread
- 300 g butter (for about 250 g clarified butter)
- Flaky sea salt
- 1 lemon (optional)
Method
- Clarify the butter: melt it over very low heat for 10 minutes, skim off the foam with a spoon, then carefully pour the clear butter into a bowl, leaving the white solids at the bottom of the pan.
- Take the veal chops out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand. Trim the fat and sinew from the edge, then make a few small cuts all around so the meat does not curl up while cooking.
- Place each chop between two sheets of baking paper and gently flatten the meaty part with a meat mallet, without detaching it from the bone, to an even thickness of about 1.5 cm.
- Beat the eggs in a shallow dish, without salt. Pour the breadcrumbs into another dish. Dip each chop in the egg, let the excess drip off, then coat it in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly with the palms of your hands on both sides.
- Let the breaded chops rest for 10 minutes in the fridge so the coating holds well during cooking.
- Heat the clarified butter in a large frying pan over medium heat to about 160 °C: a pinch of breadcrumbs should sizzle gently without burning.
- Cook the chops two at a time for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, basting them regularly with the butter, until the coating is a deep golden brown.
- Drain them on kitchen paper, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve straight away, with lemon wedges if you like.
Tips and variations
- For the orecchia d'elefante version, use a boneless chop pounded to 5 mm thick and cook it for only 2 minutes on each side.
- Do not replace the clarified butter with regular butter: it would burn before the meat is cooked.
- For an even crispier coating, make your own breadcrumbs from stale bread blitzed very fine and sifted.
- Serve with a simple rocket and cherry tomato salad, or roast potatoes.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.