Cotoletta alla milanese
Milan's bone-in veal chop, dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in clarified butter until golden. Lemon, and nothing else.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
The real cotoletta alla milanese is a thick veal rib chop with the bone left on, not a thin escalope. The meat is beaten a little flatter, dipped in beaten egg and fine breadcrumbs, and fried slowly in plenty of clarified butter until the crust is deep gold and the meat inside still pink and juicy. There is no flour in the coating, no cheese and no tomato sauce on top. Cook it gently so the butter does not burn and the crust stays attached. Salt it after frying, not before. Serve it with a wedge of lemon and perhaps a green salad or roast potatoes. Done is a golden, crisp crust that clings to tender meat, with the rib bone as a handle.
What you'll need
6 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Trim the fat from the chops and nick the edges so they stay flat. Beat the meat with a mallet to about 1.5 cm thick, leaving it attached to the bone.
5 min
Step 2
Dip each chop in beaten egg, then press firmly into the breadcrumbs on both sides. Repeat egg and crumbs for a thicker crust if you like.
5 min
Step 3
Heat the clarified butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Fry the chops until deep golden, 5–6 minutes a side, spooning butter over the bone.
12 min
Step 4
Drain on paper, salt, and serve at once with lemon.
1 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 1247 kcal
- Protein
- 84.1 g
- Carbs
- 50.8 g
- Fat
- 77.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 43.9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2.1 g
- Sodium
- 906 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Bone-in chop → Thin veal escalope
The 'elephant's ear' version: cook 2 minutes a side.
Tips
- Clarified butter can take the heat; plain butter burns before the meat is cooked.
- Do not salt before frying, or the crust goes soggy.
History & culture
Milan treats cotoletta as a point of civic pride, served in old trattorie with the bone sticking up from the plate. The thinner, wider 'orecchia d'elefante', elephant's ear, is a popular modern cousin. Milan's council lists the bone-in chop among the city's protected municipal recipes (De.Co.).
Milanese records describe breaded, fried veal in the twelfth century. Milan also claims the Viennese schnitzel was copied from its cotoletta during Austrian rule of Lombardy in the nineteenth century, a story that rests on a letter from Field Marshal Radetzky that no historian has found. Vienna says its schnitzel is its own, and food historians remain undecided.
Traditional — Bone-in veal chop, egg and breadcrumbs, clarified butter. No flour, no cheese.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Cotoletta alla milanese take?
30 min all in — 15 min prep, 15 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Cutting board.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp (flaky).
What can I use instead?
Bone-in chop → Thin veal escalope. The 'elephant's ear' version: cook 2 minutes a side.
Any tips from this recipe?
Clarified butter can take the heat; plain butter burns before the meat is cooked. Do not salt before frying, or the crust goes soggy.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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