Veal Chops Milanese
Butterfly the veal chops, leaving them connected to the bone, and pound them between layers of plastic wrap to ½-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper, press the chops into breadcrumbs, and cook them in hot olive oil and butter, squeezing lemon juice onto each chop, until golden on both sides. Toss the blanched baby broccoli into the pan with salt, pepper, and lemon juice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the chops on a platter with the broccoli draped on top.
A veal chop Milanese is a showstopper — a bone-in chop butterflied and pounded wide, breaded, and fried until the crust shatters and the veal stays juicy within. Served with lemon and a side of blistered baby broccoli, it is the platonic ideal of the breaded cutlet, dressed up on the bone. It looks impressive spilling over the edge of the plate, yet the technique is simple and quick.
Butterflying & Breading
The signature of a chop Milanese is its size. Butterfly the veal chop open and pound it wide and thin around the bone, so it cooks through in the moments it takes the crust to brown and turns beautifully tender. Press the seasoned chop straight into Italian breadcrumbs, letting the coating set so it clings through the fry. The bone stays in for drama and flavor, framing the crisp, golden cutlet.
The Pan-Fry & Blistered Broccoli
Fry the breaded chop in hot olive oil and butter, with a squeeze of lemon, until the crust turns evenly golden and crisp, about 5 minutes a side. Drain it on a rack to stay crackling. For the side, toss the blanched baby broccoli in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes and brighten it with lemon — its acidity is the perfect foil for the rich, crisp veal. Finish with a squeeze of lemon over the whole plate.
Veal Chops Milanese
Ingredients
Method
- Use a sharp knife to butterfly the chops, leaving them connected to the bone.
- Place the butterflied chops onto your work surface in between layers of plastic wrap.
- Use a meat mallet to pound the meat to ½-inch thickness.
- Season the chops with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Place the bread crumbs into a shallow bowl or plate.
- Lay the chops into the bread crumbs pushing down so that they adhere to the meat.
- Place the chops into the hot oil, one at a time depending on the size of your skillet.
- Squeeze lemon juice onto each chop.
- Cook until the bottom is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn, sprinkle with additional juice and cook on the second side until golden, about 5 minutes more.
- Toss the broccoli into the pan.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Serve the veal chops on a platter with the broccoli draped on top.
The Heart of the Table
To fry a golden, crisp cutlet and set it, sizzling and generous, before someone is a warm and homey act of hospitality. There is joy in a plate this abundant — the big crisp chop, the bright green broccoli, the wedge of lemon — all made fresh and served hot, the kind of dinner that makes an ordinary evening feel like a treat.
The Art of the Host
A meat mallet, a wide skillet, and hot fat are the essentials. Pound the chop evenly around the bone so it cooks uniformly, press the breading on firmly, and keep the frying fat hot so the crust crisps rather than sogs. Toss the broccoli in the pan for a minute or two, and finish everything with plenty of fresh lemon.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: You can butterfly, pound, and bread the chops a few hours ahead and keep them chilled, so the only live steps are the quick fry and the fast blistering of the broccoli. Hold fried chops crisp on a rack in a low oven if cooking in batches, then plate everything hot with fresh lemon.
- The Pour: A crisp, dry white — Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, or a Soave — matches the lemon and cuts the fried richness. For a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling lemonade or a citrus spritzer echoes the brightness on the plate.
- The Vibe: This is crisp, celebratory comfort — serve the golden chop spilling over the plate with the blistered broccoli draped on top and a wedge of lemon alongside. It is a simple dinner that feels festive, best with the lemon squeezed generously and eaten while it's hot.