Chicken Milanese with Butter Lettuce Salad

JUMP TO RECIPE PRINT RECIPE

Chicken Milanese is a change-up from veal, the original Italian Vitello alla Milanese or Veal Milanese, and one that makes the dish more accessible without losing anything essential. The cutlets are pounded thin, dredged in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and fried in butter and oil until the crust is properly golden. The butter lettuce salad alongside is the traditional accompaniment; light, undressed with anything heavy, a fresh contrast to the richness of the fried cutlet.

In Italy you will find a Veal Milanese or Veal Parmesan (Vitello alla Parmigiana). These recipes are basically the same as far as the meat is concerned, but the way they are served is different. The Milanese version is traditionally served with lemon and/or a simple salad, while the Parmigiano version is covered in tomato sauce and topped with Mozzarella and/or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Chicken is one of the most versatile proteins in the kitchen precisely because it takes on character so willingly. Pounded thin and fried in a good crust, it becomes something elegant without asking much of the cook. Two cutlets for two people, sized and portioned to feel like a proper Italian dinner without needing a restaurant to make it one.

_{This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.}

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

FOR THE CHICKEN

Chicken cutlets – if you can buy chicken breast in a store already cut into cutlets – that’s perfect, go for it as it saves you time. If chicken cutlets are not around, slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts fillets horizontally, so you end up with two thin cutlets (about 1/4 inch thick). Cover the chicken with plastic wrap. Use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken until it is about 1/4-inch thick- everywhere.
All-purpose flour
Egg
Bread crumbs – use unseasoned panko, so you can control the seasoning.
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese -buy the real Italian cheese, if you can afford it.
Sage

Ingredients to make Butter Lettuce Salad

FOR THE BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD

Butter or Boston Lettuce – other type of lettuce will do, but the butter lettuce is so soft, making it a perfect counter texture for the crispy chicken.
Avocado
Cucumber
Chives

How to Make Chicken Milanese

Step 1 – Mix all-purpose flour with salt and pepper and cover each side of the chicken cutlets with the flour mixture.

Alternatively, you can rub the cutlets with salt & pepper and then cover both sides with flour. Shake off excess.

Step 2 – Whisk an egg on a plate and coat the floured chicken cutlets with the egg. Again both sides.

Step 3 – Mix the bread crumbs with the cheese and the finely chopped sage. Transfer the egged chicken cutlets to the bread crumbs mix and coat on both sides. Make sure all the egg is covered.

Step 4 – Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet, over medium-high heat. Place both chicken cutlets in the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides. This is a few minutes per side. Move the chicken to a wire rack and allow to rest a few minutes. The chicken is safe to consume when it has reached 165 degrees F, this means that you can take it off the heat around 155 degrees as it continues to cook while it rests.

Dark grey plate with chicken Milanese with Butter Lettuce salad. Knife with a few cut in the chicken.

How to Make the Butter Lettuce Salad

Pull the lettuce leaves off the head, take out the core and wash and dry the leaves.
Slice the avocado and the cucumber in bite-size pieces.
Make the dressing by mixing olive oil with red wine vinegar, mustard and salt & pepper.
Place lettuce leaves, avocado and cucumber slices in a bowl, drizzle with the dressing and mix. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of oil do I use to fry the chicken?

Most recipes will call for a neutral oil or vegetable oil when frying, but olive oil is perfectly fine. In general, you need an oil with a relatively high smoke point. The smoke point of an oil is the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke – you can see it. This means the oil starts to break down and that’s not a good thing.
A high smoke point means that the oil can take high temperature before it starts breaking down, before it starts smoking. Oils with high smoke points are: avocado oil, peanut oil, canola oil.

My Chicken Milanese is greasy. What did I do wrong?

Most likely the temperature of the oil was not high enough when you placed the cutlet in the skillet. Or there were too many chicken cutlets in the skillet that the temperature of the oil lowered too much.

My breading falls off the chicken, how can I avoid this from happening?

When breading fall off the meat, it means that the various layers are not ‘communicating’.
1. Make sure you shake off excess of flour, before you place it in the whisked egg. Too much flour prevent the egg layer to stick to the all the flour.
2. Make sure you cover all of the cutlets with the egg, so you have no dry spots anywhere. The breaded layer cannot stick to the flour layer, that’s why the egg is in the middle.
3. It wouldn’t hurt to pat down the flour layer and the breaded layer, without overdoing it.

How do I store left-over Chicken Milanese?

You have left-overs? All kidding aside, when you do have left-over Chicken Milanese, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

How do I eat left-over Chicken Milanese?

You can eat it straight from the fridge on a sandwich or just the way it is. It’s pretty darn good. If you want to eat it warm again, place it in a 400-450°F oven for about 5-6 minutes or pan-fry it just to crisp it up again.

Chicken Milanese with Butter Lettuce Salad

Print Recipe

No reviews