Chicken Milanese
The concept of pounding out a thin piece of chicken and breading it, then frying it in butter until crispy became popular in the 19th Century in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, of which Milan is considered the culinary capital. But its roots are Austrian.
In culinary parlance, “Milanese” means "in the style of the city of Milan," and one can infer that generally means something dredged in flour, eggs and bread crumbs, sometimes mixed with Parmesan cheese. Milan cuisine is part of a broader style of cooking from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy which has historical roots that predates the ancient Romans.
But the idea of pounding out a piece of chicken breast, coating it and frying it wasn't new and in fact, has its roots in the Austrian dish, Weiner Schnitzel, which was similarly prepared traditionally using veal. Weiner Schnitzel became a widespread European tradition, especially after the Austrians spread the dish throughout the regions they controlled or influenced, including Italy.
The Italian Cotoletta alla Milanese (Veal), the precursor to Pollo all Milanese (Chicken), is a direct descendant of Weiner Schnitzel.
As an aside, there is no direct influence of Chicken Milanese on the Southern US dish, Chicken Fried Steak, but it was influenced by European immigrants, particularly those from Germany and Austria, who brought their tradition of breaded, fried meats to America.
Chicken Milanese
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (like, Progresso)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like, Kraft)
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs butter
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 10-12 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 fresh lemon, quartered
Instructions
- Thoroughly dry the chicken breasts with paper towels.
- Cut the each chicken breast horizontally, parallel to the cutting surface, to create two thinner, even-sized pieces.
- Place a sheet of cling wrap on the kitchen counter, lay down one cutlet, then place another sheet of cling wrap over the chicken.
- Using a kitchen meat mallet, pound out the chicken cutlet to roughly 1/4" thick. Repeat this for the other 3 cutlets.
- Dredge the cutlet in flour, then coat in the egg mixture, then press both sides of the cutlet into the breadcrumb and Parmesan cheese mixture. Set aside to rest on a wire rack for 30 minutes before cooking.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter, then add the olive oil until hot.
- Place the chicken cutlets in the hot oil and sauté for 2-3 minute per side. Do not crowd the pan; cook the cutlets in batches if needed.
- Cutlets will keep for awhile uncovered on paper towels in a 200° oven.
- Before serving, spritz each cutlet with juice from the fresh 1/4 lemon wedge.
