Italian Veal Cutlets

If ever there was a dinner recipe that my kids ask for, it’s this cotoletta di vitello!  Passed down from my mother-in-law it’s a recipe that the whole house anticipates.

Some of my fondest memories as a mom are hearing my young kids trying to pronounce “Cotoletta” with a mouthful!

Though you don’t need many ingredients, these Italian veal cutlets come out with a flavor you’ll fall in love with.

What Is Cotoletta di Vitello?

Cotoletta is an Italian word for a breaded veal cutlet. Cotoletta di Vitello is a popular Italian dish of breaded veal cutlet that’s fried until crispy. Typically, a blend of breadcrumbs, parmesan, and seasonings is used to coat the veal to add a contrary crunchy texture and savory flavor to tender meat. This recipe of my Mother-In-Law has a secret indient though that makes hers the absolute best. Mint! I think this is a Sicilian thing because she seems to add mint to a lot of things, even her hamburgers!

I serve this dish usually with a side of garlic-roasted broccoli and perfectly fluffed mashed potatoes or an Italian potato and green bean salad for the ultimate Sunday night dinner.

Star Ingredients

• White veal: Both red and white veal will work with the recipe. However, white veal has a very mild flavor and will pick up the seasonings it’s paired with.
• Breadcrumbs: Any breadcrumbs you have on hand will work. Try to use plain ones so that the power of the spices is not overshadowed by a pre-spiced mix.
• Parmesan: I Use finely grated parmesan because it blends better into the coating mixture.
• Fresh mint: the secret ingredient in this cotoletta di vitello! Chop it finely so that maximum flavor is spread out into each bite.

You can make this dinner recipe with chicken as well. Just make sure to pound the breasts thinly so that they fry well.

Step-By-Step Made Simple

Secrets to Getting It Just Right

• Buy lots! When purchasing the meat, it will look like a lot! However, veal shrinks when fried so grab more than you initially think.

• Use the breadcrumb test. You’ll know the oil is ready to cook the veal cutlets by doing a quick breadcrumb test: To do this, I toss a pinch of breadcrumbs into the heated oil. If they bubble right up and start to fry, the oil is ready for cooking. If they sink or are lacking in bubbles, let the oil heat further.

• Don’t overcrowd. When cooking, be sure not to crowd the veal in the pan. Let them touch but not overlap. Otherwise, you’ll have dry spots in your breading.

• Soak it up. You need to get some of the grease off the cutlets from cooking. Once out of the pan, I lay the cutlets on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any extra grease. Likewise, as you cook more batches, layer the paper towel over each layer before placing new cutlets on top.

Leftovers? No Problem

You can bread the cutlets ahead of time if you wish. Once done I just wrap in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge until they are ready to fry.

I like to make lots of extras so that the kids can have these for lunch the next day. They are great on their own, or you can make them into a sandwich with a little sauce on top if you have it.

Once they are cooled, I wrap them in foil and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. I find the foil keeps the cooked cutlets crispier than using plastic wrap. When I freeze them, I wrap them in foil and also an outside layer of plastic wrap to keep any moisture from getting inside. They can freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat the frozen veal cutlets, I first let them thaw in the fridge. Then I either bake them on low in the oven or quickly re-fry them in oil.