Crispy Pork Milanese
Tired of boring pork chops? These crispy pork chops are just the thing to fix that. Pork milanese is made with seasoned pork chops that are breaded and pan fried to a beautiful golden brown. Serve with your favorite side dishes for a complete meal.
Why you’ll love this pork milanese
While I love a good fried chicken cutlet, but these crispy pork chops are so full of flavor. We make them all the time, and our kids say that they’re the best ever.
To make these extra tasty, I like to use a combination of Panko and regular breadcrumbs. A lot of recipes for pork Milanese contain cheese, so I’ve added a tiny bit of nutritional yeast to mimic that flavor, but you really don’t need it.
This recipe is super versatile. It can be served with all sorts of sides – salads, carbs, veggies – you name it. One of my favorite things to serve with this is a simple arugula salad because the acidity balances the richness of the fried pork Milanese.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Pork chops – We like to use 1-inch boneless pork chops for this recipe. I think they’re just the right size to pound thin and they are reasonably priced. If you want to know more about pork chops and different pork cuts, check out this guide.
- Breadcrumbs – Make sure you check your labels for milk when shopping for breadcrumbs. I like to use a combination of regular breadcrumbs and Panko to get the best texture for my Milanese, but use what you can find that’s safe for you.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make pork milanese
Prep the meat. Start by seasoning the pork chops with salt & pepper. Then set up a dredging station with one bowl of flour, one bowl of egg wash and one bowl with the breadcrumb mixture.
First, dip a pork chop in flour, coating both sides evenly. Next, dip it into the egg wash to coat. Then, finish by dipping it into the breadcrumbs until completely coated. Set aside and repeat until all of the pork chops are breaded.
Fry the chops. Heat a large skillet to medium and add a few tablespoons of oil. I like to use enough to just thinly coat the pan to prevent splatters. Make sure the oil is fully heated before adding the pork chops.
Then, fry the pork chops. This should only take 2 – 3 minutes per side, but you’ll want to make sure the breading is golden brown before flipping.
* Cooking tip
If your skillet isn’t large enough to fit all 4 pork chops, work in batches and keep the cooked pork chops warm by tenting with foil or placing them in a 200˚F oven while continuing the cook the remaining chops.
Everything you need to know about milanese
This delicious crispy pork comes from a northern region in Italy. Milanese refers to anything that comes from the area of Milan, Italy. Pork Milanese became popular after veal Milanese fell out of style, and it’s a great alternative because it still has a ton of flavor.
First, you should know there are many different cuts of pork chops. A pork cutlet is a thin, quick cooking pork chop. Essentially, a pork cutlet is a pork chop just a thin version. For this recipe, we are going to pound the pork chop thin for it to be a cutlet, or you can purchase thin pork chops from the meat section. I prefer a full sized pork chop pounded thin because it’s a more appropriate serving size.
More pork recipes you will love
- Smothered pork chops with gravy
- Braised pork osso bucco
- Harissa maple glazed pork chops
- Instant pot pork carnitas
More dairy free dinners you should try
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
- 1 egg + 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Seasoning the pork chops with salt & pepper.
- In one bowl, mix the panko, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt.
- In a second bowl, whisk the egg with 3 tablespoons of water until smooth.
- Put the flour in a third bowl.
- Dip each pork chop flour, then into the egg wash and breadcrumbs until completely coated. Set aside and repeat until all of the pork chops are breaded.
- Heat oil to medium in a large skillet, making sure the oil is fully heated before adding the pork chops.
- Fry pork chops for 2 – 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
So good!! I wasn’t sure how a pork milanese without parmesan would turn out… but, I googled a dairy free one anyways and ended up here! I’ve only used nutritional yeast in sauces before – using it in a breading was new for me and it worked great. Pounding the meat out thin ensured super quick and even cooking. My whole family loved the way it turned out. The flavor and crunchy texture was perfect. Thank you, I’ll be looking for more dairy -free recipes from you soon! 😊