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Comida Latina, Dairy Free, Mains, Recipes

Crispy Pork Milanesa Recipe

July 22, 2020
Crispy Mexican Pork Milanesa by ¡Hola! Jalapeño blog. These are a the crispiest breaded pork tenderloin made with boneless pork chops, pounded thin and then coated in flour, egg, and Panko breadcrumbs. Get the step-by-step on how to pound out and tenderize your own pork chops or buy them already pounded out. Learn more about this delicious dinner and how to make it at home on holajalapeno.com #milanesa #pork #schnitzel #milanese
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Pork Milanesa on a dinner plate with salad and black beans a jar of green sauce and silverware to one side.
Pork Milanesa, or breaded, pan-fried pork tenderloin, is loved in South American countries as much as it is in Japan.
 
Call it what you will, Wienerschnitzel, Cotoletta alla Milanese or Tonkatsu. In Iowa we put it on a bun half its diameter with a squirt of yellow mustard and call it lunch.

Pounded thin and fried in hot oil, La Milanesa is the perfect combination of crispy exterior and juicy interior and it happens to be one of my husband’s favorite meals.

Last weekend we were bored so we drove an hour to Fargo to buy the week’s groceries.

Most mothers complain about grocery shopping with their children, I on the other hand, much prefer my child to my husband—at least she doesn’t care what I’ve got planned for dinner that week.

A trip to Fargo meant I could get some out of the ordinary things like Meyer lemons and escarole so I had carefully planned our weekly meals to take advantage of such abundance.

Pork cutlet sliced on a plate with green sauce, black beans, and a salad with lime wedges and a piece on a fork.

Armando decided two seconds before we entered the grocery store what he wanted to buy.

“Are we going to the Asian market?” He asks.

“I don’t think I need anything there” I say.

“Well then what are we going to have for dinner this week?” He responds, “I want some good stuff.”

Yes, this is what he tells me.

He wants some good stuff.

Now I know he didn’t mean we don’t normally have good stuff, but at that moment that is what it sounded like to me and I wanted to punch him in the face.

In his manliness he continues, “Why don’t we have Milanesa?”

The truth was we weren’t going to have Milanesa because it wasn’t on my meticulous menu I had planned out, but my response was, “Because it’s a pain in the ass to make.”

With a “so shut-up.” thrown in under my breath.

He responds with a “No its not, you make it all the time.”

And I respond with a “Then why don’t you make it yourself?”

And that is how we happily carried out our shopping trip…and our hour drive home.

I felt bad though, so of course we had Milanesa the next night and lived happily ever after.

A plate of Pork Milanesa, salad, and black beans with a jar of green sauce and silverware to one side.

How To Make Pork Milanesa

The truth of the matter is, he was right. Pork Milanesa is not that hard to make.

You can use beef, chicken or pork, but boneless pork chops, pounded thin is what we love best.

The only thing about Milanesa is it requires a few shallow dishes for dipping (I use pie plates) but other than that, pretty simple.

Here’s how it goes:

  1. Place flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs (I use panko) in three separate shallow dishes.
  2. All three need to be generously seasoned with salt and pepper.
  3. Coat both sides of the pork chop in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
  4. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan.
  5. Cook the breaded pork chops for about 3 minutes on each side.
  6. Drain on paper towels.
  7. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice!
Seasoned cutlets being breaded with flour. One in a dish of flour and one on a piece of brown paper being ready to get breaded.

Can You Pound Pork Chops To Make Them Tender?

Absolutely!

To get those perfectly thin boneless pork chops for Milanesa (or in Italian, Milanese) you can either buy them already pounded out at your local Latin market or grocery store but you can also easily do it at home.

If you plan on making Milanesa all the time, consider buying a meat mallet.

If you don’t want to commit to another kitchen tool, a heavy-bottomed saucepan, rolling pin or wine bottle will work.

Boneless pork chops sitting on a piece of brown parchment paper next to a bowl of flour.

Lay one or two boneless pork chops on a cutting board (it’s easier to do in batches) and cover with a piece of plastic wrap.

Starting from the middle of the pork chop whack the meat with the mallet working your way out.

A person pounding a boneless pork chop, covered by a piece of plastic wrap with a meat mallet on a cutting board.

The plastic wrap protects the meat from tearing, but if it starts to rip, be a bit more gentle. Work your way around the pork chop until it is of even thickness. Keep going until it is 1/4-inch thick all the way around.

Repeat with the other pork chops, pounding them all the same thickness so they are all nice and tender.

Show Me Your Stuff!

Hey, you pork chop-breading kitchen wiz! Show me your perfect Pork Milanesa! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so that we can see your impressive handiwork. Happy eating!

Print

Crispy Pork Milanesa Recipe

A plate of Pork Milanesa sliced with a fork in one piece dipped in green sauce.

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

Tender pork cutlet pounded thin and lightly breaded and fried. Served with a slice of lemon or lime makes a divine dinner.

  • Author: Kate Ramos
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Pan-Frying
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Low Lactose
Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 pork cutlets or boneless pork chops pounded to about 1/4-inch thick
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

  1. Generously season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Place flour, egg, and panko into three separate pie plates or shallow dishes.
  2. Heat oven to 300°F. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and have an oven-proof plate or baking sheet ready.
  3. While oil is heating dip one cutlet in the flour, cover completely with flour then shake off excess. Dip in egg, covering completely, then let excess drip off. Then cover in panko, pressing to adhere to the pork.
  4. Once oil is shimmering place breaded pork in hot oil (if your pan is big you can do two at a time) the oil should vigorously bubble when pork is added, if not wait longer for oil to get hot enough. Let fry undisturbed until golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and repeat on other side. Transfer pork to plate and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining pork. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Keywords: pork Milanesa

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @holajalapeno on Instagram and hashtag it #holajalapeno

One More Thing

Did you love this post? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram. Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation! Your feedback is super important to me. If you run into trouble shoot me a message on Instagram and I’ll walk you through it.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

This post was first published in 2011 and updated in July 2020.

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Kate Ramos
Kate Ramos

 

12 Comments

  • Avatar
    Reply Sue Ellen April 1, 2011 at 11:37 pm

    That’s a great looking recipe, but as a type 2 diabetic, I have some trouble with the breading the tenderloin has been coated with. Have you tried any alternative coatings to bread? I’m thinking something “whole wheat” based would be fine.

    Sue Ellen

  • Avatar
    Reply Kate Ramos April 2, 2011 at 2:52 am

    Sue Ellen,

    You could use whole wheat flour instead of AP flour and try crushed whole grain crackers or whole grain cereal. Let me know how it turns out!

    Kate

  • Avatar
    Reply Ali April 4, 2011 at 1:51 am

    Men! They just don’t get it 🙂

    Love the story – thanks for the laugh!

  • Avatar
    Reply Rosanna Mancino Valdivieso July 27, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    OMG this is a great Pork Milanesa recipe Kate, i´ll try to do it tomorrow! I let you know how it goes! By the way, i love your tips and enjoy this post !

    ★★★★★

  • Avatar
    Reply Blanca D July 27, 2020 at 12:41 pm

    I’d love to try this pork milanesa! looks so yummy and easy to make. I usually eat chicken, but pork sounds good too!

    ★★★★★

    • Kate Ramos
      Reply Kate Ramos July 31, 2020 at 10:40 am

      Yes, I love chicken too! Thank you Blanca.

  • Avatar
    Reply Johanna Tarazona July 27, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    This Crispy Pork Milanesa recipe is fantastic honey. Thank You for sharing

    ★★★★★

    • Kate Ramos
      Reply Kate Ramos July 31, 2020 at 10:39 am

      Thank you Johanna!

  • Avatar
    Reply Andrea Minski July 27, 2020 at 8:53 pm

    Ya me imagino el sabor…

    Se ve delicioso. Perfecto para un almuerzo de esta semana

    ★★★★★

    • Kate Ramos
      Reply Kate Ramos July 31, 2020 at 10:39 am

      ¡Hurra! Muchas gracias!

  • Avatar
    Reply María July 28, 2020 at 12:07 am

    Los filetes de cerdo a la milanesa me recuerdan a mi infancia. Gracias por los tips para recrear esta receta!!

    ★★★★★

    • Kate Ramos
      Reply Kate Ramos July 31, 2020 at 10:38 am

      Eres muy, muy bienvenido! Espero que tengas la oportunidad de hacerlos.

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