Crispy Pork Milanesa Recipe

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Crispy Pork Milanesa Recipe

★★★★★

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 1x2x3x

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

One More Thing

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