When I was young and foolish in New York, I had a French boyfriend for a time who introduced me to rose wine and veal Milanese. And I still love both, although rose is easier to find in restaurants at the moment than veal Milanese.
According to my “Food Lover’s Companion,” the term “alla Milanese” (Italian) is a food (usually meat or poultry) dipped in beaten egg, then into a breadcrumb-Parmesan mixture and fried in butter. From my experience, the meat or poultry is pounded thin before dipping. “Paillard” is the term used for the beef, veal or chicken that has been pounded thin before sauteing or cooking alla Milanese style. Because it is summer, and also because we do not have a ready source for quality veal, I am sticking to chicken paillard recipes today. Thin cutlets of chicken lend themselves to fresh farmers’ market vegetables and salads. They are quick to cook on the stove or under a broiler and so bring little heat to the kitchen, or they are easy to throw on the grill either in a grill pan or right onto the grill itself.
This past week I had one skinless boneless chicken breast in the refrigerator and went to the store for one more (the joys of the butcher counter). I put these between two pieces of parchment paper and pounded them with a rolling pin to about 1/4-inch or a tad more. Then I marinated them in olive oil, grated garlic, smoked paprika and lemon zest with salt and pepper. I made a sauce by blending parsley and cilantro with lime juice, olive oil, jalapeno and salt and pepper. I cooked the paillards under the broiler for about two to three minutes on each side. Then I tossed the sauce with seeded, sliced cucumbers and sliced seeded sunburst cherry tomatoes and put this salad on top of the chicken. Our side dish was sliced eggplant alla Milanese.
You can top paillards or chicken Milanese with any simple summer salad or a salsa or a simple tomato sauce made of cherry tomatoes cooked in olive oil. The marinade can be varied according to what is in the pantry. You can see from the recipes today that the possibilities are endless. The chicken Milanese below is a hybrid of several recipes I had. The first chicken paillards recipe is from Mario Batali. The second chicken paillards recipe is from well-known French chef Eric Ripert.
CHICKEN MILANESE
Serves 4
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs or panko
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon juice
(Source: Anne Freeze, adapted from several recipes)
CHICKEN PAILLARDS
Serves 4
4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, pounded thin and marinated
Salt and pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, separated
1/2 pound arugula
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon black olive paste
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the marinade:
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch thyme
1/2 bunch rosemary
1/2 cup apple cider
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
(Source: Mario Batali, shared by Anne Freeze)
CHICKEN PAILLARDS
Serves 4
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and lightly pounded flat
1/2 cup shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 cup thinly-sliced fennel
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in white wine
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons capers
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons basil julienne
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
(Source: Eric Ripert, shared by Anne Freeze)
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