Here's everything worth knowing about veal cutlets and how to pick them, what they are, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 56 recipes to cook tonight.

What are veal cutlets?

Veal cutlets are thin, pale, boneless slices cut from the leg or loin of veal. They are the quick-cooking cut, valued for tenderness and a mild, delicate flavor that takes a sauce beautifully. For everything else about the meat itself, see veal.

A true cutlet (or scallop) is sliced thin against the grain, often from the top round. Pounded thinner still, the same slice becomes the scaloppine of Italian kitchens and the schnitzel of German and Austrian ones.

Because the meat comes from a young animal, it carries very little fat or connective tissue. That is why it cooks in minutes and why it punishes a heavy hand.

Cooking Veal Cutlets

Start by pounding. Lay the cutlet between plastic and tap it to an even 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) so it cooks fast and stays flat.

Then cook hot and quick. A pounded cutlet needs only 1 to 2 minutes per side over medium-high heat, just until the outside is golden and the center is barely cooked through. Push past that and it turns from tender to dry.

Schnitzel is the breaded version. Dredge it through flour, then beaten egg, then crumbs, and fry in plenty of fat until crisp and deep gold, the way Gypsy Schnitzel does. The breading shields the lean meat and keeps it juicy.

Then there are the pan-sauce dishes. Veal Piccata with Mushroom & Caper finishes the pan with a lemon-caper butter, while Best Vitello Alla Francese dips the cutlet in egg before a lemon-butter sauce.

Cutlets also roll and stack. Veal Valdostana layers ham and fontina inside, and Medallions of Veal with Sauces builds a plated dish around the same quick-cooking slices.

Pairings and Common Mistakes

Lemon is the classic partner, with butter, white wine, capers, mushrooms, sage, parsley, and a salty cheese like parmesan close behind. The mild meat wants brightness or richness to play against.

The cardinal sin is overcooking. With almost no fat to protect it, a cutlet goes gray and leathery in seconds, so have your sauce and plates ready before the meat hits the pan.

A second mistake is crowding. Too many cutlets drop the heat, and the meat steams instead of browning.

Substitutes

Pounded chicken or turkey breast is the everyday swap. Both are lean and mild and behave almost identically when flattened thin, which is why chicken piccata and chicken schnitzel exist at all.

Pork cutlets from the loin work well too, a touch richer in flavor, and they take the same breading and pan-sauce treatment.

For the closest color and texture without veal, reach for thin slices of turkey breast. Beef is the wrong choice here, since even thin-cut beef is too firm and too strongly flavored to mimic veal.

Buying and Storage

Look for pale pink, almost white, fine-grained slices with a faint sheen and no gray or dry edges. The paler the meat, the younger the animal and the milder the result. Ask the butcher to slice and pound them if you like.

Keep raw cutlets cold and cook them within 1 to 2 days. Thin lean slices spoil faster than thick cuts.

To freeze, layer the cutlets with parchment so they pull apart later, then wrap tightly and use within 4 to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge, never on the counter.

Cooked veal keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated. Reheat gently and briefly, because the same lean meat that cooked in two minutes will dry out just as fast the second time.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find veal cutlets: Veal cutlets are usually found in the meats section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Veal cutlets are a member of the Lamb, Veal, and Game Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

小牛肉片

British (UK) term

Veal cutlets

en français

escalopes de veau

en español

chuletas de ternera

How much do veal cutlets weigh?

Amount	Weight
3 ounce	85 grams
1 chop, excluding refuse (yield from 1 raw chop, with refuse, weighing 195 g)	69 grams

Related

Lamb, Veal, and Game Products

Recipes using veal cutlets

There are 56 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 56 recipes

More veal cutlet recipes

• Saltimbocca with Beef Base & Bon Appetit Seasoning
• Simple Veal Piccata
• Veal in Cream Sauce with Barley Pilaf
• Veal Parmigiano
• Veal Scallops Sauteed with Spinach& Capers