The best veal scallopini recipe that is quick, easy, and authentic. This dish is a perfect weeknight meal, served with a lemony, creamy sauce and pasta.
While the veal is being cooked, tender fillets are sautéed and then simmered in a creamy sauce. My family really loves this cozy dinner.
Veal scallopini is a popular Italian-American dish. It is made with veal that has been thinly sliced, pounded to an even thickness, and cooked in a lemon butter sauce.
If you coat thin cuts of meat with flour and cook them quickly, like chicken breast, lean steak, or veal, that’s what “scallopini” (or scallopine) means. Table of Contents.
Veal scallopini is a beloved Italian dish made with thin slices of veal that are pounded thin and quickly pan-fried. But the secret behind making perfect veal scallopini lies in understanding scallopini sec – or “dry” scallopini. This technique yields the most tender, flavorful scallopini that will wow your dinner guests!
As a home cook and italophile I’ve enjoyed making veal scallopini for years. It’s an elegant yet easy dish that comes together quickly. But there’s an art to getting the veal just right. Let me share what I’ve learned about making scallopini sec so you can master this Italian classic!
What is Veal Scallopini Sec?
Scallopini sec simply refers to cooking the veal without any initial sautéing or browning before finishing it in the pan sauce. The veal is dredged in flour, seasoned, then added directly to the sauce ingredients to cook through.
This technique keeps the veal extremely moist, fork-tender and infused with flavor. If you pre-brown the meat, it loses moisture and can become tough. Scallopini sec yields the most succulent, delicate veal possible.
Why Try Scallopini Sec?
There are a few key benefits to scallopini sec:
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Tender and juicy veal – By skipping browning, the veal retains its moisture and delicate texture. No chewy meat here!
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Infused with flavor – The veal soaks up all the sauce ingredients like lemon, wine, and herbs as it cooks. Maximum flavor penetration.
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Faster cooking time – Without searing each side, the total stovetop cooking time is cut significantly. Dinner in under 30 minutes!
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Easier process – No need to brown in batches. Just season, flour, and add straight to the pan. Simple and streamlined.
If you love tender, melt-in-your-mouth veal with big flavors, scallopini sec is a must-try technique.
Step-By-Step Guide to Veal Scallopini Sec
Ready to make the most flavorful, foolproof veal scallopini? Follow these simple steps:
Ingredients:
- Veal cutlets pounded to 1⁄4 inch thickness
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- Olive oil
- Butter
- White wine
- Chicken or vegetable broth
- Lemon juice
- Fresh herbs like parsley or basil
- Minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
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Pound the veal cutlets: Place veal cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat mallet to gently pound to about 1⁄4 inch thickness.
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Season the veal: Sprinkle both sides of veal evenly with salt and pepper. I use about 1⁄4 teaspoon per side.
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Dredge in flour: Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge veal thoroughly in flour, coating both sides. Shake off any excess.
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Heat oil and butter in a skillet: Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add veal directly to pan: Place floured veal cutlets directly into the hot skillet in a single layer without overcrowding.
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Cook veal 2-3 minutes per side: Let cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Transfer veal to a plate.
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Make pan sauce: Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook 1 minute. Deglaze pan with 1⁄2 cup white wine, scraping any browned bits. Add 1 cup broth and lemon juice.
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Return veal to skillet: Nestle veal back into the sauce in skillet. Spoon sauce over veal.
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Simmer until veal is cooked: Let simmer about 5 minutes until veal is cooked through.
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Stir in herbs: Remove skillet from heat. Stir in fresh parsley or basil. Serve veal immediately with sauce spooned over top.
And that’s it – restaurant-quality veal scallopini sec in 30 minutes! The simple flour coating helps the veal get lightly browned but prevents overcooking. Letting the veal finish gently in the seasoned pan sauce keeps it super moist.
This technique works perfectly with quick-cooking meats like chicken breasts or pork chops too. The options for sauce ingredients are endless as well – mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, olives – have fun with it!
Tips for Perfect Veal Scallopini Sec
Here are a few helpful tips:
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Use high-heat tolerant oil like avocado or grapeseed oil to keep the pan hot enough.
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Make sure the pan sauce ingredients are prepped and ready to go before cooking the veal.
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Use a thin-lipped skillet for easy flipping and sauce making.
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Don’t move the veal around too much after adding to the pan or it won’t brown properly.
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For extra-tender veal, consider a quick marinade in lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs before cooking.
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Serve scallopini sec with rice, pasta, or crusty bread to soak up the amazing sauce.
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Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan for a classic presentation.
With practice, you’ll be able to whip up scallopini sec any night of the week. Impress your guests with your culinary skills!
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How to make veal scallopini
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post to print out the full recipe instructions and amounts of the ingredients.
Step 1: Sear the veal. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veal, coat it with flour, and sear it in a skillet with olive oil and butter.
Step 2- Make the sauce: Remove the cooked veal and add chicken broth to the skillet. Collect the meat scrapings and browned bits, and add heavy cream, lemon juice, and capers.
Step 3- Combine and serve: After simmering the sauce for 3-5 minutes, place the veal in it. Cook your favorite pasta al dente and serve the veal over it.
What to serve with this
This dish pairs well with almost anything, including vegetables, potatoes, salads, and starches. It tastes best with mashed potatoes (or cauliflower mashed potatoes), egg noodles, rice, or crusty bread because the sauce is so creamy.
- Take a meat thermometer with you. Veal scallopini is a thin cut of meat that is easy to overcook. When overdone, it leads to an unpleasant, tough structure. A piece of meat is fully cooked when the internal temperature is between 155F and 160F.
- To get the perfect crispy top, sear the veal right away after making a crust on it with flour.
- Dry the veal: Use a clean kitchen towel to remove any extra water from the veal before adding salt and pepper. This step is crucial to achieving the perfect exterior.
- After searing the veal and adding the gravy, let it sit in the sauce for a few minutes so that the flavors can blend.
- Cook it with wine. Add white cooking wine to the pan and let it cook down to make a thick, sweet sauce.
- Add fresh herbs, like chopped cilantro and parsley, to make it look better.
- To make the flour taste better, add garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs to it.
To store. This dish keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days.
To freeze. If you want to keep scallopini longer, freeze the leftovers in airtight containers for 2-3 months.
To reheat. Heat it in the pan or the oven until hot.
If your veal fillets have a uniform thickness of ⅛-¼ inches, you don’t need to pound them. But if they are uneven, I suggest gently beating them to even out the thickness.
For this particular recipe, you can use chicken breast fillets or lean steak instead of veal.
Why I love this recipe
- Incredible texture and flavor. The veal is soft and juicy, and the sauce is just the right amount of creamy. It has a rich, savory, and slightly tangy flavor.
- Quick. Veal is naturally a leaner cut of meat, so it doesn’t need much cooking. This dish will be ready in less than 20 minutes.
- An underrated cut. Veal fillets are a great way to balance out the flavors of other foods. They take on flavors well and can be used as a blank canvas, like a simple chicken breast or pork fillet.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Great recipe, easy to follow, and tasted delicious!”– Sue
- Veal cutlets. Look for thin slices of veal to make this recipe. If too thick, pound them to 1/2-inch thickness.
- Salt and pepper. To season the meat.
- Flour. Putting a little flour on the meat makes a thin crust that not only makes it more tender but also keeps the juices inside.
- Olive oil. To sear the meat.
- Butter. Along with making the meat taste better, it also makes the sauce richer.
- Chicken stock. I like to use a stock that doesn’t have any extra salt because this dish already has a lot of salt from the salt and the capers.
- Lemons. For the acidity. Limes can also be used.
- Heavy cream. For that rich and creamy sauce. For this dish, you should use full-fat cream instead of low-fat or light cream.
- Capers. These sour and salty bits balance out the heavy sauce and go so well with the veal.
Traditional Veal Scallopini : Italian Recipes
FAQ
What is veal scallopini made of?
What is the difference between veal scallopini and veal piccata?
What does scallopini mean in cooking?
What is a substitute for veal scallopini?
What is Veal Scallopini?
Veal Scallopini is a dish in Italian cuisine made from thinly sliced veal that is dredged in flour and then sautéed in a mixture of butter and olive oil. After cooking, the veal is typically removed from the pan, and a sauce is made using ingredients like white wine, fresh lemon juice, and capers.
What is Italian-American veal scallopini?
Here’s a classic Italian-American veal scallopini that’s so easy and delicious to enjoy at home. It’s a beautifully rich dish bursting with bright lemon flavor in a creamy sauce. Make this restaurant-worthy dish in the comfort of your own home with this easy and fool proof veal scallopini recipe.
How do you cook veal scallopini in a cast iron skillet?
Preheat a cast iron or heavy skillet on medium high heat with butter. Add in the veal scallopini but avoid over crowding the pan. Make sure the veal is in a single layer at all times. Cook the veal for 3 minutes until golden and crisp and then flip each piece. Cook for an extra 3-4 minutes until golden crisp.
What is the sauce for Veal Scallopini?
The term “Scallopini” refers to the thin, pounded cutlets that can be sautéed with a variety of sauces. A common sauce for Veal Scallopini is the lemon-caper sauce as shown in this piccata sauce.