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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.
Looking for more veal recipes? Try my veal Milanese, veal chops, veal cutlets, and veal shanks.
Italian American dishes have a special place in my heart, especially veal scallopini.
Tender fillets of veal are sauteed and then simmered in a creamy sauce, and honestly, my family considers it one of their favorite cozy dinners.
What is veal scallopini?
Veal scallopini is a popular Italian American dish made with thinly sliced pieces of veal that are typically pounded to an even thickness and simmered in a creamy lemon butter sauce.
The term “scallopini” (or scallopine) refers to the thin, quick-cooking cuts of meat (like chicken breast, lean steak, or veal) that are coated with flour and cooked rapidly.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Incredible texture and flavor. The texture of the veal is tender and juicy, and the sauce is perfectly creamy. It has a rich, savory, and slightly tangy flavor.
- Quick. Veal is naturally a leaner cut of meat, so the cooking process is minimal, so you’ll have this impressive dish in under 20 minutes.
- An underrated cut. Veal fillets are a severely underrated cut of protein that balances flavors well. Like a simple chicken breast or pork fillet, they absorb flavors well and act as a blank canvas.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Great recipe, easy to follow, and tasted delicious!”– Sue
Ingredients Needed
- 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. Lightly dusting the meat in flour forms a thin crust, which not only makes it extra tender but traps the juices inside.
- Olive oil. To sear the meat.
- Butter. Not only does it add flavor to the meat, but it also adds some richness to the sauce.
- Chicken stock. I prefer using a stock with no added salt because there is already ample salt in this dish (the salt and the capers!).
- Lemons. For the acidity. Limes can also be used.
- Heavy cream. For that rich and creamy sauce. Opt for full-fat cream: This is not the kind of dish to use low-fat or light varieties.
- Capers. These salty, zingy bits balance out the richness of the sauce and complement the veal so well.
How to make veal scallopini
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Sear the veal: Season the veal with salt and pepper, coat it with flour, and pan-sear it in olive oil and butter in a skillet.
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. Because of the creamy sauce, it’s best served over a bed of mashed potatoes (or cauliflower mashed potatoes), egg noodles, rice, or with some crusty bread.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a meat thermometer: Veal scallopini is a thin cut and easy to overcook. When overdone, it leads to an unpleasant, tough structure. Aim for an internal temperature of 155-160F for a perfectly cooked piece of meat.
- Get the perfect crispy top: Sear the veal immediately after coating it with the flour to get a crisp surface.
- Dry the veal: Before seasoning the veal with salt and pepper, dry it with a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. This step is crucial to achieving the perfect exterior.
- Let the veal rest in the sauce: After combining seared veal with gravy, allow it to soak up the flavors for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe variations
- Cook it with wine. Deglaze the pan with white cooking wine and reduce it to make a rich, sweet sauce.
- Garnish with herbs, like freshly chopped cilantro and parsley to spruce it up.
- Season the flour with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs for a more flavorful veal coating.
Storage instructions
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.
Frequently asked questions
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.
More Italian-American recipes to try
Easiest Veal Scallopini
Video
Ingredients
- 4 veal cutlets
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup capers rinsed and drained
Instructions
- If the veal fillets are too thick, pound them until they are around 1/2 an inch in thickness.
- Season veal fillets with salt and pepper. Add flour into a bowl, and coat the veal with the flour.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet. Once melted, add the veal. Cook the veal for 5 minutes per side. Remove the veal from the skillet and set aside.
- Add broth into the skillet and scrape any browned bits. Add heavy cream, lemon juice, and capers. Simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes.
- Place the veal back to the skillet. Serve warm, over cooked pasta.
Easy, yummy, fast, and I skipped the capers. Delicious and well loved by the whole family. Dipped our broccoli in the sauce, served on the side.
My partner wanted Veal scallopini for his birthday dinner, but I had no veal.
Such a great recipe! Had 4 x rump rounds that I smashed to 1/2 inch thick and doubled the sauce.. served with potato and pumpkin mash as I’d near run out of potato and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
A very happy 46 year old!
Oh, ommitted the capers.. not a fan
Haha that is okay! 🙂
Great recipe, easy to follow and tasted declicious!
Thanks, Sue!
I ALL WAYS THOUGHT THE SCALLOPINI WAS MADE WITH PEPPERS, MUSHROOM,ONIONS, CAN THESE ITEMS BE INCORPARATED IN THIS RECIPE? THANK YOU
Hi David- I’m sure you can saute them first, cook the veal, then add them back to the pan to simmer at the end.
When I was twenty years old I lived in little Italy in the city I grew up in. There was this Italian meat market that my girlfriend and I would shop at and every time we would get veal, there were always two men there, and the one guy would comment on how thin his partner could slice veal. You can see right through it he would say. What can I say? That veal was like crack. When that meat market closed we never ever had veal like that again. You can pound it but it’s not the same, she tried many times and never came close. I know you can’t call veal tough, but in comparison to the paper thin stuff. So what I’m sayin’ is, if you are lucky enough to get blessed with a talented butcher, don’t take it for granted like we did.
Very very tasty the best
Very very tasty. The best