True Italian Milanese NEVER includes garlic powder or onion powder. These 2 ingredients overpopulate Italian-American recipes, but really, the standard Milanese has no garlic at all. If anything, the breading is flavored with herbs. So, if you like the Italian-American style, go ahead and use the podwers, but personally, since I was born and raised in Italy, I find these 2 ingredients "fake" and hard to digest.

Hi Corrado,

While I prefer the flavors of fresh garlic and fresh onion, there is also a place in my kitchen for garlic and onion powder (not garlic salt or onion salt).

Garlic and onion powder allows the cook to add a touch of extra flavor to breadings, it may be sprinkled directly on meat, and can perk up a sauce at the end of the cooking time, when it's too late to add fresh garlic or onions.

I've also made my own garlic and onion powder by dehydrating garlic and/or onions in a food dehydrator, then pulverizing them in a food processor. So, when you call them "fake" I'm puzzled because they are only dry garlic or onions that have been turned into a powder. There are no chemicals or preservatives, just the real thing. So many other simple and pure foods are made in the same way; pasta starts off as a grain that is dried and eventually milled to a powder, then mixed with water. Bread is another example of dried and powdered, then rehydrated food. Most of the vitamins and minerals are preserved and even concentrated when foods are dehydrated.

My mother, my grandmother and grandfather all have used these in their Italian kitchens for years (my grandmother from Sicily and my grandfather from the Naples region).

It's possible that some people from Milan don't use it, but then, maybe some of the better cooks there do :)

-- CM

This is excellent. I use Cooks.com all the time and no matter what I look for, the one I pick is always submitted by CM. Thank you!

Me too Jackie! Recipes submitted by CM are the best!

I only wanted to say that I have been making a version of this recipe for years and the family loves it. I love your recipes and have made a great number of them. I always look to see CM at the bottom of a recipe when there is a choice of the same dish. I absolutely love your reply to Corrado. Made me laugh. Thanks

Me too! Most good cooks taste and add what they think is best regardless where the recipe orginated at!

It takes all types
My family of Sicilian descent had (at times) too many cooks. None would ever use powders of any sort, always said it was the source of "agita" eating American Italian cooking.
I look at it differently as you describe dehydrating to concentrate flavors, it's interesting. In this particular recipe, have made cutlet Milanese for several years I can say I'd never use anything, the garlic in egg mixture, good bread crumbs and squeeze of lemon at end is enough.
But as I said, it takes all types, to each his own taste...

I made this tonight and found it to be very enjoyable. The flavors, with the garlic and onion powders were nicely balanced. The addition of fresh garlic in the egg added a nice garlic flavor. Lots of fresh lemon to squeeze over the finished chicken was delicious!

I think many people on Cooks.com who share recipes try and simplify ingredients for working moms or other busy people in general. I am 100% Italian and also a Chef and I take no offense to the use of dried ingredients. If you have good flavor principles you can make a great tasting meal no matter what.

I made this chicken dish tonight for my family. I made it exactly as directed. It was delicious and is now on our "favorites" list. I wouldn't change a thing!

I made this for dinner tonight. I was lazy and didn't pound out the chicken, my mistake as it would have been better if I had done so. But, I enjoyed the recipe and served it with spaghetti with marina. Didn't squeeze the lemon on it, but I'll have to try that next time. Great recipe! :)

Delicious and easy!

Loved this recipe. Thanks!

Just made this for dinner tonight. Turned out amazing. Very simple to make. Quick and easy for a busy mommy like myself cant wait for my family to taste it. Thanks :-)