Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
These Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets are all about that perfect crunch on the outside and juicy tenderness on the inside.
They’re a breeze to whip up, taking only 24 minutes; perfect for those busy weeknights!
You can enjoy these crispy and delicious breaded chicken breasts alongside some veggies, with a side of pasta, or sandwiched in a burger bun.
Please continue scrolling down to find the recipe card below, which contains the complete list of ingredients with measurements, detailed recipe instructions, additional notes, and nutritional information.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken cutlets – They are thinly sliced chicken breasts. You can purchase pre-made or prepare your own by slicing chicken breasts to an even thickness.
- Panko breadcrumbs – They work best for a light, flaky, and airy texture that crisps up nicely in the air fryer. But you can use any breadcrumbs you have.
- Flour – Plain flour, also known as all-purpose flour, helps the eggs stick better to the chicken.
- Eggs – These help the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
- Seasoning – Keep it simple with salt, paprika, and pepper, or add your favorite seasonings.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Cutlets in Air Fryer?
Important Note
Before you start cooking, note that times may differ among air fryers. I develop my recipes using a Cosori 6.8 air fryer. If you’re using a different air fryer, view my recipes as a general guide and tweak the cooking time—add a bit more or cook slightly less as needed.
This foolproof Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe is extremely easy and straightforward.
However, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
To prepare your chicken cutlets, slice chicken breasts horizontally into thinner pieces. If necessary, use a meat mallet to pound them so they have the same thickness, around ¼” (slightly thicker than ½ cm).
Prepare your workstation: season the flour with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and place them next to the flour dish. Set the breadcrumbs in another shallow dish beside the eggs.
Dip each chicken cutlet into the flour, giving it a shake to remove any excess, then into the beaten eggs.
Finally, dip the chicken cutlet into the breadcrumb mixture to ensure it’s completely coated.
Quick Tip!
While breading the chicken cutlets, you might need to take breaks to wash your hands once or twice.
Once your chicken cutlets are nicely breaded, lightly oil the air fryer basket before placing them inside. Make sure to arrange them in a single layer without overlapping.
Spray the chicken cutlets with some more oil, or lightly grease them using a brush.
Set the air fryer temperature to 205°C (400°F) and cook breaded cutlets for around 12-14 minutes.
Flip them halfway through cooking, and spray or brush with some more oil to ensure they get crispy on both sides.
Once they’re beautifully golden brown and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C), take them out of the air fryer.
Let them rest for a few minutes and serve them up hot with your favorite sides or dipping sauce.
Expert Tips From the Chef
- You don’t need to preheat your air fryer for this recipe. If you’re interested in learning more about when or how to preheat your air fryer, check out this post.
- To get your chicken cutlets crispy and evenly cooked, thinly slice the chicken breast or pound thicker pieces before cooking.
- Lightly spray or brush oil on the breaded chicken cutlets to help them crisp up in the air fryer.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket, cook them in batches if necessary.
- To keep the first batch warm while cooking the rest, place them on a baking sheet and transfer them to a preheated oven set to 100°C (200°F).
- Just like when cooking Air Fryer Chicken Breasts, the cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken cutlets and your air fryer. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
What Goes Well with Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets?
You can pair these air fryer breaded chicken cutlets with creamy mashed potatoes, Mini Tater Tots in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Roasted Zucchini with Red Onions, 20 Minutes Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges, or roast potatoes.
They are also great with a bowl of rice, over pasta, or mixed with some salad along with a slice of Air Fryer Garlic Bread with Cheese.
You can serve them with dipping sauces such as barbecue sauce, honey mustard, or Cacik (Turkish Yogurt Dip).
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers?
Let the chicken cutlets cool down, then store any leftovers in a sealed container. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, set your air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and place the cutlets in the air fryer basket, making sure they’re in a single layer.
Heat for 3-5 minutes until warmed through.
How do I clean my air fryer after cooking chicken cutlets?
Before cleaning, make sure your air fryer has cooled down completely. Take out the basket and tray from the air fryer. These are usually dishwasher safe, so you can either hand wash them or pop them in the dishwasher.
Use a damp cloth or sponge to wipe down the interior of the air fryer. Be careful around the heating element and other sensitive parts.
Wipe down the exterior of the air fryer with a damp cloth to remove any grease or food residue.
Make sure everything is dry before putting the basket and tray back into the air fryer.
Recipe FAQs
You can definitely put raw chicken in your air fryer. It’s great for cooking up all sorts of chicken recipes, whether you’re making crispy chicken tenders or chicken wings. Just make sure to cook it thoroughly to ensure it’s safe to eat.
Yes, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten free flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
Yes, you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, but adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Please give us a five-star rating and leave a comment below.
I hope you enjoy the process of preparing these Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets just as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit!
Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken breast or cutlets
- 60 g plain white flour / all-purpose flour
- 2 small eggs
- 75 g panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable, rapeseed, or sunflower oil
Instructions
- To prepare your chicken cutlets, slice them horizontally into thinner pieces. If necessary, use a meat mallet to pound them so they have the same thickness, around ¼" (slightly thicker than ½ cm).
- Prepare your workstation: season the flour with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and place them next to the flour dish. Set the breadcrumbs in another shallow dish beside the eggs.
- Dip each chicken cutlet into the flour, giving it a shake to remove any excess, then into the beaten eggs, and finally into the breadcrumb mixture to coat it completely.
- Once your chicken cutlets are nicely breaded, lightly oil the air fryer basket before placing them inside. Make sure to arrange them in a single layer without overlapping.
- Spray the chicken cutlets with some more oil, or lightly grease them using a brush.
- Set the air fryer temperature to 205°C (400°F) and cook breaded cutlets for around 12-14 minutes.
- Flip them halfway through cooking, and spray or brush with some more oil to ensure they get crispy on both sides.
- Once they're beautifully golden brown and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C), take them out of the air fryer.
- Let them rest for a few minutes and serve them up hot with your favorite sides or dipping sauce.
Notes
- You can skip preheating your air fryer. If you’re interested in learning more about when or how to preheat your air fryer, check out this post.
- To get your chicken cutlets crispy and evenly cooked, thinly slice the chicken breast or pound thicker pieces before cooking.
- Lightly spray or brush oil on the breaded chicken cutlets to help them crisp up in the air fryer.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket, cook them in batches if necessary.
- To keep the first batch warm while cooking the rest, place them on a baking sheet and transfer them to a preheated oven set to 100°C (200°F).
- The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken cutlets and your air fryer. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
