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.
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).