These air fryer chicken cutlets are crispy without being greasy. You can easily bake them in a convection oven, too! These chicken cutlets are perfect as a main dish but also great in sandwiches, served alongside pasta, topped with your favorite sauce or reheated throughout the week for a quick meal.
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Why You'll Love this Air Fryer Chicken Cutlet Recipe
- Quick and easy to make. They're ready in under 30 min and you likely have all the ingredients needed in your fridge and pantry.
- Meal prep friendly. Make these air fried chicken cutlets at the beginning of the week and serve alongside all of your meals for an added protein fix.
- Versatile to cook. Don't have an air fryer or don't want to deal with the clean up? This air fried chicken cutlet recipe can also be made in the convection oven!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Thin chicken breasts. Pound out the chicken breast so they're nice and thin.
- Seasonings. You'll season the chicken breasts with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper so the chicken breast has flavor bursting at every layer.
- All-purpose flour. Helps the egg to bind to the chicken breast and create a solid crust.
- Eggs. This will be the "glue" between the seasonings and crust and the air fryer chicken cutlets.
- Italian style seasoned breadcrumbs. I love this type of breadcrumbs because it's loaded with flavor.
- Panko breadcrumbs. This is the secret to extra crispy air fried chicken cutlets.
- Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. You'll add this to the breadcrumb mixture so the crust is tasty and nicely seasoned.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Air Fried Chicken Cutlets
- Start with thin chicken breasts. Cut chicken breasts in half, lengthwise. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer (mallet), pound out the chicken breasts until they're thin, about a ¼ inch thick. Pre-heat the air fryer to 425°F.
- Season the chicken cutlets. Mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and sprinkle over the chicken breasts.
- Set up the breading stations. Mix together the panko and seasoned breadcrumbs together with the parmesan cheese. Place the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs and cheese mixture in separate plates or small serving trays to create the different breading stations.
- Build the chicken cutlets. Dip the seasoned chicken cutlet in flour first, then in the beaten eggs and finally in the breadcrumb + cheese mixture. Repeat these steps for the rest of the cutlets.
- Cook the cutlets. Lightly spray neutral oil on your air fryer basket or wire rack, place the chicken cutlets in and cook for 15-18 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through cooking to make sure both sides get crispy. Ensure the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve the warm, crispy chicken cutlets alongside a fresh salad, in a sandwich or as a main with pasta.
Substitutions
- Gluten free. Swap the all-purpose flour for arrowroot starch and use gluten free breadcrumbs to make these air fried chicken cutlets gluten free.
- Keto. Omit the all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs for chicken cutlets with less carbs. Simply coat the air fried chicken cutlets in freshly grated parmesan cheese for a cheesy, keto-friendly recipe!
Variations
- Spicy. Add red pepper flakes to your chicken breast as part of the seasoning mix to amp up the heat.
- Oven-baked. No air fryer, no problem! Simply place the cutlets on a wire rack on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in a convection oven to get a similar, air-fried final result! Set to bake at 425°F, ideally on the convection setting, for about 18-20 minutes.
How to Serve Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
- On a sandwich. Layer the air fried chicken cutlets on a crusty roll and top with fresh arugula, seasoned tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic glaze for a fresh and filling sandwich.
- Accompanying pasta. A simple pasta dish next to these chicken cutlets can make for the perfect weeknight or even dinner party meal.
- Alongside a fresh salad. Simple and quick, serve a light salad alongside these crispy, crunchy chicken cutlets for a balanced meal. House salads are great but a caprese salad with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil take these cutlets to the next level.
- Inside a wrap. This is the perfect chicken cutlet for a chicken ceasar wrap! Dice up the chicken cutlet and mix together with romaine, croutons and a delicious caesar dressing for the perfect filling on a wrap.
Equipment
- Meat tenderizer (mallet). My favorite tool to flatten chicken breasts quickly and efficiently.
- Small sheet pans. These small sheet pans are great for creating dredging "stations" while you prep these air fried chicken breasts.
Storage and Reheating
Store the breaded, raw chicken cutlets in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing multiple cutlets, place parchment sheet between each raw, breaded cutlet and store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Air fry or bake the breaded, raw frozen cutlets according to the instructions in the recipe.
Once cooked, store the breaded chicken cutlets in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, air fry or bake at 350°F until warmed through.
Top tip
When breading your chicken cutlets, try using only one hand to dip the cutlet in the dry ingredients (flour and breadcrumbs) and your other hand to dip the cutlets in the wet ingredients (egg). This will make the breading process less messy!
FAQ
Absolutely! Simply place the cutlets on a wire rack on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in a convection oven to get a similar, air-fried final result! Set to bake at 425°F, ideally on the convection setting, for about 18-20 minutes.
Set your air fryer to 425°F for 15-18 minutes to get the chicken cutlets nice and crispy. Make sure to turn them halfway so both sides crisp up!
Panko breadcrumbs are great for a crispy coating while the seasoned breadcrumbs bring great flavor so, together, I like using both of these to get the tastiest cutlets with the crunchiest coating.
You can! Freeze the raw, breaded cutlets for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, making sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Did you try out this recipe? I'd love to know how it went! Leave me a comment and rating below or tag me on Instagram at @AFabulousBite!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
Related
Hungry for more fabulous bites? Try these:
Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts about 2-3 chicken breasts
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 eggs beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Italian style seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- oil to spray air fryer basket/wire rack
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat tenderizer (mallet) until they're about ¼ inch thick. Preheat air fryer to 425°F.
- Mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and sprinkle over the chicken breasts.
- Mix together the panko and seasoned breadcrumbs together with the parmesan cheese. Place the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs + cheese mixture in separate plates or small baking sheets to create three different breading stations.
- Dip the seasoned chicken breasts in the following order: flour, eggs, breadcrumb + cheese mixture. Repeat this until all of the cutlets are breaded.
- Lightly oil the air fryer basket/wire rack and place the breaded chicken breasts inside. Cook for 15-18 minutes, making sure to flip the cutlets halfway through the cooking time. Ensure the internal temperature of each chicken cutlet reaches at least 165°F.
- Serve immediately or cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Oven baked chicken cutlets. No air fryer, no problem! Simply place the cutlets on a wire rack on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in a convection oven to get a similar, air-fried final result! Set to bake at 425°F, ideally on the convection setting, for about 18-20 minutes.
- How to store chicken cutlets. Once cooked, store the breaded chicken cutlets in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, air fry or bake at 350°F until warmed through.
- How to freeze chicken cutlets. Store the breaded, raw chicken cutlets in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing multiple cutlets, place parchment sheet between each raw, breaded cutlet and store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Air fry or bake the breaded, raw frozen cutlets according to the instructions in the recipe.
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