These crispy and perfectly cooked chicken cutlets are so easy to make and are a great way to switch up dinner! The air fryer uses little to no oil, making this a much healthier fried chicken option when you are craving it, but don’t want all of that saturated fat! Air fryer chicken cutlets are crispy, juicy, and delicious!
How TO Make Crispy Breaded Chicken In The Air Fryer:
It’s SUPER easy you guys! All you need are a few bowls that you can fill up with ingredients, and you’re good to go! Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
Set up 4 bowls around your chicken cutlets. Fill one bowl with butter milk, another bowl with the flour and spices, another bowl with the egg, and the last bowl with the corn meal and bread crumbs. Whisk the eggs.
Drop one chicken cutlet into the buttermilk, then dredge through the flour mixture. Now coat it entirely with the whisked egg, and finish by coating it with the breadcrumbs and cornmeal mixture. Place it on a separate plate.
Do this for each chicken cutlet.
Spray each side of the chicken cutlets with cooking spray (you can skip this step if you like, however, I find that it really helps to crisp it up). Place them in the bottom of the air fryer, working in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding.
Set the air fryer to 400 degrees for 16 minutes. When done cooking, the chicken should register 165 degrees F. Carefully remove from the air fryer with tongs, and repeat with any leftover chicken.
Need an air fryer? I use the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid for my 6-quart Instant Pot! It is AMAZING.
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When To Serve Chicken Cutlets In Air Fryer:
This air fryer chicken cutlets recipe is a wonderful way to boost the ‘pep‘ of your weekly chicken dinner! Instead of serving boring baked chicken again, try air frying it! It is honestly so easy to make, and the crunch of the coating really adds a nice textural element to typically bland chicken.
This recipe is also fantastic to serve with a pasta dish! The breaded chicken absorbs whatever sauce you serve it with, increasing its versatility and flavor! If you are looking for easy air fryer chicken recipes, this is the way to go!
Frequently Asked Questions:
| Are chicken cutlets different from chicken breasts? | They are! So, chicken cutlets are a thin slice of the chicken breast. They cook quicker and are typically pounded for uniform thickness. When I cook chicken cutlets, I just purchase the thin pre-sliced ‘chicken breasts’ from the grocery store. They are usually very uniform in thickness, and it saves me the step of pounding them! But if you don’t have cutlets on hand, try slicing a chicken breast horizontally into 3 slices. Place the slices between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and hit them with a mallet until the desired thickness is achieved! |
| Should you flip the chicken halfway through? | I tried flipping it halfway through and I also tried allowing it to cook undisturbed. I found that flipping it around 8 minutes made some of the breading fall off, since it was not fully cooked. So I don’t recommend flipping it unless it is cooking unevenly or you are able to do it very carefully. |
| What is buttermilk and how can I make it? | Buttermilk is the low-fat, high-protein substance that is left over after churning milk into butter. Since I’m assuming you don’t churn your own butter, here is a super easy way to make it yourself (it literally takes 30 seconds to do)! Take 1 cup of milk, and mix in 1 tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes, and voila! You’ve got buttermilk! |
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Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken cutlets
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk (see FAQ to see how to make it, if needed)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 2 eggs
- cooking spray of choice
- optional lemons and parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Set up 4 bowls around your chicken cutlets. Fill one bowl with butter milk. Fill another bowl with flour, salt, garlic powder and thyme. Fill a third bowl with the eggs, and whisk. Fill the last bowl with the corn meal and bread crumbs, and mix together.
- Drop one chicken cutlet into the buttermilk, then dredge through the flour mixture until fully coated. Now coat it entirely with the whisked egg, and finish by covering it with the breadcrumbs and cornmeal mixture. Place it on a separate plate. Do this for each chicken cutlet.
- Spray each side of the chicken cutlets with cooking spray (you can skip this step if you like, however, I find that it really helps to get a nice golden color). Place them in the bottom of the air fryer, working in batches if needed to prevent over crowding.
- Set the air fryer to 400 degrees for 16 minutes. When done cooking, the chicken should register 165 degrees F. Carefully remove from the air fryer with tongs, and repeat with any left over chicken.
- Garnish with parsley and lemon slices and enjoy!
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