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Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets are pure crispy perfection with a golden brown crunchy outside and juicy inside, every single time. The savory blend of spices and crispy breadcrumb coating makes each bite burst with flavor and texture that’ll keep you coming back for more.
This is a super-easy dish that requires very little meal prep time and needs just a few ingredients. In less than 20 minutes, you will have a simple meal packed with flavor without the mess of deep frying.
Looking for an easy, kid-friendly dish? Check out these air fryer chicken nuggets. For more easy dinners, try these air fryer gluten-free pork chops.
Quick Look At This Recipe
- ✨ Flavor: Crispy, golden, and perfectly seasoned — every bite delivers juicy chicken with a crunchy, herby breadcrumb crust.
- ⏱️ Prep time: 10
- 🔥 Cook time: 15
- ⏲️ Total time: 25
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 🥄 Tools: Air fryer, meat mallet (or rolling pin), tongs, shallow bowls for dredging, and a digital thermometer.
- ❄️ Freezer friendly: Yes! Freeze cooked cutlets in a single layer, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- 👩🏻🍳 Tip: For the crispiest crust, preheat your air fryer and spritz the breadcrumbs lightly with oil.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: Crispy chicken cutlets cook up fast in the air fryer, perfect for busy weeknights or a simple weekend meal.
- Family Favorite: Juicy, flavorful, and loved by both kids and adults — a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, just like my air fryer chicken wings.
- Versatile: Enjoy as a snack, sandwich filler, or pair with your favorite sides for a complete dinner, like these and air fryer pizza bombs or these easy air fryer empanadas.
- Less Time Cooking: Air frying means less time in the kitchen and more time with family and friends.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are ideal for making chicken cutlets in the air fryer. Try my classic air fryer chicken breast recipe too!
- Egg whites. Helps the breadcrumbs adhere to the chicken.
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Seasoned breadcrumbs boost the flavor of the breading. If you only have plain, you can add a little extra Italian seasoning for more flavor.
- Olive oil spray. Helps create that crispy, golden brown coating. You can also use avocado oil spray instead.
Air Fryer Chicken Cutlet Variations
- Add Other Flavors: Consider a pinch of kosher salt, cumin, or cayenne pepper, or a teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, or white pepper. Create your own seasoning combination based on your preferences.
- Extra-Crispy: Dip the chicken first in flour, then the egg, and last in the breadcrumbs.
- Panko: For an even crispier outside, you can use panko breadcrumbs instead of the regular which are finer in texture, like in this crispy fried chicken breast in the air fryer recipe. I like to flour the chicken breasts first when using panko breadcrumbs.
- Gluten-Free or Keto: Use almond flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs to make allergy-friendly cutlets, and crush pork rinds to make a keto breading.
- Different Chicken: You can also make this recipe using breaded chicken tenders or boneless chicken thighs. The tenders may cook more quickly, and the chicken thighs will take longer.
How to Make Air Fry Chicken Cutlets
To start, set up your dredging station. Add the egg whites and the breadcrumb mixture to shallow bowls. You’re also going to want to pat the breasts dry with a paper towel. Then, cover the chicken with a piece of plastic wrap and gently tap each piece with a meat mallet until they are all uniform in size about 1/4-inch thick.
You also want to begin preheating your air fryer so it’s ready to go as soon as you’ve finished breading the chicken.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture and then into the breading mixture until each piece is fully coated
- Place the breaded chicken on a baking sheet or wire rack until all cutlets have been breaded.
- Prepare the air fryer basket with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces in a single layer to allow room for the air to circulate and the chicken to cook evenly. Also, spray the tops of the pieces of breaded cutlets with olive oil spray.
- Air fry the chicken cutlets at 400°F for 13-15 minutes, flipping and spraying cutlets with cooking spray again halfway through the cooking process for maximum crispiness. Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove and serve with your favorite sides or dipping sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking Time. I make this recipe in my Cosori 5.8 qt. air fryer. Depending on your air fryer size and wattage, you may need to adjust the cooking time by 1-2 minutes.
- Evenness. It’s important to make sure the chicken cutlets are all an even thickness. Having disproportioned cutlets can make it difficult to cook them evenly, as thinner pieces of chicken may be cooked more quickly than thicker slices.
- Set up a Station. Make the dredging station like an assembly line. One bowl for egg whites and one bowl for the breadcrumbs and seasonings. Use one hand to dip the chicken in the egg and the other for breadcrumbs to keep your fingers clean.
- Check the Temperature. Use an instant-read digital thermometer when checking the internal temperature of the chicken breast.
- Uneven browning: Like ovens, air fryers often have cold and hot spots. For even cooking, flip the chicken more often, rotate the basket position, and be sure to verify thickness uniformity before cooking.
- Crispy Results: Preheat your air fryer and be sure not to overcrowd the chicken in the basket. Flip at least once halfway through and spray the side facing up with more oil to make sure both sides crisp up.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve air-fried chicken cutlets with a dipping sauce such as honey mustard sauce, barbecue sauce, blue cheese dressing, marinara sauce, or ranch dressing.
- To jazz up the chicken, serve it with lemon wedges or freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a little extra flavor, and some chopped chives or parsley for a pop of color.
- Pair with your favorite air fryer side dishes like air fryer roasted potatoes and air fryer green beans. Or you can turn it into a kid-friendly meal with a side of air fryer mac and cheese.
- Slice up these chicken cutlets to enjoy in a wrap or on top of a salad.
Storage and Reheating
- Storing leftovers. Allow chicken to completely cool prior to storing. Place the chicken in an airtight container or resealable storage bag in your refrigerator for up to 3- 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating leftovers. Reheat your leftover chicken cutlets at 350°F for 3-4 minutes, or until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
You can use a rolling pin, frying pan, or anything that’s flat and heavy to pound down the chicken breasts. You can also use a sharp knife to cut the chicken breasts in half through the middle of each breast to make two thinner pieces.
Of course, you can! Make air fryer chicken ahead of time to pull out and make crispy chicken tacos with spicy cheese sauce, top the cooked chicken wth marinara sauce and cheese to make chicken parmesan, or chop it up for a spicy buffalo chicken casserole for weeknight meals. It’s also great chopped up on top of a loaded baked potato or a green salad with yummy toppings.
If your air fryer chicken cutlets turn out soggy instead of crispy, it usually means the basket was overcrowded or the temperature was too low. Always cook the cutlets in a single layer so hot air can circulate evenly, and preheat the air fryer to 400°F before adding them. Lightly mist the breaded chicken with oil spray—don’t soak it—or the crumbs will absorb too much moisture and steam instead of crisping.
I hope you enjoy this crispy air fryer chicken cutlets recipe as much as we do. It’s a delicious dinner recipe the whole family enjoys. If you’re looking for more chicken recipes, check out some of our favorite dishes below.
More Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipes
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Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breast, about 6 pieces
- ¼ cup egg whites
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs, Italian seasoned
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Use shallow bowls to create a dredging station by adding egg whites into one shallow bowl and make breadcrumb mixture with Italian seasoning, and ground black pepper into the other shallow bowl. Set both bowls aside.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
- Pat dry chicken breasts with paper towels on a cutting board or baking sheet.
- Cover chicken with plastic wrap and gently tap with a meat mallet or meat tenderizer so they are all uniform in size, about ¼-inch thick.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture and then into the breading mixture until each piece is fully coated.
- Place the breaded chicken on a baking sheet until all cutlets have been breaded.
- Prepare the air fryer basket with cooking spray, then add the chicken pieces in a single layer to allow room for the air to circulate and chicken to evenly cook.
- Spray the tops of the pieces of chicken with olive oil spray.
- Place chicken cutlets into the air fryer basket and air fry for 13-15 minutes, flipping and spraying cutlets with cooking spray again halfway through the cooking process for maximum crispiness.
- Check the internal temperature of chicken with a meat thermometer. Temperature should be 165 degrees F.
- Remove the crispy chicken cutlets from the basket when they are cooked through and golden brown. Place them on a wire rack to remain crispy.
- Serve with your favorite sides and dipping sauce.
Notes
- Cooking Time: I use a Cosori 5.8 qt air fryer, but every model cooks a bit differently. Adjust your cook time by 1–2 minutes depending on your air fryer’s size and wattage.
- Even Thickness: Pound the chicken to an even ¼-inch thickness so it cooks evenly.
- Dredging Station: Set up an assembly line with one bowl for egg whites and another for seasoned breadcrumbs. Use one hand for wet ingredients and the other for dry to keep things tidy.
- Check the Temperature: Always use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches 165°F for perfectly juicy cutlets.
- Even Browning: Air fryers can have hot spots—flip halfway, rotate the basket if needed, and make sure each cutlet is uniform in thickness.
- Crispy Results: Don’t overcrowd the basket! Leave space for air circulation, flip once, and give the tops a light oil mist to get that golden, crunchy crust on both sides.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
