Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets, Quick Easy & Delicious

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Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets are crispy, tender, juicy and flavorful. You can’t beat a scrumptious, kid-friendly recipe that is loved by adults, too. Enjoy delicious “fried” chicken in under 30 minutes with no greasy mess!

Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets on a white plate with roasted cauliflower and bell pepper salad

Chicken Cutlets are so easy to make, you’ll want them in your meal rotation every single week.

Kids love this scrumptious chicken and will enjoy it with simple sides that get dinner on the table quickly. It’s perfect for busy weeknights.

Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets can even be prepped ahead, frozen and then cooked just before serving! (See NOTES section of recipe card for freezing instructions.)

Plus by substituting gluten free panko, you can even make this delicious chicken gluten free.

Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets can be served with your favorite sides or salads. Try them with Bell Pepper Salad, Creamy Coleslaw with Homemade Coleslaw Dressing or with Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad.

They’re also scrumptious served in a sandwich with your favorite toppings or added to some Homemade Marinara Sauce with Parmesan for a quick and easy Chicken Parmesan.

You could also use them to make Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken.

You could serve air fried Chicken Cutlets with Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes and my delectable Air Fryer Green Beans. Or you could slice and add them to a fresh House Salad for an irresistibly quick and easy lunch.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. You’re going to love breaded Chicken Cutlets cooked in the air fryer!

In This Post:

The Ingredients

Chicken Cutlet recipe ingredients: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Eggs, Cajun Seasoning, and Panko Bread Crumbs

My air fryer chicken cutlets recipes is really simple. It only requires 4 ingredients and the seasoning can easily be varied to suit the side dishes you’ll be serving the chicken with.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Eggs
Panko Bread Crumbs (I use Italian seasoned Panko, but you can use plain and season it to suit your tastes.)
Seasoning of your Choice (I used my homemade Cajun Seasoning in this recipe, but have also used store bought Tony’s Creole seasoning with good success.) My homemade All Purpose Seasoning would be a good option with no heat and my homemade Southwest Seasoning is another delicious option with a little spicy kick.

What Are Chicken Cutlets?

Boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into cutlets

Chicken Cutlets are simply boneless skinless chicken breasts that have been cut in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces. The thick end of the cutlet is usually pounded out to get a uniform thickness across the entire cutlet.

If you’re having trouble picturing how to cut chicken breast cutlets think of butterflying a chicken breast. Instead of stopping, you will cut all the way through the breast to make two portions.

Not everyone does it, but I usually pound out my cutlets at the thicker end after they are sliced. This allows the chicken to be an even thickness across the entire portion. So, they will cook quickly and more evenly .

How to Serve Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets

I made a few suggestions, previously, about what to serve alongside Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets. They honestly will work with any of your favorite sides. If your kids love mac and cheese, then it’s perfect. If quinoa is more their style then definitely give that a go.

You can also use Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets to create delicious sandwiches like my Buffalo Ranch Chicken Melt or an easy Chicken Crunchwrap Supreme. Here are just a few more serving ideas to inspire you.

Brown Rice in awhite ceramic serving bowl. Bowl is sitting on a wooden trivet that rests on a concrete counter top with a blue and whitee print fabric napkin.

loaded baked potato salad in a gray rectangular pottery bowl

Asian Cucumber Salad
Chicken Street Tacos (Slice the chicken and use it in the street tacos.)
Strawberry Cottage Cheese Salad
Green Beans and Potatoes

Asian Cucumber Salad served in a square, white bowl sitting on a marble countertop. A watercolor print napkin is to the right of the bowl and a turquoise planter is in the background.

Chicken Street Tacos on a blue stoneware plate

And if you would like a sweet finish to your delicious Chicken Cutlet meal I highly recommend this delish Nutella Fudge from Sula and Spice.

No Air Fryer? No Problem

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can still enjoy these delicious Chicken Cutlets by baking them in your oven. And, you can also pan fry them on the stove top. Check the FAQs, below, for instructions on how to do both.

If you would like to own an air fryer, but are having trouble choosing, here are a few tips and ideas to help you with that purchase.

Can I Make Baked Breaded Chicken Cutlets in the Oven?

Absolutely. Preheat your conventional oven to 400°. Prepare the cutlets as suggested in the recipe. Place prepared cutlets on a rack on top of a baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes on one side and then flip and bake 4 to 5 minutes on the second side until golden brown and having an internal temperature of 165°F.

baking sheet with an oven safe rack inside

Can I Make Pan Fried Chicken Breast Cutlets?

Sure. You can add about 1/8″ of avocado oil to the bottom of a cast iron skillet and pan fry the chicken breasts until they are golden brown and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F.

Air Fryers

Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro open showing racks and pans that come with it

By now, you all recognize my Breville Joule® Oven Air Fryer Pro _{[affiliate link]}. It was a gift in 2022 and quickly became my favorite appliance.

This air fryer has a large enough capacity to make an entire family meal at one time. It bakes, proofs bread and air fries to perfection with little to no oil. My air fryer oven also roasts, broils, toasts, dehydrates, bakes cookies, slow cooks, keeps food warm for serving and works as a pizza oven. I use it nearly every day.

Two air fried Cornish Hens inside an air fryer oven with a pan of roasting vegetables underneath

This picture is a great example of why I prefer the oven-style air fryers. Two Air Fryer Cornish Hens (with room for 4) and a tray of roasting vegetables cooking at the same time underneath them. All those wonderfully seasoned chicken drippings bathe the vegetables as they roast and caramelize. Heaven!

My Breville Joule can be controlled manually or by an app on my phone. And the app alerts me when it’s preheated, when food needs to be turned or flipped and when the food is done.

Other Good Air Fryer Options

But, there are lots of highly rated oven-style air fryers _{[affiliate link]}, like the Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro _{[affiliate link]}. Oven-style air fryers are my preference for everything from making whole meals to warming & crisping up fast food fries to baking bread. They’re versatile and have enough space to accommodate the needs of a busy family.

But, I’m seeing more and more highly rated, larger capacity portable air fryers _{[affiliate link]}, too. Many of them can easily accommodate multiple burgers, pieces of chicken or whole chickens for roasting and can make family-size recipes, now.

Choose an air fryer that fits the needed size for your kitchen and fits your budget. They open up a whole new world of cooking and frying without all the frying mess.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets

Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts, sliced horizontally and pounded thin. Chicken breasts are sitting on a white plate

Preheat the air fryer to 425°F.
Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to create the cutlets.
Pound the thick end of each cutlet until it is an even thickness with the thinner end. The cutlets should be about 1/4″ thick.
Make a breading station with beaten eggs in one shallow container and Panko bread crumbs in another.
Season both sides of each chicken cutlet with Cajun seasoning or the seasoning you have chosen for your chicken.
Dip seasoned chicken cutlets, first into the beaten egg. Allow any excess to drip back into the dish.

Breading a chicken cutlet with Panko Bread Crumbs

Spraying breaded chicken cutlets with oil before air frying

Place dipped cutlets into the panko bread crumbs, pressing firmly on both sides, so the crumbs adhere well.
As each chicken cutlet is fully coated in bread crumbs, lay it on your air fryer rack. Be sure you leave space between them for heat to circulate. If your air fryer is smaller you may need to do two batches.
Use a Misto sprayer _{[affiliate link]}, or your favorite oil sprayer to cover each breaded chicken cutlet in a light mist of oil. Gently turn each cutlet over and mist the other side.
Air fry the chicken cutlets in a preheated air fryer for 4 to 6 minutes.
Flip the cutlets over and continue air frying for 3 to 5 minutes, until cutlets are golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 165 °F. (The final cooking time will depend on your specific air fryer and the thickness of your cutlets. Temperature is the only truly reliable way to test for doneness.)

The Recipe

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