Chicken Cutlets in Air Fryer

Crispy chicken cutlets in air fryer Ninja Foodi or Cosori taste like deep Fried Chicken Cutlets but with just a spray of oil needed. They are lightly breaded with Panko and with just hot air you can cook tender meat inside with a crunchy outside layer.

If air fryer frozen chicken nuggets aren’t your style and you want something homemade, this is it friends! Using thin cuts of chicken breasts you can get the most tender pieces that are lightly breaded with tons of flavor. If you’ve had these at a restaurant but hadn’t made them yourselves it is super easy.

How Long to Cook Chicken Cutlet in Air Fryer

8 minutes is the average. The thinner they are the faster they will get done, but will dry out if left in too long. Luckily it is easy to open up the basket and check as often as you’d like. For smaller pieces cut the time down by 1 minute and check with a thermometer.

Frozen Chicken Cutlets in Air Fryer

If you need instructions for air fryer frozen chicken breast it will take a bit longer than defrosted for sure. BUT a lot less than waiting for an oven to heat up. Timing is from 7-15 minutes total.

This one is lightly breaded but you could use the same temp. and timing for no breading on the meat too. You’d just want to keep it moist with some olive oil on the outside and season well.

Ninja Foodi Chicken Cutlets

It typically doesn’t matter what brand you have but with this one you just need to remember to use the lid that is attached laying food in the round basket with the holes on the bottom. I prefer a 5 quart because it holds enough for the four of us. You don’t want them to overlap or the outside won’t get as crispy and crunchy as possible.

Serve as is with a few side dishes or you could serve it up in the middle of two buns with some tartar sauce and lettuce too. Yes we have made all sorts of air fryer chicken recipes over the past year. When it comes to kids though they want finger foods.

What Kind of Breading to Use in Air Fryer

You can definitely cook breaded foods in this hot air machine but it needs to be a sort of egg, flour, breadcrumbs type. Wet like tempura batter will not work as well unless the last coating is flour so it doesn’t stick as much but still creates a complete mess for you.

How do you tenderize chicken cutlets?

If you want them to be really fall apart in your mouth tender like Thin Chicken Breast in Air Fryer you can pound them a bit. Just place 1 piece in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and hit all over with a meat mallet. Make sure it is the same thickness all the way across for best results.

How do you slice chicken breasts into cutlets?

You will need a few boneless skinless chicken breasts, cutting board and a really sharp knife to do this. All you need to do is hold your hand on top flat, use your knife to slice THIN in half or if really thick you could slice into thirds. Sometimes you can find already prepared at store bought this way.

Tips

The process is quite simple, you just need 3 shallow dishes for this. Fill one with flour, one with whisked egg and another with breadcrumbs. The latter can be any style you want really.

I like to blot my meat with paper towels a bit so the breading sticks nicely. Season the outsides with salt and pepper and then create an assembly line; flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Press lightly so they stick and stay on well.

Cooking time will vary just a bit depending on how thick yours are. For breaded chicken cutlets you will want to spray your basket so they don’t stick and all the outsides peel off. Best is to buy medium size breasts so they aren’t real thick.

Can you stack cutlets in air fryer?

Just don’t. No matter what cut you have you should never overlap food. The way this machine works is with very hot circulating air. If food touches it will inhibit cooking in those areas. A single layer is always the best. Depending on the size of your basket you can probably fit 2 in at a time.

If you are making a larger batch work in batches. When done place on a baking sheet covered to keep your juicy chicken warm.

What temperature should chicken cutlets be when done?

Cook time will vary depending on how thick your pieces are. Slice into middle to ensure there is no pink remaining and is 165 degrees F or more before consuming. Check internal meat temperature removed from the bin to get an accurate read.

How do you get chicken super crispy in air fryer?

To make outside SUPER crispy spray the chicken with a bit of olive oil and add another minute. You don’t want too much added time so it gets dry but this is a great way to cook chicken in the air fryer I tell you.

How to reheat leftovers

Have leftovers? Make sure to store them in freezer bags with all of the air sucked out of them. When reheating chicken in air fryer just put them back into your basket for about 2 minutes to crisp the outsides again. It won’t be as good as the first run but better than reheating in the microwave for sure.

Looking for what to cook next? Try our frozen chicken tenders in air fryer with homemade air fryer biscuits or you can make homemade air fryer popcorn chicken too. Both of these are hits with my girls especially when they want a quick snack in between activities.