Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
These Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets are brined, breaded, and baked in an air fryer until crisp and juicy in under 20 minutes! Learn how to make these air fryer breaded cutlets to add to salads and sandwiches or serve as the main course.
Crispy, golden, juicy, and quite possibly the most flavorful “air fryer breaded chicken” recipe on the Internet, these air fryer chicken cutlets are simply the best! The air fryer does a fantastic job of browning and crisping the breading evenly on all sides while locking in the moisture and keeping the meat moist and tender.
As if that wasn’t enough reason to add this recipe to your rotation, air-fried chicken cutlets are healthier than chicken that is pan-fried or deep-fried in heavy oils. Air fryer breaded chicken breast has fewer calories and less fat.
The secret to tenderizing chicken cutlets is brining the chicken in a pickle juice, dry ranch seasoning, and sugar mixture. The pickle-brined chicken cutlets are then coated in a panko breading mixture and air-fried to crisp and juicy perfection.
Once you make these succulent cutlets, I’m sure this will become your go-to breaded chicken recipe to add to salads, sandwiches, or served as a healthy fried chicken dinner with a couple of side dishes. YUM!
Why You’ll Love Making Air Fried Chicken Cutlets
- It’s healthy fried chicken! The air fryer creates the texture and taste of fried chicken without having to submerge the meat in oil.
- That said, air-fried chicken has less fat and calories than chicken cooked in oil.
- You can make restaurant-quality crispy fried chicken in under 20 minutes.
- It’s perfect for salads, sandwiches, and breaded chicken dishes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These chicken cutlets are first brined, then breaded, and then baked in the air fryer. Here’s what you’ll need to achieve crisp and juicy chicken cutlets every time:
For the brine:
- Pickle Juice – is a certain chicken sandwich fast-food chain’s secret ingredient which lucky for us isn’t so secret. Chicken marinated in pickle juice comes out juicy, tender, and loaded with flavor. Go with brine from quick pickles that you find in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Claussen’s and Grillo’s are two brands that I have used in this recipe. Shelf-stable pickles go through a pasteurization process and the brine will be too salty for this recipe.
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – adds zesty flavor to the brine.
- Sugar (optional) – enhances the flavors of the brine and helps achieve a golden-brown crust on the chicken.
*If you’re not a pickle fan, you can use a simple salt water brine, that I use in my air fryer parmesan chicken recipe as an alternative.
For the cutlets:
- Thin-sliced Chicken Cutlets – precut or chicken breasts sliced and pounded into cutlets (see below).
- Panko Bread Crumbs (can be gluten-free) – give the crust light, crunchy texture.
- Regular Bed Crumbs (can be gluten-free) – store-bought or homemade.
- Egg – binds the coating to the cutlets and helps develop a golden-brown crust.
- Liquid Egg Whites – add moisture without adding additional fat.
- All-Purpose Flour – can be gluten-free all-purpose flour. Kentucky Kernel gluten-free seasoned flour is great here.
- Garlic Powder -enhances the flavor.
- Avocado (or olive oil) Cooking Spray – to keep the chicken from sticking to the air fryer basket and to help toast the surfaces.
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
How To Make Juicy Chicken In The Air Fryer
Step 1 – Prepare brine and marinate chicken:
In a medium bowl, add pickle juice, ranch dressing mix, and sugar (optional). Whisk together until well combined.
Pour the marinade into a resealable bag, add the chicken cutlets, and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 6 hours.
Step 2 – Prepare breading stations:
In a medium shallow bowl, stir together the panko and regular breadcrumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites, flour, and garlic powder until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 – Bread chicken cutlets:
Working with one cutlet at a time, dip each piece first in the wet egg batter (shaking off any excess).
Next, dip in the dry breadcrumbs. Be sure to coat with a thin even layer on all sides.
Step 4 – Arrange chicken in air fryer:
Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket (or rack) with cooking spray. Arrange the breaded cutlets in a single even layer. Do not overlap or stack the pieces. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches. Spray the top of each cutlet with cooking spray until the breading is visibly saturated.
Step 5 – Bake in air fryer:
Cook at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Flip each cutlet over after 5 minutes, spray with more cooking spray and continue cooking until the crust is crisp and golden and the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees). An average cutlet will be done around the 8-minute mark, but this can vary depending on your air fryer. Larger cutlets can take up to 12 minutes, but it’s important to check for doneness so they don’t overcook.
Recipe Tips
- Do not overlap the breaded chicken cutlet pieces in the air fryer. In order for the breading to crisp up evenly on all sides, it needs to be exposed to the circulating heat.
- That said, you’ll probably need to work in batches depending on how many cutlets you’re making. This chicken will cook up fast in the air fryer so you’ll be able to work through cooking each batch quickly.
- Keep finished cutlets warm while you cook the rest by setting them on a cooling rack in a 170 degree to 200-degree oven while you finish cooking the rest of the chicken.
- The many brands of air fryers all cook a little differently, so keep that in mind when adjusting the time and temperature. Use this recipe as a recommendation and adapt accordingly with your air fryer settings.
How to Cut Chicken Breast into Cutlets
Chicken cutlets are simply thin cuts of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Pre-sliced cutlets are readily available in grocery stores but you can also cut chicken breasts into cutlets yourself. Depending on the size of the chicken breast, you simply cut the chicken breast in half (or in thirds) horizontally and then pound out the pieces into even 1/4″ thick cutlets. Be careful not to pound the chicken too much and break the connective tissues.
Gluten-Free Chicken Cutlets
To adapt this recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to sure use gluten-free panko, gluten-free breadcrumb, and gluten-free flour. Also, double-check the pickle juice and the ranch seasoning mix are also gluten-free. The remaining ingredients are inherently gluten-free, so you should be good to go!
Serving Suggestions
These yummy cutlets are the perfect all-purpose breaded chicken to slice and serve on salads, as a sandwich, or as an entree. Check out these healthy recipes to serve with air fryer chicken cutlets:
- Sliced and served on a fresh raspberry spinach salad
- Served with an Olive Garden copycat salad for an extra protein boost
- As the main course with cheddar mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans
These tasty chicken cutlets are also great to use in recipes that call for breaded chicken in a pinch.
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan: Cook chicken as instructed and then top each piece with marinara, parmesan, and fresh mozzarella. Return to air fryer until the mozzarella is warm and melted. Serve with freshly cooked pasta, more marinara, and fresh basil.
Crispy Chicken Tacos: Chop warm chicken cutlets and serve with traditional taco toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, sour cream, etc.) in flour tortillas.
Chicken and Waffles: Serve air-fried chicken with Belgian waffles and maple syrup.
Fried Chicken Sandwich: fast-food style on a warm buttery bun with crunchy dill pickle slices.
“Crunch Wraps”: Slice cutlets and roll into wraps with your favorite vegetables, cheese, condiments, etc.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Store cooled chicken in a shallow airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: Line cooled cutlets on a baking sheet and place in freezer to flash freeze. As soon as the cutlets are frozen solid, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer-safe bag to store in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
Reheating: When ready to use, reheat chicken cutlets in a 375-degree air fryer for a few minutes until the crust is re-crisped and the center is warmed through. Be sure to check after a couple of minutes so they don’t overcook and dry out.
Recipe FAQ
No. This might be the only negative to air frying food. In order for the food to get that deep-fried texture, the heat needs to be in contact with all surfaces of the food. That said, chicken cutlets need space in the air fryer to get crispy and should not be stacked.
No air fryer? No problem. You can also make crispy breaded chicken cutlets in the oven. Simply arrange breaded cutlets on a greased baking sheet, spray the top of each piece with oil and bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes (flipping halfway through).
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries with Yogurt Ranch Dip
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Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- For the brine: *If you're not a pickle fan, you can use a simple salt water brine, that I use in my air fryer parmesan chicken recipe as an alternative.
- 1/2 cup pickle juice -go with a good quality fresh pickle juice like Grillo's or Claussen in the refrigerator section for the best flavor (jarred (shelf stable) pickle brine will be too salty)
- 1 tbsp ranch dressing mix
- 2 tsp sugar *optional
- For the cutlets:
- 1 lb thin sliced chicken cutlets *make sure the cutlets are an even thickness (about ¼")
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs *can use gluten-free panko- or go with regular bread crumbs here instead of the panko blend (see notes below)
- 1/2 cup regular bread crumbs *can use gluten-free
- 1 lg egg
- 1/4 cup liquid egg whites in the carton
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour *can use gluten-free all-purpose flour or Kentucky Kernel gluten-free seasoned flour (it's so good here!)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- avocado oil spray or olive oil spray
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together in a bowl: pickle juice, ranch dressing mix, and sugar (if using) then pour the mixture into a sealable bag, add the chicken cutlets and brine for 2-6 hours. *You can also use a simple salt water brine as an alternative (linked in the ingredients above.)
- Stir the two types of breadcrumbs together in a shallow bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites, flour, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper, if desired.
- Dip each chicken cutlet in the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off and then dip into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure both sides are well coated.
- Spray the bottom of the air fryer or the air fryer rack with cooking oil spray.
- Place the cutlets onto the greased air fryer rack or air fryer basket, making sure not to overlap (work in batches if needed), and spray the top generously with avocado oil spray to lightly coat all of the breading.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Flip each cutlet over after 4-5 minutes, spray with more cooking spray, and continue cooking until the crust is crisp and golden and the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees). An average cutlet will be done around the 8-minute mark, but this can vary depending on the size of your cutlets and your air fryer. Check for doneness at the 8-minute mark with a meat thermometer so they don't overcook.
- Chicken should register 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer when done.
Notes
- You can use all regular bread crumbs instead of the panko blend for a finer breading consistency
- I do not recommend brining these overnight, 2 hours to a max of 6 hours is the sweet spot here.
- Do not overlap the breaded chicken cutlet pieces in the air fryer. In order for the breading to crisp up evenly on all sides, it needs to be exposed to the circulating heat.
- That said, you’ll probably need to work in batches depending on how many cutlets you’re making. This chicken will cook up fast in the air fryer so you’ll be able to work through cooking each batch quickly.
- Keep finished cutlets warm while you cook the rest by setting them on a cooling rack in a 170 degree to 200-degree oven while you finish cooking the rest of the chicken.
- The many brands of air fryers all cook a little differently, so keep that in mind when adjusting the time and temperature. Use this recipe as a recommendation and adapt accordingly with your air fryer settings.
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Pickle juice?!?!?! Mind blown!!!! Can’t wait to try it!
Let me know if you do! It’s the perfect brine!
First time using my air fryer and they were absolutely delicious. I don’t think I’ve had a more juicy chicken cutlet in my life. I should’ve taken a picture, but it looks so good I just had to dig in!
Thank you for the review Bob! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe! They are so tasty and easy!
Sounds delicious! Did you use sweet pickle juice or dill?
Hi Maria! I use dill pickle juice. Enjoy!
I cant wait to try this for dinner tonight. however I dont have a ranch seasoning packet. do you have suggestions for an alternative?
Hi Nicole! The ranch adds great flavor, but you can just sub with your favorite dry seasoning.
Love the air fryer but can I make this in the oven?
Yes, Elena, you can bake them but I haven’t tested out the cooking temp or time. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
OK on this evening I prepared the chicken cutlets as directed by the recipe. I let them sit in the brine overnight and cook them this evening, not impressed at all the chicken taste like pickles. I did not care for this at all was gross would not recommend it to anyone, nor will I try it again.
Hi Ruth! This recipe does call for a pickle brine so if you don’t like a pickle flavor this would not be the recipe for you. You could substitute with regular salt brine in the future.