You’ll love this simple air fryer chicken schnitzel recipe!
It’s got lean chicken breast, pounded thin and coated in seasoned bread crumbs, then air fried until golden brown.
Enjoy this healthier chicken with your favorite side dishes or pile it onto a sandwich. It’s perfect for an easy lunch or dinner.
What is schnitzel?
Schnitzel, a dish of German and Austrian descent, is cutlet of meat that is pounded very thin, coated in seasoned bread crumbs and pan-fried in olive oil. Schnitzel is traditionally made with pork or veal.
Mini Me recently tried chicken schnitzel while we were vacationing in Bermuda and became totally hooked. It’s been part of our regular meal rotation ever since!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make crispy chicken schnitzel:
- Chicken. We’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts here, but you can substitute chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Chicken broth. We’ll be brining the chicken in the broth to make it super juicy and tender.
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Flour
- Eggs
- Sesame seeds. These impart an awesome crunchy texture in addition to the panko crumbs.
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Salt
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Schnitzel
Brine the Chicken
With whatever time you have – even if it’s only an hour – brine your chicken.
This means putting the chicken into a bowl of chicken broth and letting it sit in the refrigerator. Brining, especially before air frying, will help you get a tender, juicy result.
On a day when I know I’m making schnitzel, I put the chicken in a brine in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day.
You can even put frozen chicken into a brine and let it defrost that way.
Tenderize the Chicken
Super thin chicken cutlets are the trademark of schnitzel. You’ll need a meat mallet for this.
If you don’t have one, try using a rolling pin instead (although the best result will come from using a mallet).
You’ll want to place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap before pounding in order to reduce the mess. Now, pound the chicken pieces as thin as you can without breaking them.
Make the Breadcrumb Coating
Combine your panko crumbs with the sesame seeds, garlic powder, paprika and salt. This will be your flavorful coating for the chicken.
Place this mixture into a shallow bowl.
Set up your Dredging Stations
Put your flour in a separate shallow bowl and your beaten eggs in yet another shallow bowl. Now you should have three separate bowls.
Arrange them in this order: flour, eggs, breadcrumbs.
Now, dredge the chicken in the flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs.
Air Fry the Chicken
Place your chicken into the basket of the air fryer in a single layer. (You may need to work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the air fryer).
Be sure to coat the chicken with nonstick cooking spray. Flip halfway through cooking and spray it again. Your schnitzel should be fully cooked and golden brown in 12-14 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
1. Light and healthy: pair this lower fat schnitzel with a fresh green salad, roasted potatoes, pickled beets or a vinegar-based slaw.
2. Rich and comforting: serve homemade chicken schnitzels over a bed of creamy pasta or alongside mashed potatoes.
3. On a roll: enjoy chicken schnitzel the way we fell in love with it – on a toasted ciabatta roll topped with coleslaw and pickles.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
This juicy chicken schnitzel recipe is great for making ahead and meal prepping! Here are some options:
1. Make Ahead: Follow the instructions in the recipe card up until the breading is complete. Then, place the breaded chicken onto a baking sheet and place it into the freezer.
Flash fry the chicken for about 15 minutes. Then, wrap each piece of chicken individually in plastic wrap and seal in a larger freezer bag.
When you want to enjoy your schnitzel, you can air fry it directly from frozen.
2. Storage: Place your cooked and cooled chicken into an airtight container or wrap it in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for even longer.
FAQs
Probably obvious, but you’ll need an air fryer! You’ll also need a meat mallet to get a really thin chicken cutlet.
A meat mallet is an inexpensive tool that will tenderize your meat before cooking. Although a meat mallet is the best way to tenderize your chicken, you could try using a rolling pin or heavy-bottomed pan in a pinch.
To make a gluten free version of chicken schnitzel, simply use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour.
Absolutely! Make sure that, just like chicken breasts, the chicken thighs are boneless and skinless.
Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You can check the temperature using a kitchen thermometer, or just cut into a piece of chicken to make sure there’s no pink color and the juices run clear.
When you make these delicious schnitzels, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more air fryer recipes, try these:
- Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
- Air Fryer Chicken Chimichangas
- Chicken Katsu Bowls with Air Fryer Instructions
Air Fryer Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts into a large bowl. Cover with chicken broth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Combine the panko, sesame seeds, garlic powder, paprika and salt in a shallow bowl.
- Place flour in a second shallow bowl and the beaten eggs in a third bowl.
- Remove the chicken from the brine. Place chicken on a work surface between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a kitchen mallet, pound chicken very thin.
- Preheat air fryer to 400F degrees.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, egg and bread crumb mixture, in that order.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Air fry for 6-7 minutes. Flip and coat with more nonstick cooking spray. Air fryer another 6-7 minutes.
- Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the air fryer.
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