Crispy Chicken Cutlets

Hot, crunchy, salty, and begging for some sauce! These Crispy Chicken Cutlets are a dinnertime winner. The post Crispy Chicken Cutlets appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

Apr 4, 2025 - 20:04

Crispy chicken cutlets on a plate with lemon slices.

Crispy Chicken Rules.

And that is just a fact.

These last few months I’ve been in a cooking rut, but apparently I wasn’t bored with cooking – I just needed to be making crispy chicken cutlets for dinner.

Hot, crunchy, salty, begging to be drenched with any kind of sauce (gochujang, for example?! or bang bang?!), but also – they work great plain, for the kids, dipped in ketchup?! They go with any meal? They ARE a meal in and of themselves? Gosh, amazing. These woke me back up in the best way.

When I started on this crispy chicken kick, I was doing a lot of frying. There’s something kind of therapeutic about it. But also, lazy times are real and that’s where the air fryer comes in like the hero it is. While the chicken gets legitimately golden and audibly crispy, I make a quick sauce, maybe our essential simple green salad, and attempt to put the markers and crayons away for the 100th time in a day before sitting down to dinner.

Every time I make this, I’m so glad I did.

Hope you love it. (I am almost positive your kids will sing its praises.)

For more easy dinners, you NEED this page which has all our most popular dinner recipes!

Frequently Asked Questions For These Crispy Chicken Cutlets

How can I make these in the oven?

Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes (9 minutes per side).

Can I fry these instead?

Yep! Heat an inch of avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add a drop of water; if it sizzles, it’s ready to add the chicken. Place the chicken in the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and you get an internal temp of 160 degrees.

Can I use a different type of oil?

If you don’t have avocado oil spray for the air fryer, a little drizzle of oil oil over the top will also work! But I like a spritz best for this because you can evenly coat the panko for the most even browning.

Are these spicy?

Not too spicy! But the hot sauce is optional, so feel free to skip it.

Can I make this gluten-free?

I haven’t tried it personally, but I would imagine you coud use GF flour and GF breadcrumbs and it should still work!