Baked Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Baked breaded chicken cutlets are crispy and absolutely packed with tender, juicy flavor. It’s got all the crispy, tasty goodness of fried chicken but none of the greasy feeling on your fingers. You can bake or air fry them.

These chicken cutlets channel all the goodness of fried chicken and chicken schnitzel but they’re much healthier. We’re using less oil and avoiding the deep frying process that makes fried chicken greasier and less healthy.

You can save leftover chicken for sandwiches, a salad, or keep them in the fridge to make another meal later on. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer! These are a really versatile meal that is so quick and easy to make that it’s perfect for weeknight dinners.

Oven Baked Chicken Cutlets

We’re dredging our chicken cutlets in Parmesan mixture and baking them to golden brown perfection in the oven or air fryer. You are absolutely going to love this dish. Baking or air frying, rather than frying, the chicken allows us to use less oil without compromising an inch on flavor. The outside of these chicken cutlets is just so perfectly crispy! We recommend serving them with classic sides. Garlic Mashed Potatoes, roast veggies like Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Ingredients for Oven Baked Chicken Cutlets

You’ll need ingredients for both the garlic mayo and the dredge. Of course, you’ll also want to use the highest quality of chicken you have available. We recommend using chicken breast for the cutlets thanks to its high protein and firm texture, perfect for shaping into cutlets.

For the garlic mayo, you’ll need:

• Mayonnaise
• Spices ( lemon pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and salt)
• Salt
• Garlic cloves

For the dredge, you’ll need:

• Parmesan cheese, grated
• Italian breadcrumbs

For breadcrumbs, you can either use store bought breadcrumbs, or if you have old bread handy you can make your own. It’s up to you.

How To Make Breaded Chicken in the Oven

• First, preheat your oven to 400°F | 200°C.
• Before any cooking goes ahead, you need to make your garlic mayo. Add the spices, mayonnaise, and pressed garlic cloves in a large bowl. Mix to combine.

• Next, make the dredge. Simply combine your dredge ingredients in another large bowl.
• Divide the mayo mixture between the chicken fillets and rub all over the chicken.

• To dredge the chicken, use a pair of tongs. Be sure to get a good covering on both sides of the chicken cutlet.

• Next, place the dredged cutlets on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and spray the chicken with a non stick cooking spray.
• Now it’s time to bake! Bake the chicken cutlets for 12-15 minutes at 400°F | 200°C. Then you’ll flip the chicken, baking it for another six minutes. At this point the chicken should have a uniform golden brown color, and be cooked all the way through. Using an instant read meat thermometer, check its internal temperature. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F to be cooked through.

Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Cutlets

• Preheat your air fryer.
• Place the breaded chicken fillets into your air fryer basket, spray with cooking spray and air fry for 8-10 minutes at 400°F | 200°C. Flip each cutlet over after 5 minutes, spray with more cooking spray and continue cooking until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. The cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of your cutlets and air fryer. You may need to cook the chicken in batches not to overcrowd the basket.

Tips for Extra Crispy Chicken Cutlets

• Avoid dredging your chicken too early. You want to dredge the chicken cutlets only moments before you bake or air fry them. If you go too early, your breadcrumbs will become soggy from sitting on the moist surface of the chicken. This makes them go soft and stops them from becoming crispy and crunchy.
• Generously coat the chicken cutlets in cooking spray. This spray covering helps the chicken’s dredged surface to become crispy and flaky, just the way we like it. It’s like fried chicken, only healthier!
• Cut your chicken cutlets evenly. Although not all chicken breasts are the same size, you should aim to have uniform sizing across your cutlets. You want them all about the same size and thickness to ensure that they all cook evenly. If not, some will be cooked while others are still pink in the middle.

How Long to Bake Chicken in the Oven

Cooking time depends entirely on the thickness of your cutlets. Thicker cutlets require longer in the oven to cook all the way through. Likewise, if you cut your chicken cutlets really thinly, they’ll cook far more quickly than thicker ones. As with many things, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. You’ll need to tweak your cooking time depending on your preferred thickness.

We recommend a thickness of about half an inch for your cutlets.

Can I Make Chicken Cutlets Ahead of Time?

Absolutely! These are great for reheating. You can save time before baking - and seriously ramp up the flavor profile of your chicken - by marinating the cutlets overnight in garlic mayo or a few hours before baking. You should save your dredging for right before it’s baking time to ensure that you get beautiful, crispy chicken cutlets.

How Long Will It Keep?

You can store any leftover chicken cutlets after cooking in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container. This is only for cooked cutlets - you don’t want to store dredged, but uncooked, cutlets in the fridge as they will get soggy.

You could also put your baked cutlets in a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months! When you want to eat them, simply reheat them in the oven. Perfect!

Looking for More Chicken Breast Recipes? Try These!!!

Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken

Smothered Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken and Vegetables

Grilled Pesto Chicken Bruschetta

Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Ground Chicken Burgers

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!

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