Air Fryer Panko Chicken
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Air Fryer Panko Chicken comes out juicy on the inside with a delicious, crispy outside. You’ll love how easy it is to make panko coated chicken in the air fryer.
Panko Chicken in the Air Fryer
Cooking crisp, breaded chicken is easiest in the air fryer. It’s quicker than the oven, with no added fat like cooking in a skillet or traditional fryer. And with panko breadcrumbs, you’ll get your crispiest chicken yet! Just add a side or pasta salad for a complete meal that the whole family will love.
It’s a very kid-friendly dish! You can use thin chicken breasts or tenders, and they’ll come out of the air fryer tasting even better than at the restaurant. Add a few dipping sauces like ketchup, honey mustard, and BBQ, and the chicken will disappear in minutes.
Love cooking chicken in the air fryer? It’s so easy! Try Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings In Air Fryer
How To Make Air Fryer Panko Chicken
Prep the air fryer basket with nonstick spray (or brush with olive oil or butter). This prevents the breading from sticking to the basket.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk it up. Pour the panko breadcrumbs into a pile on a plate.
Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then dip the chicken first in the egg and then the breadcrumbs. It’s important to press the chicken into the breadcrumbs to get them to adhere evenly to the surface. Place in air fryer basket and repeat with other piece(s) of chicken.
Cook at 390 degrees for 13 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, open up air fryer and flip chicken over to brown more evenly. Once cooking time is over, check internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. It should be at least 165 degrees. If the piece of chicken is particularly thick, you may need to cook it for an additional 3 minutes until it is fully cooked through.
Remove from basket with a spatula and serve!
Cooking Tips
- Thinly sliced chicken breasts or tenders work best in this recipe
- Use any seasonings of your choice. Some suggestions: paprika, onion powder, Italian seasoning, or rosemary
- Be sure to cook the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If you are cooking multiple pieces that won’t fit together in the air fryer, cook in batches
What To Serve With Air Fryer Panko Chicken
We love to serve this crispy chicken alongside fresh salads like Cucumber Apple Salad, Roasted Eggplant Tomato Salad Recipe, and Spinach Strawberry Feta Salad Recipe.
And the kiddos love it when we have this chicken with homemade dips and sauces. Try Instant Pot BBQ Sauce Recipe, Best Ever Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe, or Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Chili Dipping Sauce Recipe.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes To Try
Chicken Livers in the Air Fryer
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Strips
Chicken Fajitas in the Air Fryer
Air Fryer Panko Chicken
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cooking spray nonstick
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lb chicken breasts thin (or chicken tenders)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)
Instructions
- Prep the air fryer basket with nonstick spray (or brush with olive oil or butter). This prevents the breading from sticking to the basket.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk it up.
- Pour the panko breadcrumbs into a pile on a plate.
- Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Dip the chicken first in the egg and then the breadcrumbs. It's important to press the chicken into the breadcrumbs to get them to adhere evenly to the surface.
- Place in air fryer basket and repeat with other piece(s) of chicken.
- Cook at 390 degrees for 13 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, open up air fryer and flip chicken over to brown more evenly.
- Once cooking time is over, check internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. It should be at least 165 degrees. If the piece of chicken is particularly thick, you may need to cook it for an additional 3 minutes until it is fully cooked through.
- Remove from basket with a spatula and serve!
Notes
- Thinly sliced chicken breasts or tenders work best in this recipe
- Use any seasonings of your choice. Some suggestions: paprika, onion powder, Italian seasoning, or rosemary
- Be sure to cook the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If you are cooking multiple pieces that won't fit together in the air fryer, cook in batches
Nutrition
See Also:
This was a welcome recipe for me tonight. I had defrosted 2 chicken breasts and did not know what I should do with them .I really don’t like to cook bc even “easy” recipes can seem too complicated or need too many ingredients. But this one seemed truly easy with very limited ingredients and as always you explained it so clearly and made it seem very doable. So I gave it a go and the chicken was as good as you said it would be. I did use more of the panko breadcrumbs bc the breasts had extra surface area. I also sprayed the tops with grapeseed oil when I flipped them over so they were very crispy and perfectly done in the 13 minutes. I can’t thank you enough for all your simple demonstrations and explanations of so many basic but tasty recipes for the air fryer, instant pot and oven. I am building confidence each time I follow one. You are an excellent teacher and the simplicity of your dishes are what a forever-novice like me really needs and appreciates! Btw, I dipped the chicken in honey and enjoyed every bite.