Air Fryer Chicken Milanese

Step 1

To prepare the chicken, place the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Place your hand flat on top of the chicken breast to hold it steady. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice horizontally into the thickest part of the chicken breast, starting at the thicker edge and moving your knife parallel to the cutting board. Cut almost all the way through the breast, stopping just before you reach the other side, keeping it attached. Open the chicken breast like a book so it lays flat. Slice horizontally through the center of the butterflied breast, creating two equal halves. Do this with all 3 chicken breasts. You should end up with 6 thin cutlets. Alternatively, you can ask your butcher to butterfly and half the chicken breasts.

Step 2

Place the chicken breast halves between plastic wrap and gently pound them until they're about 1/2-inch thick. Season both sides of the chicken with 1 teaspoon kosher salt total.

Step 3

Lay out your ingredients in three separate shallow bowls. In one bowl, add the flour. In another, beat the eggs. In the third, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried thyme, dried oregano and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Mix the breadcrumb mixture to combine.

Step 4

Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour to coat lightly, shaking off any excess. Then dip it into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the chicken with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere.

Step 5

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or brush it with a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking.

Step 6

Place the breaded chicken breasts in a single layer in the preheated air fryer basket, ensuring they don’t overlap or touch. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the chicken in 2 to 3 batches to avoid overcrowding. Lightly spritz the top of the chicken with oil spray as well. Air fry the chicken at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Cook until the chicken is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.

Step 7

Serve each cutlet with a lemon wedge to squeeze over the chicken cutlets.