Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Step 1

Plug the air fryer in and let it preheat at 380 degrees F while you prep the chicken. Preheating is pivotal in order to get the chicken extra crispy!

Step 2

Trim your chicken breasts of any fat, and cut them into 6oz portions. Note that 6 ounces makes for a large sandwich, so you can cut them into smaller 4oz portions if you prefer (that will still be plenty large for a sandwich). We made 2 chicken sandwiches and had 2 extra for leftovers the next day. Also note that if you trim off any of the chicken to make your patties, you should save them and turn them into nuggets with the same coating!

Step 3

Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap, and use a meat tenderizer (or another tool) to pound the chicken down a bit. This helps to ensure an even cook in the air fryer.

Step 4

Prep the two dry mixtures and liquid mixture in separate bowls. Your first mixture will be the flour and seasonings, your second mixture will be the whisked up eggs, and your final mixture will be the panko, flour, and parmesan cheese.

Step 5

Take your air fryer basket (be careful, because it's hot) and spray with some nonstick cooking spray. The size of your air fryer will dictate how many batches you have to make- just make sure your chicken isn't overlapping or they won't get crispy. For mine, I was able to fit 2 at a time.

Step 6

Pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, and coat one chicken breast in the first flour mixture. Make sure the entire thing is coated, then shake off any excess flour.

Step 7

Add the chicken to the eggs, making sure the eggs coat the entire thing. Then, add directly to your last mixture. Use your hands to pat the chicken to make sure as much coating as possible is stuck on. Then, put in your air fryer basket. Continue for the second chicken breast.

Step 8

Spray the chicken with some of your cooking spray to wet the coating (it will help make sure there is no dry flour left at the end). Air fry at 380 degrees for 18 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through and spray them once more.

Step 9

While the chicken is cooking in the air fryer, toast the brioche buns in a stovetop pan over medium heat until browned to your liking. You can prep any toppings you'd like, but I went with a sriracha mayo by simply stirring together fat-free mayo and a little sriracha (can adjust the amount of sriracha to your liking)

Step 10

Remove the chicken from the air fryer and add to your bun, then top with pickles and your sauce. Before sitting down to eat, I followed these instructions for the final 2 chicken cutlets and let them cook while eating to have them as leftovers.