Panko chicken is a yummy, healthy, and quick dinner that your entire family will love! Cooked in the air fryer to juicy and crispy perfection in under 30 minutes, this easy panko chicken recipe is super versatile and can be used in wraps, salad, on a sandwich, and more! Oven directions included!
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Need some easy dinner ideas that your family will gobble up? This kid-friendly Panko chicken is the best and will jump to the top spot on the list of your family's favorite meals! Even picky eaters will love this one!
We are huge fans of crispy breaded chicken but I am always looking for a healthy alternative to a fried version. This Panko chicken is so crispy thanks to the air frying and Panko breadcrumbs.
If your family is as chicken obsessed as we are then you will want to check out all of our other quick and delicious chicken recipes like gluten-free chicken parmesan, piccata, tenders, nuggets, and lemon pepper wings once you give this Panko chicken a try!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Super versatile: This Panko chicken can be made and served as a cutlet, in a sandwich, wrap, or to top a salad.
- Healthy recipe: Less fat and oil than the traditional fried version.
- Quick and easy: Panko chicken can be prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes making it a super easy and fast dinner for busy weeknights - also a great Sunday dinner idea.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Oat flour: Can be swapped for all-purpose or whole wheat flour. You can also use pancake mix as I do in both my air-fried chicken and pancake chicken recipes.
- Spices: Seasoning mix includes garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs may also be listed as Japanese Panko breadcrumbs at your grocery store. You can also use gluten-free Panko if needed.
- Milk: This recipe as written is made without eggs. To make dairy free you can swap out two eggs whisked into an egg wash.
- Chicken: Select thin chicken breast if you can find it, or you can butterfly or pound it to ¼ inch thickness.
How to Cook This Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
- Combine oat flour along with ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Combine Panko breadcrumbs with ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Pat chicken breast dry. Place in seasoned oat flour bowl and coat both sides.
- Add meat to bowl with milk or eggs. Coat both sides evenly and allow excess to drip off.
- Place in seasoned Panko breadcrumb dish and evenly coat both sides. Add to air fryer basket and air fry at 360F for 4-8 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the fillet.). Cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 165F.
Expert Tips
- Pair breaded Panko chicken with a dipping sauce like ketchup, BBQ sauce, marinara, hoisin, ranch, honey, or honey mustard.
- Serve with a side of spinach quinoa salad, and vegetables like broccoli or asparagus. We also love eating Panko chicken with a side dish of air-fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, or rice.
- Panko chicken can be made in any air frying model. I've made this recipe in both the Ultrean and Ninja air fryer.
- Make ahead: Make the recipe 1 day ahead and store wrapped tightly in the refrigerator.
- Storage: store leftover Panko chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftovers and store them frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Air fry panko chicken for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
Be sure to fully dry the chicken breast with a paper towel before breading. I've also found that using eggs instead of milk helps the panko to stick better.
360F is a perfect temperature to air fry chicken. The time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breast cutlet. The cooking time could be as low as 4 minutes per side or up to 10 minutes per side.
Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165F. Note that oven-baked panko chicken is not as crispy as the air-fried version. I highly recommend using an air fryer if you have one.
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Crispy Panko Chicken in the Air Fryer
Equipment
- instant read thermometer
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast trimmed of fat and butterflied or pound to ¼ inch thickness
- ½ cup milk swap with two eggs if desired
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder divided in half
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder divided in half
- 1 teaspoon paprika divided in half
- 1 teaspoon salt divided in half
- ½ teaspoon pepper divided in half
Instructions
Air Fried Instructions
- Combine oat flour along with ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Combine Panko breadcrumbs with ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.½ cup oat flour, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Pat chicken breast dry. Place in seasoned oat flour bowl and coat both sides.1.5 lbs chicken breast
- Add meat to bowl with milk or eggs. Coat both sides evenly and allow excess to drip off.½ cup milk
- Place in seasoned Panko breadcrumb dish and evenly coat both sides. Add to air fryer basket and air fry at 360F for 4-8 minutes per side (depends on thickness of fillet.). Cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 165F.
Oven Instructions
- Follow directions up through preparation. Place prepared meat into a baking dish.
- Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165F.
Notes
- Pair with a dipping sauce like ketchup, bbq sauce, marinara, hoisin, ranch, honey or honey mustard.
- Serve with a side of spinach quinoa salad, vegetables like broccoli or asparagus. We also love eating this chicken with a side dish of air fryer potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice.
- Can be made in any air fryer model. I've made this recipe in both the Ultrean and Ninja air fryer.
- Make ahead: Make recipe 1 day ahead and store wrapped tightly in the refrigerator.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftovers and store them frozen in a freezer safe container for up 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
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