Name: Air-Fryer Nut-Crusted Chicken Breasts
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ½ cup slivered almonds , chopped fine; ½ cup panko bread crumbs; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest , plus lemon wedges for serving; Salt and pepper; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried; Pinch cayenne pepper; 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed

Why This Recipe Works

In the air fryer, this dish requires no fussy pan frying, and the results are crisp and supremely juicy. Since plain breaded chicken cutlets can be a little boring, we combined panko bread crumbs with finely chopped almonds for a richer, more robust crust, brightening the mix with lemon zest. Pretoasting the coating in a little butter helped it attain a nice golden brown hue; just 2 tablespoons of butter enhanced the almonds' flavor and added even more richness. Pounding the chicken to uniform thickness ensured it would cook evenly in the air fryer's intense heat, and stirring a little flour and seasonings into beaten egg created a “glue” that enabled the nut coating to adhere. Flipping and rotating the chicken once halfway through cooking further guaranteed perfectly cooked cutlets. Fresh lemon wedges cut through the richness of our easy nut-crusted chicken.

Instructions

Combine almonds, panko, melted butter, lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl and microwave, stirring occasionally, until panko is light golden brown and almonds are fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer to shallow dish and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk egg, flour, thyme, and cayenne together in second shallow dish.

Pound chicken to uniform thickness as needed. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat with panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

Lightly spray base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray. Arrange breasts in prepared basket, spaced evenly apart, alternating ends. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until chicken is crisp and registers 160 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes, flipping and rotating breasts halfway through cooking. Serve with lemon wedges.