Tony Jackman’s chicken schnitzels cooked in an air fryer. (Photo: Tony Jackman)
When tuna or avocado moulds were standard buffet fare in the Sixties and Seventies, the chicken schnitzel was there. When sundried tomatoes were suddenly all the rage in the Nineties, chicken schnitzel was there. When Banting was the only way to eat, a decade ago, chicken schnitzel was there.
It is the diehard survivor of the food world, the last man standing, the foe you have to beat if you are to have any hope of making it out alive. The Bruce Willis of fried food, the Rocky Balboa of chicken dishes. And though veal or pork schnitzel are arguably more traditional, the chicken version somehow emerged as the unlikely champion of the schnitzel world.
And here it is, ready to become one of the things we will possibly cook most often in an air fryer, once it dawns on everybody just how easy it is — and how ideal it is — for cooking in the modernfangled mechanical beast.
Which I did. And they came out so well. What’s more, they cook in much less fat than would be needed in a frying pan (just a quick coating of the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray), and they use up much less electricity than they would if you grilled them in a big old oven.
For the rest, though, the recipe is as old-fashioned as those schnitzels that gran or great granny used to cook in the Sixties. As follows:
Set out three bowls or plates, one with seasoned flour, the second with beaten egg, and the third with breadcrumbs. Dip in the first, shake it off, then the egg, let it drip away, then in breadcrumbs, give it a shake, and into a preheated air fryer it goes.
Simple as that.
Only one small change to the above: I used Panko crumbs and trust me, they couldn’t be more ideal for a schnitzel coating.
Tony’s chicken schnitzel, air fryer style
(Makes 4)
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, flattened (see how below)
1 cup plain flour, seasoned
Salt, black pepper and dried thyme leaves (for the seasoning)
1 jumbo egg, for the egg wash (more if needed)
½ to 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (use less at first, adding more crumbs if needed)
Cooking oil spray
Method
Pour flour into a bowl and season with salt, black pepper and dried thyme (or another dried herb such as oregano).
Break an egg into a second bowl and whisk. (I found 1 jumbo egg sufficient.)
Add Panko crumbs to a third bowl.
On a board, lay out clingfilm, place the chicken fillets on it, cover with more clingfilm, and massage the breasts with your palms. Make them as thin as you can, without damaging the meat.
Preheat the air fryer to 200°C.
Dip a breast first into the flour, and shake off the excess. Then dip it into the egg wash, rolling it around to be sure it is all coated, and let the excess egg drip away. Then roll it in the breadcrumbs until fully coated. Again, give it a couple of mild shakes to free any recalcitrant crumbs. (If there are any patches that don’t have enough breadcrumbs, keep rolling them in the Panko crumbs.)
Coat the base of the basket with cooking oil spray.
Place the breasts in with space between them for air flow. I cooked them two at a time, in batches. Judge this according to the dimensions of your air fryer against the size of the breasts.
Cook for 12 to 16 minutes, turning once, half way through. You may need to adjust these times, as the bulk and thickness of your coated breasts will affect the cooking time, as will the size of the interior of your fryer. They’re done when the coating is golden and the meat firm but still quite soft when you touch them.
You’ll also need to cook your choice of whatever you’d like to serve with this. Perhaps these air fryer chips, if you now have two air fryers or a twin drawer machine. DM
Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award, in 2021 and 2023.
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.
This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.