In just 16 minutes, from start to finish, our air fryer turkey cutlets are ready to be eaten. They are breaded with Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, and taste great.
Air fryers have become one of the most popular kitchen appliances in recent years. Their ability to make foods crispy and delicious using little to no oil has made them a hit, especially for cooking lean meats like turkey cutlets. In this article, I’ll explain what turkey cutlets are, why cooking them in an air fryer is a great idea, and provide a simple recipe so you can make your own crispy, juicy turkey cutlets at home.
What Are Turkey Cutlets?
Turkey cutlets are thin, tender slices of turkey breast meat that have been pounded thin. Sometimes they are called turkey scaloppine or turkey schnitzel Cutlets provide a quick cooking, easy to eat option for enjoying delicious turkey flavor without having to cook a whole turkey breast or turkey tenderloins The thin cutlets cook up super fast in the air fryer, getting crispy on the outside while staying juicy on the inside.
Cutlets can be found pre-sliced and pounded at many grocery stores, especially around the holidays. You can also easily make them yourself from a boneless, skinless turkey breast. Simply slice the breast horizontally into cutlets about 1/4 inch thick. Then use a meat mallet or heavy pan to gently pound them to an even thinner 1/8 inch thickness. The thinness is key for quick cooking.
Why Cook Turkey Cutlets in an Air Fryer?
Cooking turkey cutlets in an air fryer gives you crispy, golden results without needing to bread and pan fry in oil on the stovetop. The circulating hot air quickly crisps up the exterior to give that satisfying crunch you expect from breaded cutlets, but without all the added calories and mess of frying in oil.
Air frying also cooks the cutlets evenly on both sides without having to flip them halfway through The hot air surrounds the thin cutlets so they cook through in just 6-8 minutes An air fryer yields crispy cutlets using little to no oil with far less hassle and cleanup than pan frying,
Simple Air Fryer Turkey Cutlet Recipe
This straightforward recipe uses just a few simple ingredients to give you delicious air fried turkey cutlets ready in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb turkey cutlets (4-6 cutlets about 1/4 inch thick)
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- Garlic salt and black pepper
- Olive oil or cooking spray
Instructions:
- Pat the turkey cutlets dry with paper towels and lightly season both sides with garlic salt and pepper.
- Place the beaten eggs in one shallow dish and the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a second shallow dish.
- Dip each cutlet into the egg, coating both sides. Allow any excess to drip off.
- Dredge the cutlet through the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere the coating on both sides.
- Arrange the breaded cutlets in the air fryer basket in a single layer without overcrowding. Lightly spray both sides with olive oil or cooking spray.
- Air fry at 400°F for 6-8 minutes until the coating is crisp and golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Serve the crispy turkey cutlets immediately while hot and enjoy!
The initial prep steps of pounding and breading the thin cutlets takes just 10 minutes. Then the air fryer works its magic to perfectly cook the cutlets in just 6-8 minutes more for a total time of about 15 minutes start to finish.
The breadcrumb coating gets beautifully crispy and browns thanks to the air fryer’s circulating high heat. Since they cook so quickly, the cutlets come out moist and tender, not dried out. Feel free to customize the breading to suit your tastes. Try using panko breadcrumbs, gluten-free crumbs, or swapping in grated Parmesan for a decadent, flavorful crust.
More Tips for Air Frying Turkey Cutlets
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Brush or spray the cutlets with a small amount of oil before air frying for increased browning and moisture. Olive oil or avocado oil work well.
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Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Air flow is important for even crisping.
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Adjust cooking time up or down as needed based on thickness of cutlets and your air fryer model.
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Use an instant read thermometer to confirm cutlets reach a safe 165°F internal temperature.
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Freeze any leftovers up to 2 months. Reheat frozen cutlets in a 400°F air fryer until hot, about 5 minutes.
More Air Fryer Turkey Recipes to Try
The possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking turkey in the air fryer. Here are just a few more tasty air fryer turkey recipes to add to your dinner rotation:
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Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs – Flavorful, moist meatballs in just 20 minutes
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Air Fryer Turkey Burgers – Juicy burgers with crisp edges
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Air Fryer Turkey Legs – Get perfect crispy skin on the legs and thighs
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Air Fryer Turkey Wings – Crisp up seasoned wings for game day
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Air Fryer Whole Turkey Breast – Roast a small 3-4 lb turkey breast
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Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloins – Quick cooking tenderloins
Enjoy Fast, Flavorful Air Fried Turkey
Air fryers offer a fast, convenient way to get crispy, juicy turkey cutlets on the dinner table in no time. Give this simple breadcrumb recipe a try or experiment with your own flavors. Air frying helps turkey cook up moist and full of flavor, with that satisfying crunch we all crave. Crispy, golden turkey cutlets make for a quick, easy meal any night of the week.
How to air fry turkey cutlets
- Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
- Temperature: 400 F (do not preheat the air fryer)
- Use paper towels to dry the turkey and get rid of any extra water.
- Sprinkle both sides with garlic salt and ground black pepper.
- Place the beaten eggs in one shallow dish and mix the seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese together in the other.
- First, coat both sides of the cutlets with the egg wash. Then, coat them in the bread crumble mix. Be sure to coat all sides. You can spray both sides of the cutlets with olive oil spray if you want them to brown more. Put the turkey in the oven or cold air fryer basket.
- The turkey cutlets should be air-fried at 400 F for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside and 165 F on the inside. This recipe is quick, so you don’t have to flip the cutlets while they’re cooking. If you have thicker or bigger cutlets, they could take up to 12 minutes to cook all together.
You can serve it whole or cut up to put on a salad or over pasta with marinara sauce. Enjoy!.
- We used pre-sliced turkey cutlets from Trader Joes. Five to six cutlets, which some stores also call thinly sliced turkey breasts, come in a one-pound package. If you have a boneless turkey breast, cut it lengthwise into very thin slices and then pound them with a meat mallet until they are very thin.
- We do suggest using a digital meat thermometer to make sure you don’t overcook or undercook the turkey. This is especially important the first time you make a recipe.
- If you want to make chicken cutlets, baked cutlets, or pan-fried turkey cutlets, you can use the same recipe.
- They can be kept in the fridge for up to five days.
Breaded turkey cutlets in the air fryer are so good!
There is no faster way to make dinner than with cutlets. They are healthy, quick, and easy to make. Turkey breasts that are thinly cut and cook up quickly. They are also known as bread turkey cutlets, turkey schnitzel, turkey chops, and escalopes.
The crunchy parmesan crust on our air-fried turkey cutlets makes the outside crispy, but the inside stays soft because they’re cooked so quickly. The high temperature is important for this. When we tried it at a lower temperature, they were cooked through but not as crispy on the outside.
For a simple dinner, we like to serve them with broccolini and air-fried sweet potato slices. Theyre also fantastic added over pasta with marinara sauce!.
- Turkey cutlets are really thin slices of turkey breast or turkey tenderloins that are shaped like boneless turkey chops. You can buy them already sliced and pounded thin, or you can make your own from turkey breasts or turkey breast tenderloins that have been thinly sliced.
- Large eggs; to lower the cholesterol, you could use egg whites for the egg wash. To make one without eggs, you can also use light or regular mayo as the binder.
- Breadcrumbs seasoned with Italian seasoning. You can also use gluten-free or low-carb breadcrumbs; just add a little Italian seasoning to give them that Italian taste.
- shredded parmesan cheese—it’s better to grate parmesan from a chunk than to buy it already shredded, but the bags of parmesan work just fine.
- garlic salt—you can use a mix of salt and garlic powder if you don’t have any.
- black pepper
- You can brush or spray the cutlets with olive oil or olive oil spray before air-frying them.
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
AIR FRYER TURKEY CHOPS/ NUWAVE AIR FRYER
FAQ
How long does it take to cook cutlets in the air fryer?
How long to cook turkey in an air fryer?
How long does it take to cook turkey chops in an air fryer?
Is it better to bake or air fry a turkey?
How do you cook turkey cutlets in an air fryer?
If you are using a smaller air fryer, you may need to cook them in batches or use a wire rack. STEP THREE: Meanwhile, heat the cream of mushroom soup and milk on the stove on medium heat. Let cook until hot, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. STEP FOUR: Remove the air fryer turkey cutlets and let rest for about 5 minutes.
Are breaded turkey cutlets in the air fryer good?
Breaded turkey cutlets in the air fryer are so good! If you’re looking for a quick, healthy, and fast dinner recipe, you truly can’t cook a faster dinner than cutlets. Whether you call them bread turkey cutlets, turkey schnitzel, turkey chops, or escalopes, we’re referring to thinly cut turkey breasts that cook up in a flash.
What are air fried turkey cutlets?
Whether you call them bread turkey cutlets, turkey schnitzel, turkey chops, or escalopes, we’re referring to thinly cut turkey breasts that cook up in a flash. Our air fried turkey cutlets turn out crispy on the outside with the crunchy parmesan crust yet still stay tender on the inside since they’re cooked so fast.
Can you cook turkey breast in an air fryer?
Air Fryer Turkey Breast is tender and juicy, with crispy edges just like on the grill. Add a simple marinade or seasonings for plenty of flavor. With this recipe, learn how to cook turkey breast filets in the air fryer in minutes! Place turkey breast cutlets into the air fryer basket, and spray with olive oil spray.
How do you cook Turkey chops in an air fryer?
For extra crispy cutlets, consider double breading by dredging in flour before the egg and breadcrumb coating. Brush or spray cutlets with a small amount of oil before air frying for increased browning and crunch. For thicker turkey chops, increase air fryer temperature to 400°F and cook time to 12 minutes.
How to cook frozen turkey in air fryer?
How to Cook Frozen Turkey in the Air Fryer: 1. Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees. 2. Place frozen turkey cutlets in the air fryer and cook 12-14 minutes, flipping and seasoning turkey halfway through, until the turkey reaches 165 degrees. Enjoy!