Ready in just 16-minutes – start to finish! our air fryer turkey cutlets are the best way to enjoy breaded cutlets flavored with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
Air fryers have revolutionized home cooking, allowing us to make crispy and delicious foods like fried chicken, fries, and more with significantly less oil One of my favorite air fryer recipes is turkey cutlets! These breaded turkey cutlets come out perfectly golden brown and crispy every time when cooked in the air fryer
What Are Turkey Cutlets?
Turkey cutlets are thin slices of boneless, skinless turkey breast meat that have been pounded thin. They are sometimes labeled as turkey scaloppini, turkey schnitzel or turkey paillards as well. The thin cut lets them cook up quickly which is perfect for the air fryer.
Turkey cutlets cook much faster than cooking a whole turkey breast or chicken breast because of how thin they are. Their thinness also allows them to get ultra crispy in the air fryer!
Why Make Air Fryer Turkey Cutlets?
There are so many reasons why air fryer turkey cutlets should be your next dinner!
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Quick cooking time – With a total cook time of just 15 minutes, this is one of the fastest ways to enjoy turkey for dinner.
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Crispy crunchy crust – The air fryer gives the most amazing crispy and crunchy crust to these cutlets without needing to deep fry.
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Tender and juicy – Despite the short cook time, the turkey stays moist and tender when quickly cooked through.
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Versatile – Turkey cutlets pair well with so many sauces and sides. Eat them as is, with gravy, over salad, in sandwiches, and more.
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Healthier than frying – You reduce the calories, fat, and added oil by cooking them in the air fryer versus deep frying
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Easy to make – With just a few ingredients and minimal prep these cutlets come together quickly for a fast weeknight dinner.
So if you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy turkey that has a crispy crust and doesn’t take all night to make, air fryer turkey cutlets are just the recipe for you!
How to Make Air Fryer Turkey Cutlets
Making crispy air fryer turkey cutlets takes just a few simple steps.
Ingredients:
- Turkey cutlets
- Eggs
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Garlic salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil or oil spray
Steps:
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Pat the turkey cutlets dry and pound to 1⁄4-inch thickness if needed.
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Set up a breading station with eggs in one shallow dish and the breadcrumb mixture in another.
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Dip the cutlets in the egg wash first.
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Then coat thoroughly in the Italian seasoned breadcrumb and parmesan mixture.
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Optionally spritz both sides with oil spray if desired.
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Cook at 400°F for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through and crispy.
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Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
The key for extra crispy cutlets is using high heat in the air fryer. I don’t recommend cooking them below 380°F.
Tips for the Best Air Fryer Turkey Cutlets
Here are some of my top tips and suggestions for making the juiciest, crunchiest turkey cutlets in the air fryer.
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Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness rather than relying on cook times alone. Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F.
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Air fry in batches for the crispiest results so you don’t overcrowd the basket.
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Let the cooked cutlets rest for 5 minutes before cutting to allow juices to redistribute.
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Make sure to pound the cutlets to an even 1⁄4 inch thickness so they cook evenly.
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For extra crispy cutlets, consider double breading by dredging in flour before the egg and breadcrumb coating.
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Brush or spray cutlets with a small amount of oil before air frying for increased browning and crunch.
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For thicker turkey chops, increase air fryer temperature to 400°F and cook time to 12 minutes.
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Try swapping in smoked paprika, lemon pepper, or Italian seasoning for flavored breadcrumbs.
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Make easy chicken cutlets too by using thin sliced chicken breasts instead of turkey.
Serving Ideas for Air Fryer Turkey Cutlets
The possibilities are endless when it comes to serving air fryer turkey cutlets for dinner! Here are just a few of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
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Over a salad with your favorite dressing or vinaigrette
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On toasted buns for turkey sandwiches or wraps
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With pasta and marinara sauce for an easy turkey parm
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With mashed potatoes, vegetables, and gravy for a mini Thanksgiving meal
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Over rice with teriyaki or other Asian inspired sauces
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In tacos or fajitas with all your favorite toppings
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On top of a hearty grain bowl with veggies and hummus
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As the protein in a Cobb salad or chef salad
You really can’t go wrong when topping or pairing these quick and crispy turkey cutlets! Try them with your family’s favorite sides and sauces for an easy dinner any night of the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to pound or flatten the turkey cutlets?
- For the fastest and most even cooking, I recommend pounding the turkey breast cutlets to an even 1⁄4 inch thickness. This helps them get crispy and cooked through in the short air fryer time.
What size turkey cutlets work best?
- The ideal size is around 4 ounces each. Larger cutlets may need extra cooking time and smaller ones will cook faster. Aim for a consistent size when possible.
Can I use turkey tenderloins instead?
- Yes, turkey tenderloins work well too. Just slice the tenderloin horizontally into 1⁄4 inch cutlets before breading and cooking.
How long do air fryer turkey cutlets last in the fridge?
- Properly stored, they will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in the air fryer or oven before serving again.
Can I freeze leftover turkey cutlets?
- I don’t recommend freezing cooked turkey cutlets as they tend to dry out when reheated after freezing. Freeze raw turkey cutlets instead for best results.
What if my cutlets aren’t crispy enough?
- Make sure to use high heat (at least 380°F) and avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket. Brushing cutlets with oil helps increase browning too. Cook just a few minutes longer if needed.
Can I bread and cook the cutlets in advance?
- I don’t recommend breading and cooking the cutlets too far in advance or they will lose their crunch sitting out. Bread and cook them just before serving for the crispiest results.
The Perfect Easy and Healthy Weeknight Dinner
These easy air fryer turkey cutlets truly are the perfect weeknight dinner recipe. You get a meal that’s fast, budget-friendly, lighter than deep frying, and full of crispy crunchy flavor in every bite.
The air fryer lets you skip heating up all the oil for frying and makes cooking turkey so fast and easy. I know this simple turkey cutlet recipe will become a regular menu rotation in your home!
How to air fry turkey cutlets
- Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
- Temperature: 400 F (do not preheat the air fryer)
- Pat the turkey dry with paper towels to remove extra moisture.
- Sprinkle both sides with garlic salt and ground black pepper.
- Take two shallow dishes, adding the beaten eggs to one, and mixing the seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to the other.
- Dip the cutlets on both sides, first in the egg wash, and then in the breadcrumb mix. Be sure to coat all sides. As an optional step you can spritz both sides of the cutlets with an olive oil spray for increasing browning. Add the turkey to the cold air fryer basket or oven.
- Air fry the turkey cutlets at 400 F for a total of 6-8 minutes until theyre crispy, golden brown, and the internal temp is 165 F. No need to flip during cooking since this is a fast recipe! If you have thicker or larger cutlets, they could take as long as 12 minutes in total to cook.
Serve as a whole cutlet or slice it to serve over pasta with marinara sauce or on a salad. Enjoy!
- We used pre-sliced turkey cutlets from Trader Joes. A 1 lb pack includes 5-6 cutlets, some stores also call these thinly sliced turkey breasts. You can make cutlets if you have a boneless turkey breast by cutting them lengthwise into very thinly sliced pieces and then pounding them thin with a meat mallet.
- To make sure you arent overcooking or undercooking the turkey, we do recommend using a digital meat thermometer, especially the first time you go to make a recipe.
- This same recipe can be used to make air fryer chicken cutlets, baked cutlets or pan fried turkey cutlets too.
- Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Breaded turkey cutlets in the air fryer are so good!
If youre looking for a quick, healthy, and fast dinner recipe, you truly cant cook a faster dinner than cutlets. Whether you call them bread turkey cutlets, turkey schnitzel, turkey chops, or escalopes, were 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 theyre cooked so fast. The key to this is the high cooking temp, we tested this at a lower temperature and they were cooked through but not as crisp on the outside.
We like to make a simple dinner out of them with air fryer sweet potato slices and broccolini on the side. Theyre also fantastic added over pasta with marinara sauce!
- turkey cutlets – pounded thin turkey cut from turkey breast or turkey tenderloins sort of like boneless turkey chops, you can either buy them pre-sliced and pounded thin or make your own from thinly sliced turkey breasts or turkey breast tenderloins.
- eggs -large size, you could use egg whites for the egg wash to cut back on cholesterol. You can also use mayo (light or regular) as the binder for an egg free version.
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs – you can also use gluten free breadcrumbs or low carb ones too, just mix in a bit of Italian seasoning to add that Italian flavor.
- grated parmesan cheese – grating parmesan from a chunk of parmesan will melt and coat better than buying pre-shredded parmesan, but the bags of parm still work fine.
- garlic salt – if you dont have garlic salt, you can use a mix of salt and garlic powder
- black pepper
- olive oil or olive oil spray– to brush or spray on the cutlets before air frying.
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **