Chicken schnitzel, the classic Austrian chicken dish, is traditionally made of thin slices of chicken breast breaded in white bread crumbs and fried in oil or butter. For a tastier alternative, bread the meat in a whole-grain spelt pretzel crumbs instead of bread crumbs. Added bonus: Cooking the cutlets in the air fryer gives you juicy meat and a golden brown, crispy exterior with less fat and mess
Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 40 minutes
Air Fryer Pretzel Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 2 large (12-ounce/340g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (60g) spelt or whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk, divided
- 1 1/2 cups (112g) spelt pretzel sticks (such as Newman’s Own)
- 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups (113g) green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium (200g) tart green apple, cored and julienned
- 1 small (128g) fennel bulb, core discarded, thinly sliced
Directions
Preheat air fryer to 390°F (200°C). Coat fry basket with cooking spray.
Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally into two thin cutlets, about 1/4–1/2-inch (.6 to 1.27cm) thick. Season all over with pepper and salt.
Put the flour on a dinner plate. Beat the egg and 3 tablespoons buttermilk in a shallow bowl. Whizz the pretzels in a mini food processor or crush with a rolling pin in a zip-top bag until fine crumbs. Put on a dinner plate.
Dredge the chicken pieces first in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the pretzel crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Mist the breaded chicken cutlets with the cooking spray.
Put 2 of the chicken breasts in the air fryer and cook for 6 minutes. Flip cutlets and cook on the second side until cooked through (an instant thermometer will read 165°F/74°C when inserted into the thickest part). Set on a plate and cover with foil. Cook the 2 remaining cutlets the same way.
While the chicken is cooking, make the slaw. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk, mayonnaise and vinegar. Add the cabbage, apples and fennel and toss to coat. Set aside.
Serve the chicken schnitzels with the slaw.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 schnitzel, 1 cup/102g slaw
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 443; Total Fat: 9g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 648mg; Sodium: 312mg; Carbohydrate: 53g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 10g; Protein: 37g
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