Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken

Crispy golden brown Almond Crusted Chicken in the air fryer will be your favorite quick and easy go to dish. Tender chicken cutlets crusted with crunchy almonds make just the right amount of crunch to be extra delicious.

Close up of a almond crusted chicken cutlet from the side on a cutting board

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While traditional frying can be delicious, Chick Fil Chicken has it down to a science, it can also be pretty heavy. Your family will love these golden brown, crispy chicken cutlets.

✨ Why We Love Almond Crusted Chicken

Perfect Everyday Meal- This is one of our easy go-to meals when we just need a good dinner, your family will love these crunchy chicken cutlets too.
Great For Meal Prep- Make this chicken ahead for lunches or dinners, and to have a fast and delcious protein ready to go.
Serve Warm Or Cold- Delicious served warm by itself, on top of pasta or with roasted veggies. Or serve it cold for wraps and salads.

🥫 Ingredients For Almond Crusted Chicken:

1 cup almonds
½ cup corn-starch- almond flour can also be used
Natures Seasoning or other all-purpose seasoning like Mrs. Dash
2 large eggs beaten
2 chicken breasts -large

🔄 Substitutions

Nuts - Try adding other kinds of nuts instead of the almonds. Pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and even walnuts work well.
Seasoning- We've used Nature's Seasoning in this recipe, but any all purpose seasoning blend works in this recipe. Try Everything But the Bagel seasoning, Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Italian seasoning blend, or other seasoning blends like Mrs. Dash.
Chicken Tenders- This recipe can be made with raw chicken tenders that have been trimmed but they may take slightly less time to cook. Start checking the chicken tenders after ten minutes and cook until they register internally 165 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with a meat thermometer.

🔪 How to make Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken

Place the almonds in a food processor. Pulverize the almonds until they become the consistency of crumbs, then add to a medium sized bowl.

Almonds crushed into a thick crumb in a food processor from overhead

Mix together the cornstarch and Natural Seasoning in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the eggs to a medium-sized bowl. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork until the yolks crack.
Trim the chicken breast if needed. Slice each chicken breast into two long, thin pieces parallel to the cutting board, slicing it into two even cutlets. If the cuts aren't quite, place the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until thin. Use these directions to cut your chicken into cutlets if you are unsure.
Coat a chicken breast in cornstarch, flipping to coat both sides. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and fully coat the chicken breast. Dip the chicken breast on each side into the almond mixture to coat. Repeat with all chicken breast pieces.

Raw chicken in a bowl of crushed almond meal, egg and cornstarch from overhead

Preheat your air fryer to 385 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the chicken in the air fryer so the chicken is not overlapping. Work in batches if needed.

Raw chicken cutlets coated in an almond crumb in an air fryer basket from overhead

Spray the chicken lightly with cooking oil. Cook the chicken for 12 minutes at 385 or until the chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer. Serve and enjoy!

Crispy cooked chicken cutlets coated in almond crumb in an air fryer basket from overhead

♨️ Storage And Reheating Instructions

Keep chicken in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

This chicken can be served cold over salads and wraps once cooked.

To reheat, place chicken back in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes or until warm all the way through.

Crispy almond coated chicken on a cutting board on a table with a salad, the air fryer and more almonds in the background

📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:

Do I have to spray the chicken with cooking oil?

A little bit of cooking oil will help the outside of the chicken become even crispier. It can be left out if needed, but the coating will be crunchier if you use just a little bit of oil.

What do I serve almond chicken with?

This almond crusted chicken is super versitle! Serve it on it's own with veggie sides like roasted carrots, sauteed broccoli, parmesan zucchini or with roasted potatoes.

What can I use to replace the cornstarch to be low carb or keto?

There are several options for a low carb friendly breading, including using almond flour or arrowroot powder. For more ideas, check out this article under the frying section for low-carb friendly substitutes for cornstarch.

Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks- Tender and delicious, plus quick and easy in the instant pot. You will love these chicken drumsticks!

Almond crusted chicken fully cooked on a cutting board

Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 22

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings Servings

Calories 368 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
½ cup corn-starch
Natures Seasoning or other all purpose seasoning like Mrs. Dash
2 large eggs beaten
2 chicken breasts

Instructions

Place the almonds in a food processor. Pulverize the almonds until they become the consistency of crumbs, then add to a medium sized bowl.
Mix together the cornstarch and Natural Seasoning in a medium sized bowl.
Add the eggs to a medium-sized bowl. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork until the yolks crack.
Trim the chicken breast if needed. Slice each chicken breast into two long, thin pieces parallel to the cutting board, slicing it into two even cutlets. If the cuts aren't quite, place the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until thin.
Coat a chicken breast in cornstarch, flipping to coat both sides. Dip the chicken then in the egg mixture and fully coat the chicken breast. Dip the chicken breast on each side into the almond mixture to coat. Repeat with all chicken breasts.
Preheat your air fryer to 385 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the chicken in the air fryer so the chicken is not overlapping. Work in batches if needed.
Spray the chicken lightly with cooking oil. Cook the chicken for 12 minutes at 385 or until the chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

How To Cut Chicken Cutlets - Slice each chicken breast parallel to the cutting board to slice the chicken into two, wide and long but thin pieces. Use these visual instructions on how to cut a chicken cutlet to help guide you.
Pounding A Chicken Cutlet Evenly- Many times when you cut a chicken into cutlets one side is thicker than the other side. Place the chicken in between two pieces of saran wrap. Use a meat mallet or a heavy rolling pin to pound the chicken until the pieces are even. This tenderizes the chicken and makes sure the chicken cooks evenly.

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 23gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 103mgPotassium: 506mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 152IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 2mg

Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.