• The preliminary steps all are the same, regardless of the chosen cooking method. Optional step for air-frying or baking the cutlets: Toast the breadcrumbs in a little olive oil until golden.

Prepare the chicken breasts:

• Cut the chicken breasts horizontally to obtain two thinner slices (cutlets) from each breast. Set them aside.

  4 chicken breasts
• Flour mix: Mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

  3 tablespoons all-purpose flour + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + ½ teaspoon onion powder + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Dipping mix: Whisk yogurt, mustard, egg, salt, and pepper with a fork in another large bowl. Set aside.

  1 tablespoon Greek yogurt + 1 ½ tablespoons yellow mustard + 1 egg + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Panko mix: Mix panko and paprika in a baking dish or another large shallow container. 1 ¾ cup/ 100 g panko + 1 teaspoon paprika

  1 ¾ cup panko / 100 g + 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika

Bread the chicken:

• Flour: Place the chicken breasts into the flour bowl. Turn the pieces around using tongs until coated all over.
• Dip: Lift them with tongs, shake them briefly to remove the excess flour, and place them into the yogurt-egg bowl. Turn them around to coat them all over.
• Breadcrumbs: Pick up each piece with tongs, shake it gently to remove the excess, and turn it into the panko mixture. Press the breadcrumbs down with your palms to help them adhere.

Fried panko chicken:

• Heat the oil in a large, slightly deeper frying pan or cast-iron skillet. The oil should be hot but not smoking (about 375°F/ 190°C).

  ½ cup vegetable oil 125 ml
• Fry the breaded chicken breast pieces in two batches for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through (the internal temperature should be 165°F (74°C).

Air-fried panko chicken:

• Toast the panko (optional - Note 2): Heat the oil in a large frying panko. Fry the breadcrumbs for 2 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until golden. Immediately transfer it to a large baking dish or another large container. Let it cool while you prepare the rest.
• Preheat the air fryer if its instruction manual requires it; for 3 minutes to 375°F (190°C).
• Bread the chicken as instructed above and place the pieces into the basket in a single layer. Spray them with cooking oil.
• Air fry for 5 minutes. Flip, and spray with oil again. Cook for another 5-7 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Check the internal temperature; it should be 165°F (74°).

Baked panko chicken:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Panko: If desired, toast the breadcrumbs as instructed above.
• Bread the chicken as instructed above and spray it with cooking oil.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, spray with oil again, and bake for another 8 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) (Note 4).