Boneless pork ribeye chops, dredged in a seasoned mixture of cracker meal and panko crumb coating, and cooked in the air fryer. Shown here with a drizzle of milk gravy.
Breaded Air Fryer Pork Chops
I really love using an air fryer, especially in this heat. It's way less messy than frying on the stovetop too, that's for sure!
I have mentioned before, but it took me awhile to get on board with them admittedly, but when I did finally, I ended up with several of them! The one that stays out of the pantry and that I use the most is an oven style version though I did use the larger basket style fryer this time.
There is also an air fryer function on the countertop oven that I bought earlier this year when my stove went out and honestly, I have been using that more than the actual range now anyway, though that function on it really doesn't hold a candle to a dedicated air fryer.
Is air frying just like deep frying, or even pan frying?
No.
We do love our deep-fried foods in the Deep South and there is one way, and one way only, to get that kind of golden-brown deliciousness (aka GBD) and it involves using a good heavy pan, like cast iron, and a lot of hot cooking oil.
It's delicious, but messy and high calorie enough to be relegated to an occasional treat and you really cannot achieve that same GBD any other way.
Does an air fryer do a pretty good job though?
Well, it can, for sure!
In my opinion, you really have to have two things for success.
- For one, you need a good quality air fryer, preferably one that is powerful. The air fryer I'm using here today is a 6-quart 1700-watt basket style. The oven style one I use is 1500. And there are some that are even 1800 watts!
- You really do still need to use some oil.
With all that out of the way, let's get to these air fryer pork chops!
As always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, are a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures below.
Ever use cracker meal? It's essentially just very finely ground up crackers. My Mama used to do her fried shrimp coated in cracker meal and it's a little bit unique. This recipe was actually inspired by a back of the box recipe! Sub in very finely crushed saltine crackers if you have trouble finding a cracker meal locally.
I use crushed crackers as a breading all the time, but for this recipe you'll want to crush them super fine, almost to a powder.
First things first, preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F. for 3 minutes. Depending on your air fryer brand, some of this is built in when you set the temperature and total time. Season chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the cracker meal and then set aside.
Combine remaining cracker meal with panko, remaining seasonings and Parmesan cheese.
I like to use a bag to shake the chops in but you can do them in a pan as above too.
Beat egg and water together and dip chops in egg wash.
Then dredge in the panko and cracker meal mixture, pressing coating into chops.
Let rest as you dredge the remaining chops.
Spray one side of chop generously with oil.
Again, I'm using the EVO sprayer - only 1/4 teaspoon per pull.
Spray air fryer basket lightly but thoroughly with an oil sprayer. Place the sprayed side down into preheated air fryer and spray the top of chop. You may need to prepare the chops in batches with a bucket style air fryer to avoid overcrowding.
Just like ovens, individual air fryer brands differ in wattage and how they cook; be sure to monitor any air fryer recipe the first time you make it to adjust time and/or temperature as needed. Total time will also depend on type and size of ingredients used.
For my 1700 watt fryer, I cooked these for 7 minutes at 360 degrees, turned and cooked another 7 minutes. I then increased the temperature to 400 degrees F and cook 2 minutes longer. Spray and flip again, if needed, cooking at 400 degrees F for another 2 minutes. An instant read thermometer should read right at about 140 degrees F. Serve as is or make a quick skillet peppered milk gravy while they are cooking, to drizzle on top.
Unable to view the printable below on your device? Tap/click here.
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