Panados in the Air FryerPortuguese Breaded Cutlets

Panados are thin pork or chicken cutlets marinated in garlic, lemon and white wine, then breaded and fried. They're everyday food all over Portugal: school lunch boxes, beach picnics, café sandwiches (sandes de panado) and family dinners with rice and salad.

What makes them Portuguese rather than a plain schnitzel is the marinade, even 30 minutes of garlic, lemon and wine makes a difference. What makes them work in the air fryer is a good spray of olive oil on both sides, so the crumbs turn golden instead of dry and pale.

The recipe

Panados in the Air FryerPortuguese Breaded Cutlets

Panados in the air fryer: Portuguese breaded pork or chicken cutlets with a garlic, lemon and white wine marinade. Crisp, juicy and ready in 30 minutes.

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Prep15 min

Cook12 min

Total27 min

Serves4

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

4

½×1×2×3×

• 600 g thin pork cutlets (bifanas or loin steaks) or chicken breast, sliced and flattened to about 5 mm
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 tsp sweet paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• Black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp plain flour (optional, for a firmer coat)
• 100 g dried breadcrumbs (pão ralado)
• Olive oil for spraying
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. If the meat is thicker than 5 mm, put it between two sheets of cling film and flatten it with a rolling pin.
2. Mix the garlic, lemon juice, wine, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat the meat and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
3. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish. Put the breadcrumbs in another. Lift each cutlet out of the marinade and pat off the excess.
4. Dust the cutlets lightly with flour if using, dip them in egg, then press them firmly into the breadcrumbs on both sides.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C for 3 minutes. Spray both sides of each cutlet well with olive oil.
6. Lay the cutlets in a single layer, without overlapping. Air fry at 200 °C for 5-6 minutes, turn, spray any dry patches and cook for 4-5 minutes more.
7. Check the thickest piece: pork should reach at least 63 °C and chicken 74 °C. Cook in batches if needed and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

What to serve with them

The classic Portuguese plate is panados with arroz de tomate (tomato rice) or plain rice, chips and a green or tomato salad. For a sandwich, put a hot panado in a crusty roll with lettuce, tomato and a little mayonnaise. Panados also sit happily next to a bitoque or bifanas on any Portuguese café menu.

Pork or chicken

Pork is the more traditional choice in most homes, especially thin pork leg or loin. Chicken breast panados are just as common now and a little milder. Turkey (peru) is used too. The marinade and method are the same; just check the internal temperature, since chicken needs to go higher. For more air fryer basics, see our air fryer tips for Portuguese food.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Amazon best seller

Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer

One of Amazon's best-selling air fryers. The 6 Qt basket fits a batch of pastéis de bacalhau or chicken thighs for four, and the ceramic coating is PFAS-free.

Tip: Size is what matters for Portuguese cooking: 5.5–6 Qt feeds 2–4 people in one batch.

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Alpha Grillers instant-read thermometer

Takes the guesswork out of piri-piri chicken and bifanas: 74 °C in the thickest part and the chicken is done.

Tip: Check the thickest piece, away from the bone.

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Casafina Pacifica dinner plate

Reactive-glaze stoneware made in Portugal. Every plate comes out slightly different.

Tip: Matches the Casafina Pacifica bowl.

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