Crispy Cilantro Lime Chicken Sandwich (Air-Fried or Oven Baked)
This sandwich packs a punch of flavor and crunch. A crispy, cornflake-crusted chicken breast is marinated coated with crispy cornflakes and then air-fried or oven baked and coated in a zesty cilantro-lime sauce.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut into halves (long ways) and slightly pounded out
- ½ cup all-purpose flour can use gluten-free flour
- 1 cup cornflakes lightly crushed
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs beaten
- 4 bread rolls of your choice toasted if desired
Sandwich Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 avocado cut in half, remove seed, and scoop out flesh
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 Tbsp adobo sauce
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Salt to taste
Cucumber Salad
- ½ large English cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
- 1 cup cabbage thinly sliced and chopped
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sauce for Coating Chicken Breasts
- 4 Tbsp avocado oil
- 6 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup lime juice
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves grated
Instructions
- Make the sandwich sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients (olive oil, avocado, cilantro, adobo sauce, lime juice, honey, sour cream, and pepper) into a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste. Place the sauce in a bottle or jar and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the sandwiches.
- Make the cucumber salad. In a medium-sized mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Stir the sauce together. Add the cucumbers, jalapeno slices and cabbage to the bowl and toss to coat well. Set aside.
- Set up three shallow bowls. In one bowl, combine the flour, salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. In another bowl will be the 2 beaten eggs, and a final bowl will have the crushed cornflakes. Dredge your chicken in the flour, then the eggs, and then coat with the crushed cornflakes.
- Cook the chicken. Air fry the chicken at 360ºF for 14-16 minutes. You can also line a baking sheet with foil, coat with cooking spray, and bake the chicken at 425ºF for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to flip halfway through. The internal temp should reach 165º.
- Make the sauce for coating the chicken breasts. While the chicken cooks, work on the sauce. To a large skillet, add avocado oil, cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt, pepper, chipotle powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Reduce over medium heat for around 5 minutes until it thickens to a thick syrup.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Put the cooked chicken in the pan with the chicken sauce and coat both sides of the chicken with the sauce. Place your chicken on the rolls and top with the cucumber salad and sandwich sauce.
Notes
- Use a mandoline slicer to slice your cabbage, jalapeno, and cucumber for the best thin slices.
- The longer you let the sandwich sauce marinate, the more flavor it has. I recommend making it a few hours in advance if you have time.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!