If you love Chicken Parmesan but don’t love the mess or the added cooking oil, this air fryer recipe is for you. This is a streamlined, lighter take on the classic, but still over-the-top crispy and flavorful. A homemade classic, but reinvented to be easy, delicious and guaranteed to work with your nutrition goals.
While this recipe requires a few extra dishes (mainly for the assembly), the small extra cleanup is worth it for the incredible results. Plus, no pesky pan grease to toss and a stove to wipe down!
I’ve included plenty of tips for keeping the chicken juicy, preventing soggy breading, and reheating leftovers so they’re just as good the next day.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll Love this recipe for Chicken Parmesan In the Air Fryer
- Air fryer Chicken Parmesan Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Crispy Chicken Parmesan
- Best Chicken Parm Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Serving Suggestions for Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- How to Store
- How to Reheat Chicken Parm
- Easy Chicken Parm Recipe FAQs
- Did you make this recipe?
- Crispy Chicken Parmesan Recipe (Air Fryer)
Why you’ll Love this recipe for Chicken Parmesan In the Air Fryer
- Classic comfort dish, made just a bit more healthy thanks to the the air fryer and a couple of simple swaps. Less cooking oil used, along with a skim cheese lowers saturated fat and overall calories, allowing this high protein dish to easily fit with your nutrition goals.
- Easy yet impressive. There are a few steps (and a couple of dishes dirtied), but it surprisingly comes together in less than 15 minutes. Plus a sub 15 minute cook time means dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!
- Family friendly, the 2 words that are always music to my ears. My son calls this “spaghetti chicken” and I’ve heard other kids call it “pizza chicken” because it reminds them of some of their favorite foods.
Air fryer Chicken Parmesan Recipe Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half to make cutlets. If necessary, you may need to gentle pound the chicken with the flat end of a meat tenderizer to an even thickness.
- 1-2 cups of Panko bread crumbs. The brand we highly recommend is Kikkoman panko bread crumbs, as they crisp up the best and have the most even size and texture. Some store brands have a very uneven mix of breadcrumb sizes.
- ½ cup of all purpose flour for dredging the chicken.
- 2 eggs plus 2 tablespoons of water, whisked together to make an egg wash.
- 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning mix, to add to the breadcrumbs. You can also purchase “Italian” breadcrumbs, but since we recommend the plain Kikkoman bread crumbs, we just add in the seasoning.
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, to also add to the breadcrumb mixture.
- 1.5 cups of jarred marinara sauce. Feel free to adjust quantity used in the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, to suit your taste and preferences. These are the amounts we used.
- 2 ounces skim shredded mozzarella cheese. Add more if desired.
- Kosher salt and black pepper for seasoning chicken.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Parmesan
Prepare chicken
Begin by cutting 2 chicken breasts in half to make 4 cutlets. You may need to gently pound each breast with the flat side of a meat tenderizer to an even layer. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Coat the Chicken
Prepare your coating station by putting flour, breadcrumbs and eggs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Or we like to use pie plates for this step. Whisk eggs and water together and then add Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese to breadcrumbs. Dredge each breast in flour.
Dip in Egg Wash
Once you’ve completely dredged the breast in flour, then dip in egg wash, making sure to allow excess to drip off.
Coat in breadcrumb mixture
Lastly, coat the breast in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to gently press in all edges to coat the surface area well. Set aside to a plate or parchment lined baking tray.
Air Fry
Following the same steps we outlined in our air fryer chicken cutlet recipe, air fry the chicken at 380 degrees f, for 10 minutes. If using a basket air fryer, there should be no need to flip over halfway through cooking. After 10 minutes, coating should be nice and brown and chicken almost done cooking.
Add sauce and cheese
Finish the chicken parm by adding about ½ cup of sauce and ½ ounce of shredded mozzarella, and air frying at 350 degrees f for 2-3 minutes. Sauce should be warmed and cheese melted. Internal temperature of the chicken should now be at least 160-165 degrees f.
Of course adjust air frying time as needed to bring chicken to a safe internal temperature. Oven air fryers tend to need an extra couple of minutes of cook time, and also the thickness of the chicken breasts will affect cook time.
We tenderized the chicken breasts to about 1″ in thickness, which helps speed up the cook time.
Can You Make this dish Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can make just the breaded chicken ahead of time, and then top with the sauce and cheese and reheat the overall dish in the air fryer. It may not have as much crispiness when reheating, but the flavor will still be just as good!
Best Chicken Parm Recipe Variations & Substitutions
While classic chicken parmesan is a staple that’s hard to mess with, you can make a few simple variations. Swap out chicken breasts for chicken thighs or even eggplant to make classic eggplant parmesan!
Use gluten free flour and breading for the gluten free eaters in your family. Or switch up the sauces by using a spicy arrabbiata sauce, vodka sauce or even a pesto and marinara swirl.
Serving Suggestions for Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Traditionally, this dish is served with spaghetti at classic Italian American restaurants. You can also serve it with Instant Pot orzo, and to get in some veggies, Brussel sprouts and peppers. A Mediterranean chopped salad or a pearl couscous salad with vegetables are also a great option for healthy sides.
How to Store
Store chicken parmesan leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Before refrigerating, allow to cool to room temperature, and to help absorb moisture, lay chicken pieces flat on a paper lined container. Try to avoid stacking chicken on top of each other.
How to Reheat Chicken Parm
Reheating is easy and simple. For best results, reheat in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 3-6 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Finally, the fastest but least preferred method, is to just reheat chicken in the microwave on high for 60 seconds.
Easy Chicken Parm Recipe FAQs
You may use a slice of mozzarella cheese, but we prefer shredded mozzarella for even and consistent melting properties.
Yes, simply use gluten free flour for the dredging, and gluten free panko breadcrumbs for the coating.
Extra virgin olive oil or a neutral vegetable oil is best to spray on the chicken for air frying.
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Did you make this recipe?
If you gave this recipe a try, I’d love your feedback! Any tips or recipe additions you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it! Let’s connect down in the comments below.
Crispy Chicken Parmesan Recipe (Air Fryer)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut in half to make 4 cutlets
- 1.5 cups Panko breadcrumbs Kikkoman brand preferred
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- 2 Large eggs plus 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon Italian dry seasoning
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups Marinara sauce
- 2 ounces Mozzarella cheese skim, shredded
- black pepper
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Begin by cutting 2 chicken breasts in half to make 4 cutlets. You may need to gently pound each breast with the flat side of a meat tenderizer to an even layer. If so, lay each cutlet between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap, and gently pound till an even thickness of about 1" is achieved. Season generously with salt and pepper.2 Chicken breasts, black pepper, kosher salt
- Prepare your coating station by putting flour, breadcrumbs and eggs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Whisk eggs and water together and then add Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese to breadcrumbs.1.5 cups Panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup All purpose flour, 2 Large eggs, 2 tablespoon Italian dry seasoning, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Dredge the chicken breast in flour, covering completely.
- Then dip chicken in egg wash, making sure to allow excess to drip off.
- Lastly, coat the breast in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to gently press in all edges to coat the surface area well. Set aside to a plate or parchment lined baking tray.
- Air fry the chicken at 380 degrees f, for 10 minutes. If using a basket air fryer, there should be no need to flip over halfway through cooking. After 10 minutes, coating should be nice and brown and chicken almost done cooking.
- Finish the chicken parmesan by adding about ½ cup of sauce and ½ ounce of shredded mozzarella to each breast. Lower the air fryer temperature to 350 degrees f and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Sauce should be warmed and cheese melted. Internal temperature of the chicken should now be at least 160-165 degrees f. Serve immediately.
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