Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
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Looking for a healthier way to make Chicken Parmesan? We have it! This Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan recipe is everything you love about the original but healthier. The chicken is nice and juicy and the Parmesan coating is crispy. This is an easy dinner in your Air Fryer and the whole family is going to love it. We like to pair it with steamed vegetables, zoodles or pasta!
My family loves Chicken Parmesan but until I got our air fryer, I never made it because frying the breaded chicken in oil is such a hassle and not the healthiest of dinners.
I’ve made Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Parmesan Burgers and Parmesan Crusted Chicken, but sometimes we want a classic chicken Parmesan with a super crispy crust like you get in a restaurant. You know, the totally delicious but really unhealthy kind? We love it, but it’s a pain to make and is fried in a lot of oil so until now it hasn’t been a go-to dinner at our house.
That’s all changed now that we have an air fryer! Now we can make juicy chicken with a crispy parmesan crust that tastes just like traditional Chicken Parmesan but without all the oil and mess. I hate splattering oil on the stovetop!
You only need a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes to get this chicken dinner on the table. My family loves it!
My kids love Chicken Parmesan but frying the chicken in a pan is just not the healthiest thing to do for everyday dinners. I love that you can make a healthier Chicken Parmesan in the air fryer and my family can’t tell the difference!
The chicken is coated in a crispy Parmesan coating just like you fried it, but without all of the oil. Topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, it looks just like regular Chicken Parmesan but it’s so much healthier.
Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- It will quickly become one of your favorite air fryer recipes because it’s so easy to make making it a great recipe for an easy dinner!
- Golden brown breading on the outside with crispy juicy chicken on the inside.
- Without all of the oil, this delicious Chicken Parmesan made in the air fryer is so much healthier, but you’d never guess because it tastes just like the original.
What is an Air Fryer?
Do you know what an air fryer is? It’s an appliance that works like a convection oven. The air fryer has a fan which circulates hot air around the food giving it a crispy exterior.
It’s a great alternative to frying because you don’t need all the oil and you can make your favorite fried dishes, like this Chicken Parmesan, without all the guilt.
Plus, it cooks food faster than the oven and, I don’t know about you, but less time cooking is always a good thing in my book!
Is Air Fryer Food Healthy?
Deep-fried foods are generally higher in fat than foods that are prepared with other cooking methods. The benefit of Air Fryers is they require a significantly less amount of oil than deep frying.
This is why the Air Fryer is touted as being a “healthier” alternative to deep frying. Using an Air Fryer over deep-frying food can significantly cut down on the overall fat content of your food due to the reduction in oil used.
What can you cook in an Air Fryer?
You can cook almost anything in an Air Fryer!
- Steaks
- Donuts
- French Fries
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Chicken Breasts
- Pork Tenderloin
- Sweet Potatoes
The options are endless!
Ingredients Needed to Make Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Not only is this air fryer chicken parmesan a healthier take on the original, but it’s also so easy to make. You only need six ingredients!
- Chicken Breasts – You could also use chicken cutlets and skip cutting the boneless skinless chicken breasts in half.
- Parmesan cheese – Use shredded Parmesan cheese instead of grated because the shredded cheese turns crispy as it cooks and will give your crust a better texture.
- Breadcrumbs – Use Italian-style breadcrumbs, which are already seasoned, instead of plain breadcrumbs. You could also use Italian Panko Breadcrumbs. If you just have regular bread crumbs add 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to the breadcrumbs.
- Eggs – The binder to hold your breadcrumb mixture on your chicken breasts.
- Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite store-bought sauce.
- Mozzarella cheese – Grab a block and shred it yourself for best results.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
This recipe is so easy you only need five minutes to prep the chicken and 10 minutes to cook it!
- Set the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It will need about three minutes to preheat.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise.
- Pound the chicken into thin slices that are of the same thickness. This will ensure they cook evenly.
- Combine the breadcrumbs and shredded Parmesan cheese together in a medium sized bowl. In second bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Dip the chicken in the eggs that are in a shallow dish and then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture so that it’s evenly coated. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Place the breaded chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to cook the chicken in batches.
- Cook the chicken for six minutes and then flip the pieces over and top them with 2 Tablespoons of marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Cook the chicken for another three to four minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken breast.
- If you’re cooking the chicken in batches, repeat the process with the rest of the chicken.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Parmesan
Place any leftovers in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up two 2 days.
How to Reheat Leftovers
The easiest way is to reheat any leftovers in the air fryer basket at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also use the microwave to warm leftovers but the breading will not be as crispy. A better option is to use the oven and reheat leftovers at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serving Suggestions
This Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan is so quick and easy you have plenty of time to make a side dish to go with it! We love it with simple steamed vegetables, a green salad, pasta, or zoodles or serve it with some of our other favorite side dishes:
More Easy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts 8 ounces each
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan not grated Parmesan
- 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
- 2 eggs whisked
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Set temperature on Air Fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat 3 minutes.
- Cut chicken breasts in half, lengthwise and trim.
- Pound the chicken breasts into thinner pieces that are the same thickness.
- In a medium bowl mix together the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- In another bowl whisk the eggs together.
- Dip each piece of chicken in egg and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Place chicken breasts in single layer inside of air fryer basket. If you are using a smaller air fryer you will need to cook in batches.
- Add chicken breasts to preheated Air Fryer and cook for 6 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Air fry for an addition 3-4 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degree Fahrenheit.
- Set aside and keep warm, repeat with remaining 2 pieces
Lisa says
Yum!
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Lisa! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Sonya Tuttle says
Delicious and soooo easy!
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Sonya! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Bruce says
This recipe is awesome Julie! My wife says its the best chicken parm ever better than her fave restaurants. To those naysayers…you need some experience with heat and timing.i use time as a guide but I cook by sight with my airfryer and it turns out perfect.
Julie Evink says
Awesome to hear Bruce! So glad you enjoyed it!
Kim says
This is very inaccurate in terms of cook time in the air fryer. It did not take 6 min each side. It took at least 20-25 each side. My suggestion would be NOT to add the cheese until temp reaches 163 and then only put in for a few more minutes. Cheese was hard and burnt of course when you put in on at the second 6 min and it’s not cooked until about 20 min later.
Julie Evink says
Hi Kim! It really is going to make a difference on timing depending on how big your chicken breast is and if you pounded it really thing, which I did.
Shelly says
This is the best chicken parmesan recipe I have ever made! I just recently started using an air fryer and the recipe was easy quick and so appetizing. The outside how to crispy texture and the inside was moist. It will be a regular dish in our family from here on out.
Julie Evink says
Wonderful to hear Shelly! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Barbara says
Really good and fast. My husband, who does not care for eye-talian, really liked this. It’s a good recipe. I did up the cook time by two minutes and that was perfect.
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Barbara!
Jessica says
This recipe was easy to follow with an accurate cooking time. One tweak I made was to double dredged the chicken to give it a nice, thick breading. Turned out GBD – golden brown and delicious! I also didn’t add the marinara to the chicken because I served the chicken over a bed of spaghetti topped with marinara, so I just topped the chicken with mozzarella.
Julie Evink says
Sounds amazing! Great tips!
Tracy Notme says
So good! Very tender chicken with crunchy breading. This is going in my favorites book. Note: The prep time is only 5 minutes if your chicken is cut up already, though. Lol!
Julie Evink says
So glad you are enjoying this recipe!
DLMoore says
Undercooked. Used the picture to eyeball how thin to pound since a thickness wasn’t specified and it seemed to match the picture. Ended up putting it in oven for extra 15min at 425F. Other reviewers seem to have the same problem.
Jameelia says
I’ve never made Chicken Parm before, but needed something simple and quick. I had to modify the cooking times slightly for thicker breast size, but was done in ~15 minutes. The chicken was crunchy on the outside but juice inside. I was impressed and will be cooking it again. Paired it with noodles for a complete and filling dinner.
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it Jameelia! Thanks so much for commenting and rating!
Jessa says
I made this for Valentine’s Day and it turned out perfect! My boyfriend and I loved it and will definitely make again.
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it Jess! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Laura Earley says
Very Very Good and so easy to make!
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Laura!
Danielle Schmidgall says
This was very tasty. I’ve actually never had chicken parm! After seeing that it was a top recipe of yours, I gave it a try. Very easy and kid approved. My kids are picky so I made exactly howb the recipe said for my and I and left off the sauce/cheese for the kids. Thank you! Mine did take a little longer to air fry but I didnt pound the chicken nearly as flat so I adjusted and it turned out great!
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it Danielle! Thanks for commenting and leaving a rating!
Teri says
This is in response to my previous comment. I cooked it as you stated in the air fry mode and it was not very good. Even though the temp of the chicken was 160 degrees, it appeared undone.
Julie Evink says
I’m sorry to hear that Teri, this recipe has a lot of great reviews so I’m not sure what happened. Did you pound the breasts thing and even? That can really make a difference on cooking time, but if the temperature was correct they should be done if temped correctly.
Teri says
This was the first recipe tried in my new Air Fryer. I have a Instant Vortex Plus, so it has air fry, bake, roast. I was not sure if should of baked it or air fried it??
Katie Miller says
I also have the above question as we tried to make this recipe and like another commenter, our chicken came out very undercooked. We tried it at the recommended temperature for 6 minutes on air fry mode then, after adding the sauce and cheese, put it back in for another 4 min. But we ended up putting it in the oven for an additional 10 min to get it up to edible temp. Could you specify what mode you used?
Allie says
We loved this and will make it again! Perfect recipe
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it Allie! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Wayne says
We have prepared this dish twice in 3 weeks: love it!
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Wayne! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!