This Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan comes out crispy and perfect every single time with a trick for adding the sauce and cheese you won’t want to miss!
Mr. Hungry said this was the best chicken parmesan he’s ever had in his life. And he is the type of person who will consistently order chicken parm at a restaurant, so I feel like that was a big statement. On the other hand, while I enjoy chicken parm, I never order it at restaurants because by the time it gets to you, it’s often soggy. I can’t stand that.
But, by making it at home, I can air fry it and then add the sauce and cheese (baked/melted separately) right before I eat it (thank you for that tip tik tok). Which means it stays perfectly crispy the whole time. If it came like that at a restaurant, I would always order it! But since I don’t think that will happen often, I’ll stick to making it at home. Plus, the kids ate the chicken cut up without the sauce because it’s basically a chicken nugget at that point. So that was a double win! You definitely have to try this one!
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
*Note this is a visual how-to section, the printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Prep your chicken and dredge it in flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, and air fry. Then, if you have a multi-functional air fryer with a bake function, you can use the tray to pour sauce down and melt the cheese in the baking tray. Once the cheese is melted, you can use a spatula to scoop up the cheese and sauce, placing it over the crispy chicken. Sprinkle with fresh basil and dig in immediately. (If you don’t have an oven-style air fryer, I put how to use the basket-style air fryer in the notes of the recipe card. )
Swaps and Substitutions
This recipe is high protein and low carb. It isn’t gluten-free, as written, but if you need to make it gluten-free, the swaps are below.
- Chicken Breast/Cutlets – For this recipe, you’ll want to use thin chicken breast or chicken cutlets. If you don’t have those, like I didn’t have them on hand, you’ll want to slice your chicken breast in half or tenderize it/pound it down to make it more uniform and cook evenly. That’s why my chicken breasts are all weird shapes. You could also use chicken tenders or chicken thighs if you want. But, traditionally, this recipe is made using chicken breasts.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Traditional recipes for chicken parm can be panko, or Italian breadcrumbs, or a mix. I was out of regular breadcrumbs, so I went with panko. I like my chicken parm extra crispy, so this worked! Feel free to sub here with breadcrumbs (gluten-free versions work, too!) or half and half. The crispiest chicken parm will come from panko, though. I’ve also used crushed-up root vegetable chips before too!
- Parmesan cheese – You can’t have chicken parm without parmesan, do not omit it!
- Italian Seasoning – Technically optional, but highly recommended since we aren’t using Italian breadcrumbs.
- Flour – I used whole wheat flour, but you can use all-purpose or gluten-free all-purpose as well.
- Eggs – If you are out of eggs or allergic, you can use heavy cream as a dredge.
- Mozzarella – You can use shredded, but if you can grab a mozzarella ball from the store, I highly recommend it! It will be easier to melt separately.
- Marinara – Make my spicy marinara or use your favorite. I love RAOS (not sponsored, but hit a girl up if you have a contact.)
- Fresh Basil – optional for garnish, could also use Italian parsley.
How to Freeze and Store Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Store: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, reheat to 165F. You can freeze the chicken separately and reheat it in the air fryer or crisp it on the pan. Then, add the sauce. Or refrigerate chicken, sauce, and cheese together and reheat in the microwave. It will be delicious but not crispy!
Freeze: Freeze for up to 3 months. I would freeze with sauce and cheese because once you freeze, it won’t ever be crispy again. Might as well freeze it all together!
You May Also Like:
- Healthy Chicken Parmesan
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders No Breading
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast No Breading
- Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Bone In
Serve This Chicken Parm with:
- Easy Roasted Broccoli
- Steamed Broccoli
- Salad Packs
- Banza Spaghetti or Angel Hair Noodles
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken breast
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 3/4 cup flour whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten-free all purpose
- 3 eggs whisked
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
Garnish
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- If using chicken cutlets or thin chicken breasts, pat tje chicken dry and move on to step 2. If using chicken breasts, slice in half to make thin chicken breasts or tenderize/pound down to make the chicken breasts thinner and more uniform.3 lbs chicken breast
- Mix your seasonings with breadcrumbs and parmesan in a shallow, medium-sized bowl. Whisk eggs in another similar-sized bowl. Add flour to another bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, then the eggs, then the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture.2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs, 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp italian seasoning, 3/4 cup flour, 3 eggs
- Spray the bottom of the air fryer with cooking spray and spray the top of the chicken. Air Fry at 400F for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F. For 3 lbs of chicken, I had to work in two batches.
- If you have an oven-style air fryer, you can use it for this step. Otherwise, you will need to use the regular oven or see alternative instructions in notes* Pour out the marinara on a baking sheet. Spread 1-2 ounces of sliced mozzarella over the marinara. Broil until bubbly and golden. Using a spatula, spoon the melted mozzarella and marinara over the freshy air-fried chicken. Garnish with basil and serve immediately.2 cups marinara sauce, 8 ounces fresh mozzarella
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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