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air fryer chicken parmesan on plate, sliced with piece on fork
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5 from 6 votes

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

This air fryer chicken parmesan is nice and crispy, and is ready in under 30 minutes! An easy and crowd-pleasing meal.
Servings: 4
Calories: 242kcal
Author: Denise Bustard

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts roughly 1 lb
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour almond and GF flour may also work
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese freshly shredded
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup marinara sauce
  • ¼ cup mozzarella cheese shredded

To serve

  • fresh basil leaves torn

Instructions

  • Prepare chicken- Slice chicken in half horizontally to create two thin halves. Watch the video above if you are wondering how to do this.
    overhead view of chicken cutlets
  • Breading the chicken- Arrange three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, add the flour. In the second bowl, beat the eggs. In the third bowl, stir together the Panko, oregano, parmesan cheese and salt.
    Working in batches, coat the chicken breast in flour (1), tapping so excess falls off. Next, dredge in the beaten eggs (2) until well coated. Allow excess egg to drip off. Finally, press both sides in the panko mixture (3), flipping until it is completely coated.
    Transfer to a clean plate, and repeat with remaining chicken slices.
    three bowls with flour, eggs, and panko
  • Cook- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for at least five minutes. Arrange breaded chicken in the air fryer, and cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
    Check to ensure your chicken has reached 165°F (or very close to it) using an instant read thermometer.
    air fryer with 10 minutes 400F on the screen
  • Adding the marinara- Once chicken has reached 165°F internally, spoon 2 tablespoons of marinara on the top of each chicken breast. Sprinkled with shredded mozzarella, pressing into the marinara so it doesn't blow around in the air fryer.
    Return to the air fryer for another 1- 2 minutes, until cheese has fully melted.
    chicken parm in the air fryer after cooking through
  • Serve- Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves, and enjoy.
    air fryer chicken parmesan on plate, sliced with piece on fork

Video

Notes

1- serving size is for half of a full chicken breast; roughly 4 oz.
2- you can skip the flour and egg and swap for olive oil, however the breading will not stick quite as well and you'll need to press it on quite firmly
3- swap the chicken breast for chicken thighs or white fish; adjust cook time as needed.
Storage & reheating
Chicken parmesan is best served fresh, as the breading loses it's crispy texture as it is stored. With that being said, it's safe to store and reheat:
  1. if you plan to reheat later, do not add marinara and mozzarella
  2. store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
  3. heat air fryer to 350°F
  4. add chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes, adding the marinara and mozzarella during the last 2 minutes of cook time
 

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz *note 1 | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 797mg | Potassium: 571mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 2mg