Crispy, tender air fryer chicken parmesan is the easiest way to get a restaurant favorite at home! The best part is, the whole thing cooks in the air fryer with less oil, less mess, and minimal work!
If you love chicken, you love chicken parmesan! Fried chicken smothered in yummy marinara and loads of cheese, what is not to love right?
The use of the air fryer is perfect as the chicken comes out crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and so flavorful!
This whole recipe takes 20 minutes to complete, so it is perfect for a homemade weeknight dinner! And since it is ‘fried’ in the air fryer instead of in oil, it is so much easier without sacrificing that delicious crispy chicken!
Love Italian flavors? So do we! Our air fryer meatballs as well as our air fryer Italian sausage are a favorite around here!
How to make chicken parmesan in an air fryer:
- PREPARE – Start by pounding out the chicken breast so that it is an even thickness. Grab two shallow bowls and add egg and water to the first bowl. Put your panko, parmesan, garlic powder, and onion powder in the second bowl.
- BREAD – Dip your chicken breasts into the egg bowl first then the panko bowl. Be sure to cover the chicken completely and press the panko into the chicken firmly so it sticks.
- FRY – Place in an air fryer basket and spritz with oil. Air fryer for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 more minutes. Check the internal temp of the chicken to be sure it is 160 degrees F. Cook longer if needed.
- TOP IT OFF – Add two tablespoons of marinara sauce on top of each breast. Now sprinkle the top of each breast with mozzarella and cook for 3 more minutes which should bring your internal chicken temp up to 165 degrees F.
- SERVE – We like to serve our air fryer chicken parmesan with a pile of spaghetti noodles tossed with marinara. For a lighter dinner, serve with roasted veggies and a green salad. Our air fryer zucchini is a great side with Italian dishes.
Chicken parm serving options:
The traditional way to serve chicken parmesan is over spaghetti noodles with extra marinara. This is our preferred way to serve them as well.
However, there are many options and hacks for chicken parmesan. You can serve it on top of veggies for a lower carb option, but do note there are carbs in the panko.
Serving it as a chicken breast alongside a good salad is fantastic also.
I sometimes eat this as a sandwich. I love, love, love eating chicken parm on a bun that has been toasted with butter and garlic! You can toast the buns right in your air fryer!
More air fried chicken recipes you might like:
- Air fryer drumsticks
- Air fried chicken tenders
- Buffalo chicken flautas
- Homemade orange chicken
- Air fryer sesame chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Pound out the chicken breasts to an even thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap.
- Crack the egg into a shallow bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk with a fork until combined.
- Add the Panko, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to a second bowl and stir to combine.
- Dip each chicken breast into the egg and then the breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken so that they adhere.
- Place chicken breasts evenly spaced in a greased air fryer basket. You will likely need to work in batches for all of the chicken to fit. Spritz chicken with oil spray.
- Air fry at 380 for 10 minutes. Flip chicken over and air fry for 5 more minutes or until the chicken reaches 160 degrees internally. Check temperature as cook time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts.
- Top each piece with 2 tablespoons of marinara. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella.
- Air fry for 3 more minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Ed says
We made this recipe with a side of linguine pasta with marinara and it was all sooo good! Will definitely put this one in our rotation! Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Ed!
Katherine Kelly says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I found a similar one on the internet but it had me frying up the chicken parmesan before finishing in the oven. I thought to myself, “Self, what does airfried.com have for me before I fry these?” and look what I found! The perfect recipe for making chicken parm in the air fryer with minimal mess and the flavors I was looking for.
Thank you for your attention to details in the thinness of the chicken and the breading. Simply delicious!
Karly says
So glad you gave the recipe a try and enjoyed it! 🙂