Learn how to make the best Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan! It’s crispy, cheesy, and packed with Italian flavor. Plus, it’s ready in less than 15 minutes, making it perfect for busy nights.
This family-friendly air fryer meal will make everyone smile. Grab the recipe and let’s get cooking!
Recipe Overview
If you aren’t already cooking dinner in your air fryer multiple times per week, this easy Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan Recipe is about to change everything for you!
Instead of slaving over a hot stove, you can have dinner rolling in the air fryer, and ready in no time at all.
This is one of my favorite meals to order at an Italian restaurant, but now I can make delicious, crispy chicken parm at home for a fraction of the cost! Serve air fried chicken parmesan cutlets with a side of spaghetti and a simple salad for a delicious dinner that everyone will love.
Now, at a restaurant, chicken parmesan is cooked in a deep fryer, or maybe shallow fried in olive oil. This air fryer chicken parmesan recipe is completely oil free! That means your dinner will be healthier, but still just as tasty.
Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets – Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 4 cutlets. The breasts I used were about 12 ounces each. You can also buy chicken cutlets already cut at the grocery store if you’d like to save a bit of time.
Flour – To give the chicken plenty of flavor, we’ll season the flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Eggs – To keep the breadcrumbs stuck to the chicken, eggs work perfectly.
Breadcrumbs – Italian seasoned breadcrumbs are easy to find in the grocery store, and are ideal for this recipe.
Parmesan Cheese – I like to use shredded parmesan cheese (rather than finely grated) for this recipe. You will really be able to see and taste the parmesan on the outside of each cutlet.
Marinara Sauce and Mozzarella – To create the classic chicken parm in the air fryer, we’ll top the cutlets with sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese!
Steps to Make
- Set up your breading station:
- In one shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Place the eggs in a second dish and lightly beat them.
- In the third dish, place the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan cheese.
- First, dredge one chicken cutlet through the flour mixture.
- Dip it into the eggs, letting any excess drip off.
- Finally, place the cutlet in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to fully coat the chicken on both sides. Repeat with the remaining cutlets.
- Place the breaded cutlets into the air fryer, keeping them in a single layer. Work in batches if needed.
- Air Fry the chicken parmesan for 8 minutes at 380°F/190°C, then flip the chicken over.
- Top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese, and air fry for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is fully cooked.
- Top with parsley and ENJOY!
Tips and Tricks
- Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you may be able to slice more than two cutlets per breast. The chicken cutlets used in these photos were about 6 ounces each.
- If your cutlets are larger, You may need to cook them longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each piece of chicken reads 165°F/74°C.
- If needed, use a meat mallet to pound out the chicken cutlets so that they are all the same thickness. This way they will cook evenly and at the same time. The thinner they are, the quicker they cook.
- You will need to cook the chicken breasts in two batches to fit them in a single layer in your air fryer basket. If you’re cooking in an air fryer oven, you may have more room to work with!
- To make gluten-free chicken parmesan in the air fryer, use gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten free all-purpose flour to make this easy recipe.
- I didn’t use any oil in this recipe, but if you want the chicken to be extra crispy, you can lightly spray the top of the breaded cutlets with olive oil before air frying them.
Side options
The obvious choice of side dish for chicken parmesan is spaghetti, but you can also serve it with your favorite pasta shape.
Be sure to pick up some extra marinara sauce for the pasta, which you can boil while the chicken is cooking in the air fryer.
I also enjoy chicken parmesan with some veggies on the side, like Air Fryer Eggplant, Air Fryer Zucchini, or Air Fryer Broccoli. You might also like this stovetop side dish of Green Beans and Mushrooms.
Looking for a different kind of chicken parmesan recipe? You might like these chicken parm stuffed peppers. I bet you can adjust the recipe to make them in the air fryer too!
More Easy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Crispy air fryer chicken is the best kind, and we have so many different ways to do it right here!
Air Fryer Boneless Wings are tender, crispy chunks of chicken tossed in spicy buffalo sauce.
Crispy Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Breast is a quick, tasty meal when you’re in a hurry!
Or enjoy a Japanese favorite with our recipe for Chicken Katsu in the Air Fryer.
Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas are a family favorite, so be sure to add that one to the meal plan too!
FAQs
Keep your air fryer chicken parmesan in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. The breading will get a little bit soggy from the marinara sauce, but it will still be super tasty! To reheat leftovers, place them in the air fryer at 350°F/180°C for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.
We get this question a lot, and the answer is a resounding “YES”! The air fryer makes quick work of frozen chicken tenders and nuggets, sure. But in about the same amount of time, you can cook fresh, raw chicken too. Follow this recipe for all the details.
You can use chicken thighs if you’d like to. Pound them out very thin, and remove any excess fat before breading and air frying.
Only preheat your air fryer if your manufacturer’s instructions recommend it. In general, I don’t find it necessary for most air fryer recipes, as the air fryer heats up pretty quickly once it’s turned on.
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
- 3 shallow bowls
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts sliced lengthwise into 4 cutlets
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness if need be. Set aside. Place the flour, salt, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, and ground black pepper in a shallow dish. Stir to combine. Place the eggs in a second shallow dish. Lightly beat them. Place the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan cheese into a third shallow dish. Stir to combine.
- First, dredge the chicken breast cutlets one at a time in the flour mixture.
- Then, dip in the egg mixture, shaking off any excess.
- Finally, place in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs to the sides of the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook in batches if need be.
- Air fry at 380°F/190°C for 8 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over and then top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Air fry an additional 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F74°C.
- Top with parsley before serving.
Notes
- Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you may be able to slice more than two cutlets per breast. The chicken cutlets used in these photos were about 6 ounces each.
- If your cutlets are larger, You may need to cook them longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each piece of chicken reads 165°F/74°C.
- If needed, use a meat mallet to pound out the chicken cutlets so that they are all the same thickness. This way they will cook evenly and at the same time. The thinner they are, the quicker they cook.
- You will need to cook the chicken breasts in two batches to fit them in a single layer in your air fryer basket. If you’re cooking in an air fryer oven, you may have more room to work with!
- To make gluten-free chicken parmesan in the air fryer, use gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten free all-purpose flour to make this easy recipe.
- I didn’t use any oil in this recipe, but if you want the chicken to be extra crispy, you can lightly spray the top of the breaded cutlets with olive oil before air frying them.
This recipe is NOT gluten free. There’s wheat flour and bread crumbs. Anyone making this needs to use an alternative “breading” — or none at all, which is my choice, as I’m sensitive to nut flours.
Shredded parm could also be added to the top of the cutlet before airfrying if crunch is desired.
Hi Shelia, thanks for letting us know about the typo in the recipe card. I appreciate it. I am also gluten free and yes you are correct if you want to make this gluten-free you need to use an alternative to the flour and bread crumbs. For flour alternative, I would use gluten-free all purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill Blue Bag of GF Jules Flour. For gf bread crumbs, we like to use Ian’s GF crumbs, which can be found in most big box grocers in the US. Great tip about the parm.