Make crispy, cheesy air fryer chicken parmesan at home for a fraction of what you’d pay at an Italian restaurant. Ready in less than 30 minutes, this is the perfect dinner dish for busy nights.
When I found out you could make chicken parmesan in the air fryer, I was thrilled. I used to make this dish by shallow frying the breaded chicken cutlets. But I always ended up using almost every single pot and pan in my kitchen (at least that’s what it felt like cleaning up). This recipe is much faster and much easier—with a lot less clean up.
This air fryer chicken parmesan comes out crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It’s a great way to make this classic Italian dish, without oil and without deep frying.
Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- No oil, no deep frying: Restaurant chefs usually cook this dish in a deep fryer or shallow fry it. When you make chicken parmesan in the air fryer, you don’t have to slave over a hot stove or use any oil at all.
- Less mess: Making this recipe in the air fryer saves you from washing so many dishes. No oil spills over the stove. No scrubbing frying pans. Just crispy chicken parmesan in minutes.
- Delicious Italian flavors: The combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning brings the flavors in this dish to life.
If you love this air fryer chicken parmesan recipe, make sure to try a few more of our favorite Italian-restaurant-themed recipes like Air Fryer Calzones or Air Fryer Calamari.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Check your food while it cooks. You might need to cook your chicken longer, depending on the size and thickness of your chicken cutlets. Use a cooking thermometer to ensure your chicken reaches 165°F, or 74°C, before eating.
- Use a meat mallet to pound out the chicken cutlets. Make sure each chicken cutlet is about the same thickness so they cook evenly. The thinner they are, the quicker they’ll cook.
- Spray your breaded chicken with olive oil for extra crunchiness. You don’t have to use oil for this recipe, but if you’d like some extra crunch, this is a quick and easy solution.
- Try making your own marinara sauce. Take your chicken parm to the next level with this Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Chicken parmesan is typically served with spaghetti and marinara sauce, but you can also serve it with penne pasta or the pasta shape of your choice. You can even skip the pasta and make a delicious chicken parmesan sandwich.
This dish goes great with a classic Caesar salad as an appetizer and veggies as a side dish. Some of our favorite vegetable recipes are Air Fryer Eggplant and Air Fryer Squash and Zucchini—both fantastic side dishes for your Italian dinner.
How to Store Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Keep your air fryer chicken parmesan in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. The chicken breading will get a little bit soggy from the marinara sauce, but it will still be super tasty!
To reheat leftover air fryer chicken parmesan, place the chicken in the air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.
More Easy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Breast: This crispy and juicy fried chicken breast recipe is simple yet delicious. Serve with mashed potatoes and coleslaw for best results.
- Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu: With a creamy homemade Dijon sauce, a crispy fried exterior, and juicy, flavorful chicken wrapped in ham and cheese, this dish is sure to impress.
- Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks: These seasoned chicken legs come out of the air fryer with perfectly crispy skin. But the best part? This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know in the comments below! We love hearing from fellow home chefs and air fryer fans. Comment below, follow Air Fryer Eats on Instagram, pin this recipe to Pinterest, and join our Air Fryer Recipes Facebook group too.
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
- Air fryer
- 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
- Cut the chicken breasts into slices and pound them with a meat hammer until they’re an even thickness. 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.
- One by one, take the chicken breast cutlets and place them in the flour mixture. Flip to make sure all surfaces of the chicken are coated.
- Then, dip the flour-coated chicken the egg mixture, shaking off any excess.
- Finally, place the chicken cutlet in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs onto both sides of the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Air fry at 380°F (190°C) for 8 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over. Then, top the chicken with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Air fry for an additional 3-4 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Top with parsley before serving.
Notes
- The thinner your chicken breasts are, the faster they’ll cook. Make sure each piece of chicken is about the same size and thickness. (The chicken pieces used in these photos were about 6 ounces each.)
- Place your chicken in a single layer in your air fryer basket. You may need to cook the chicken breasts in two batches. Make sure your chicken pieces don’t overlap each other.
- Make this recipe gluten-free! Just swap out the flour and breadcrumbs for gluten-free versions to make this easy recipe work with your diet.
Nutrition Information
Frequently Asked Questions
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, for sure. But in about the same amount of time, you can cook raw chicken just as easily. It’s perfectly safe and super simple.
You can use chicken thighs if you’d like. Pound them into thin pieces, and make sure to remove any excess fat before breading them. Then, follow the rest of the recipe as directed.
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. Most air fryers typically heat up pretty quickly once they’re turned on.
We’ve updated this recipe!
We want our recipes to be as easy to follow as possible. That’s why we periodically update our recipes to share new tips and tricks and valuable information. But don’t worry, it’s still the same great air fryer chicken parmesan recipe you know and love.
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.