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Chicken Parmesan coated with an Italian seasoned parmesan cheese breading, then air fried to perfection. It’s a low calorie alternative that still is packed with flavor and just as crispy as its oil loaded sibling!

PREP:

15 mins

TOTAL:

SERVES:

4

JUMP TO RECIPE

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan coated with an Italian seasoned parmesan cheese breading, then air fried to perfection. It’s a low calorie alternative that still is packed with flavor and just as crispy as its oil loaded sibling! 

[This post is sponsored by Calphalon. All opinions are my own]

One of my childhood favorite Italian meals is chicken parmesan (otherwise known as chicken parmigiana). 

My mother would frequently make this the following dinner after making a batch of spaghetti and always filled the house with all sorts of lovely smells.

She was all about contraptions in the house, but growing up air fryers weren’t a thing. Getting my love for kitchen devices from my mother, I  know she would have loved trying out her chicken parmesan recipe in the air fryer as much as I do!

Tips to successfully air fry chicken parmesan

Air frying a recipe that involves a breading can be somewhat intimidating. Is it going to be messy? Will it work? Will it even come out like frying in oil? 

And a breaded chicken recipe like chicken parmesan is a perfect gateway into air frying breaded food. 

Here’s some tips to make this a successful air frying experience.

Keep the dredge fairly dry: Unlike a recipe like fish and chips, we’re not using a batter. A battered food (unless previously frozen) will not work in an air fryer. 

Using a breading consisting of panko or breadcrumbs will always give you a successfully air fried product!

Spritz a little oil: Just because we’re airfrying doesn’t mean we have to be oil-less. Yes, it seems counterintuitive, but giving a light spritz from a can of cooking oil makes a whole world of difference when air frying. 

It’s just enough to help along the browning process of the outside of your air fryer chicken parmesan, without the guilt of your food bathing in oil. 

Flip halfway through: Give both sides of your chicken some love. This will make sure that air flow and heat has evenly distributed across both sides of your chicken parmigiano. It also gives you an opportunity to spritz the other side with a little oil to get a beautiful crisp throughout.

Best Air Fryer for Chicken Parmesan

While any airfryer will do for any recipe, I’m quite fond of multi-function equipment that will allow me to use it for more than just Air Frying. 

And when making a traditional chicken parmesan, you first need to fry the chicken, then toss it in the oven and broil it. 

That’s what I love about my Calphalon Performance French Door Air Fry Toaster Oven. It has 11 precision cooking functions including air frying and broiling. 

While counter top multifunction ovens are dime a dozen, where calphalon really knocks it out of the park? Its french door design. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to awkwardly pull the air frying basket out of my old air fryer, because the pull down door isn’t flush with the counter top. 

This french door design not only looks beautiful, but the function of it is a game changer! With the pull of one hand, both doors open and I can easily get to my chicken parmesan!

Sponsorship aside, I REALLY love this product and can’t recommend it enough. Click the link here to check it out on Amazon. 

How to make Air Fryer Chicken with Marinara

1. Prepare the chicken: Butterfly and pound chicken to about ½ inch thickness with a meat pounder. Season with salt and Italian seasoning. 
2. Dredge the Chicken: Dredge the chicken in flour, then egg wash, and finally in a breadcrumb mixture that has Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese in it. 
3. Air Fry: Set in the air fryer basket, spritz with oil, then air fry at 400F for about 5-7 minutes per side. 
4. Make a quick marinara: Sauté onions and garlic in a pan, stir in tomato puree, fresh oregano and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer on low. 
5. Broil: When the chicken is down air frying, set the Calphalon Performance French Door Air Fry Toaster Oven set to broil. Place chicken in the baking sheet and top with marinara and fresh mozzarella. Broil until the cheese gets bubbly and brown. 

And if you’re stressing over the timing of the marinara, feel free to make it before starting with the chicken and let it cook over low heat until you’re ready to use it! 

What to serve with Chicken Parmesan

My go to side for chicken parm is always pasta. It’s simple and easy. 

But if you’re looking to up your side game, here are some easy side ideas to serve alongside this air fryer chicken parmesan recipe. All of these will work perfecting in a Calphalon Performance French Door Air Fry Oven: 

• Parmesan Roasted Broccolini – spritz with a little oil, and top broccolini with some fresh parm. Add red chili flakes and roast for 5 minutes
• Garlic Brussel Sprouts – Toss halved brussel sprouts in oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper then toss them in your air fryer until browned. 
• Smashed Potatoes – Boil baby potatoes until soft. Place on a baking sheet and smash with a fork. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and parmesan. Roast until nice and crisp 
• Polenta Fries – Cut polenta into fries and spritz with oil. Season with salt and pepper (maybe some Italian seasoning) and air fry until crisp. 

This is a great recipe to get the family excited about air frying. The final product comes out identical to traditionally fried chicken parmesan, and the flavor is all there  and so good. 

And getting my kids excited about a meal that hasn’t been bathed in oil is a plus too!

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan with Marinara Recipe

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: air fryer

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Chicken Parmesan coated with an Italian seasoned parmesan cheese breading, then air fried to perfection. It’s a low calorie alternative that still is packed with flavor and just as crispy as its oil loaded sibling!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINARA:

• 1/4 cup yellow onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 16 oz tomato puree
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN PARMESAN:

• 2 chicken breast
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup panko
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 8 slices fresh mozzarella

Instructions

FOR THE MARINARA:

• Saute onions and garlic in a pan over low heat with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook until onions become translucent and aromatic.
• Pour in Tomato puree. Season with salt pepper and fresh oregano and basil. Stir and let simmer on low heat until ready to serve.

FOR THE CHICKEN PARMESAN

• Butterfly your chicken then cover with plastic wrap and pound chicken to about ½ inch thickness with a meat pounder. Season with salt and Italian seasoning.
• Dredge the chicken in flour, then egg wash, and finally in a breadcrumb mixture that has Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese in it.
• Set in the air fryer basket, spritz with oil. Air fry at 400F for about 5-7 minutes per side, spritzing with oil when flipping.
• Remove chicken from the air fryer and place on a baking sheet. Top with marinara and fresh mozzarella.
• Broil for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. Serve and enjoy!