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!Â
[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).Â
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!
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.
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.Â
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.Â
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!
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:Â
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!