Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

No ratings yet

This crispy chicken Parmesan recipe uses the air fryer and a heavy cream dip instead of an egg wash. The cream sets the panko coating so it stays on the chicken and shatters when you cut into it.

Prep Time20

Cook Time14

Total Time34

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 423kcal

Author: Louise

Equipment

Air Fryer
Two shallow breading containers
Oil mister or spray bottle
Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets about ½ inch thick and 4 to 6 ounces each; cut them yourself from a family pack or buy them already trimmed
1 teaspoon salt mixed with the black pepper below; you only need about 1 teaspoon of the mixture to coat both sides of all 6 cutlets
1 teaspoon black pepper mixed with the salt above in equal parts

Seasoned Panko Breading

1½ cups panko breadcrumbs plain, not seasoned; panko is what makes this crispy, so do not substitute flour or fine breadcrumbs
2 oz Parmesan cheese, coarsely shredded about ½ cup; the bagged shredded kind is perfectly fine, just avoid the fine powdery grate
½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoon dried basil

For Dipping

½ cup heavy cream milk and half-and-half will not work the same way here

For Cooking, Topping and Serving

oil spray for spritzing both sides of the breaded cutlets
1 cup marinara sauce, warmed homemade or your favorite jarred sauce; use about ¼ cup or less per cutlet and go light, closer to a tablespoon, to protect the crispy coating
6 slices fresh mozzarella cut about ½ inch thick from a log; use a whole slice or half a slice per cutlet. Shredded mozzarella works too
Parmesan cheese, shaved, for serving to taste
fresh basil leaves, for serving left whole or cut into a chiffonade
cooked angel hair pasta, for serving optional; any pasta you have on hand is perfectly fine

Instructions

Prep the chicken so each cutlet is about ½ inch thick and weighs between 4 and 6 ounces. You can cut them yourself from a family pack of chicken breasts or buy cutlets already trimmed, whichever you prefer. This amount of breading will coat 6 cutlets.
6 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
Mix 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper together in a small bowl. Broadcast the mixture lightly over one side of each cutlet, flip them, and repeat on the other side. You only need about 1 teaspoon of the mixture total, just enough to coat both sides. Set the chicken aside for 15 to 20 minutes so the salt can start to absorb.
1 tsp salt
While the chicken rests, make the seasoned panko breading. In a shallow container, combine 1½ cups of plain panko breadcrumbs, 2 ounces of coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon of fine grind sea salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1½ teaspoons of dried oregano, and 1½ teaspoons of dried basil. Mix everything together well.
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs, 2 oz Parmesan cheese, coarsely shredded, ½ tsp fine grind sea salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1½ tsp dried oregano, 1½ tsp dried basil
Pour ½ cup of heavy cream into a second shallow container. Set a wire rack on a sheet tray next to your two containers. Do not preheat the air fryer yet.
½ cup heavy cream
Lay a cutlet in the heavy cream and turn it so both sides have a light coat. Pick it up, let the extra cream drip off, and lay it into the breading mixture.
Spoon the breading over the top of the cutlet and press it into the chicken. Gently pick the cutlet up, turn it over, and pat the breading onto the other side. Do not use a bag and shake it; you want the breading pressed on, not sliding around. Lay the breaded cutlet on the wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Discard any leftover breading and cream. Both have been in contact with raw chicken, so they cannot be saved or used as a topping.
Spritz both sides of every breaded cutlet with oil. Do this whether you are cooking them now or freezing them for later.
oil spray
Let the breaded chicken sit on the rack for 10 minutes, and use that time to preheat the air fryer to 400℉/200℃ for a full 10 minutes. Preheat with the cooking surface you are going to use already inside. In the Ninja Foodi, use the reversible rack in the low position, which keeps the chicken away from the heating element so the breading stays put and the mozzarella does not touch the coil. Even if your air fryer has a preheat setting, time it for the full 10 minutes.
While the air fryer preheats, warm about 1 cup of marinara sauce in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat.
Place the breaded cutlets on the hot cooking surface in a single layer and close the lid. Cook at 400℉/200℃ and leave them alone for 5 to 7 minutes.
Open the air fryer and flip each cutlet using metal tipped tongs, sliding the tongs underneath one side so you knock off as little breading as possible. Close the lid and cook for about 4 more minutes.
With about 2 minutes left, top each cutlet with a light spoon of the warm marinara, closer to a tablespoon than a full ¼ cup, then lay a slice of fresh mozzarella over the sauce. Close the lid and finish cooking until the cheese is melted and stretchy. Total cook time runs somewhere between 10 and 14 minutes. The chicken will read about 162℉/72℃ when you pull it and will come up to 165℉/74℃ as it rests.
1 cup marinara sauce, warmed, 6 slices fresh mozzarella
Serve each cutlet as it is or over warmed angel hair pasta with a little extra marinara. Finish with shaved Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Parmesan cheese, shaved, for serving, fresh basil leaves, for serving, cooked angel hair pasta, for serving

Video

https://youtu.be/lK9Vf0pwvOQ

Notes

PREP TIPS
• Season the chicken before you bread them and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. That rest lets the salt start to absorb into the meat and it is hands-off time, so it is not counted in the total time above.
• After breading, the cutlets need to sit for 10 minutes before they go in. That rest is what sets the coating and dries the cream, which is why the breading stays on the chicken instead of coming off in the air fryer.
• Set a wire rack on a sheet tray before you start breading. Air moving underneath the cutlets helps everything set up and keeps the breading on the chicken.

COOKING TIPS
• Preheat to 400℉/200℃ for a full 10 minutes with the cooking surface already inside. A properly hot surface makes a real difference in both the crispiness and the breading staying on.

• Cook in a single layer and leave the chicken alone for the first 5 to 7 minutes before you flip.
• Metal tipped tongs knock off less breading than silicone. Slide them underneath one side and flip carefully.

BREADING TIPS
• Spoon the breading over the chicken and press it in rather than shaking the cutlets in a bag. Pressing is what makes the coating grab the chicken.
• A coarse shred on the Parmesan is what you want because the cheese is part of the breading. If you are grating it fresh, use the medium or coarse side of the grater, never the fine side.

• Finish under a broil setting or bump the temperature up for the last couple of minutes if you want the mozzarella browned rather than just melted and stretchy.

NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on typical ingredient values and standard portion sizes. Actual nutritional content may vary significantly depending on specific brands used, ingredient substitutions, preparation methods, portion sizes, and individual cooking techniques. For precise nutritional information tailored to your specific ingredients and preparation, please consult with a registered dietitian or use laboratory analysis. This information should not be used for medical nutrition therapy or to manage medical conditions without professional guidance.

Nutrition