Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

• Chicken - As in all chicken breast recipes, use boneless skinless breasts or even thighs. If using thighs, then you can skip the slicing.
• Egg – Eggs are a viscous liquid when raw and then turn to solid when cooked, thus ensuring the breadcrumbs stay intact.
• All purpose flour – It adds a layer of stickiness to the wet batter, helping the crumbs latch on to it.
• Panko breadcrumbs – The extra crisp Japanese style bread crumbs gives a light and major crunch factor.
• Parmesan – As in all parmesan cheese recipes, parmesan gives a wonderful salty, nutty flavor.
• Marinara sauce - Go for any marinara sauce that you love. It's rich, deep flavor adds a layer of complex texture.
• Cheese - Mozzarella's unique elasticity, it's water content produces the unparalleled stretchability, without being greasy. Use shredded, sliced or fresh mozzarella cheese. I like to stay away from pre-shredded packages, because it doesn't melt as smooth.

1.Mix together panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish.

2. Whisk together eggs, all purpose flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in another shallow dish. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to get 4 cutlets. Working with piece at a time, dip both sides in the egg batter.

Tip: Pat dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels, to remove all excess moisture. As the breaded cutlet cooks, the surface moisture turns to steam, forcing the breading to seperate from the meat, as it cooks. Even a tiny bit of moisture, the breading will peel off in the final cutlets.

3. Remove it, letting excess batter drip away and then dredge both sides in the prepared breadcrumbs, pressing well to adhere.

Pro tip: The parmesan-breadcrumbs serves as an insulator, preventing the cutlets from overcooking and also the light Japanese style panko, increases overall surface area with it's craggly flakes.

5. Place breaded cutlets in a pre heated 380 degree air fryer and cook for about 8 minutes.

Tip: Don't overcrowd your basket. Place in a single layer, two cutlets at a time. and leave a little space around for the air to circulate, so the breading can brown evenly, without steaming.

6. Open basket, spread marinara sauce on top and then top with shredded mozzarella cheese and continue cooking for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, to melt cheese.

Storage and reheating

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

1. Reheat from the refrigerator – Simply microwave air fryer chicken parmesan for couple of minutes to quickly re heat (the breading won't get crispy). If you'd like to revive the crispy coating, re heat in the air fryer for 5 minutes or bake at 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.
2. Reheat from the freezer – To freeze, place them in an airtight container and for up to a month. Microwave for few minutes to quickly re heat (the breading will be soft). However, to revive the crispy coating, Re heat them in the air fryer for 10 to 15 minutes or bake at 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Helpful tips

• Dredge well – Using hands or tongs, make sure to press bread crumb mixture well on the chicken cutlet to help it adhere well and give a thicker coating.
• Make it gluten free – Use gluten free flour and gluten free Panko bread crumbs.
• Panko breadcrumbs – If you don’t have panko, then feel free to use plain or Italian bread crumbs.
• Parmesan – Use finely shredded parmesan cheese so it will the same size and texture as the panko flakes. If you are using pre-shredded then process it in a mini food processor for a few seconds before using.