Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

 

 

I had taken a chicken breast out of the freezer to cook for my tea today and was looking for something different to do with it.  I got an e-mail from the people at Delish which had a link in it to 60 Summer Chicken Recipes you can enjoy all year round.

I thought to myself, how providential!  This must be meant to be.  I bookmarked quite a few of them actually but this one for Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan really caught my eye!

I am always looking for ways to use my air fryer!  I don't believe in having kitchen appliances that you don't use. That is a huge waste in my opinion.  I don't use my air fryer near often enough so when I saw this recipe I was immediately inspired to make it.

I love Chicken Parmesan. There is something about that crispy cheesy bread crumb coating on tender juicy pieces of chicken slathered in sauce and cheese that speaks to my Italian food loving heart.

 

It is often really messy to make however, especially with the frying.  And its not the healthiest either.  

This recipe promised to not only be a lot less messy to make, but quite a bit healthier as well, with no frying involved. It also looked to be a heck of a lot easier!

And it used only one chicken breast as well. I just had to give it a go!!

 

The most difficult part perhaps was slicing the chicken breast in half horizontally through the middle. My chicken breast was a bit frozen still, so that made it a lot easier.  

Setting up a breading station also makes things easier.  This is something I learned to do in Culinary school.  

I set up all of my ingredients in three separate bowls, laying next to each other with a plate at the end to hold the coated chicken while I continue to coat subsequent pieces. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as they say!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AIR FRYER CHICKEN PARMESAN

The quantities given are for two servings.  If you would like to feed more you can just double them, or check out the full size recipe on the Delish page.

• 1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 cup (60g) panko bread crumbs
• 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup (65g) grated Mozzarella cheese
• chopped parsley to serve

 

I think my chicken breast was about 6 ounces (170g) in weight, so not overly large, but 3 ounces is quite a nice portion of chicken per person without going overboard. I buy the free from Chicken breasts which are free from antibiotics.

I also only use free range eggs. You have to pick your battles and that is one of mine. I only buy and use free range eggs. In fact there is a person who has free range eggs for sale right around the corner from me. They are only $5 a dozen, which is not bad for good quality, fresh free range eggs.

 

Use a good quality of marinara sauce.  One which is thick and rich in flavor.  I used Classico Sweet Basil sauce.  Its quite nice.  You won't need a lot of it, but you can freeze what you don't use. I like to freeze it in 1 cup portions in air tight plastic containers.

True confession, I used Kraft Italian Cheese blend to top my Chicken Parmesan with. I did not have any straight mozzarella. It worked fine and was very tasty!

 

The air fryer I have is  a Kuraidori multifunctional digital air fryer.  I got mine at Home Hardware and it works very well.  It also has a rotisserie function.

My sister cooks her tater tots and chips in the air fryer all the time.  She has the same model as I have.  We both love ours. It comes with a large basket and two smaller baskets.  I used one of the smaller baskets today. 

No need to spray the basket with non stick spray.  You can damage the non stick surface of your air fryer by doing that.  I have never had anything stick.  Well, cheese maybe, but that's all.

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER CHICKEN PARMESAN

Nothing could be simpler. Set up your breading station and everything will run smooth as smooth can be.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut your chicken in half lengthwise all the way through the center to create two thinner chicken fillets. Season on both sides with some salt and black pepper.

Set up a breading station. In one shallow bowl place the flour as well as a hefty pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Beside it place another shallow bowl and beat the egg in it with a fork to blend. Place a third shallow bowl beside this one and into that one whisk together the bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic powder. 

Have a clean plate ready.

 

Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it first in the flour to coat, then into the beaten egg to coat and then finally into the bread crumb mixture gently pressing the crumbs so that they adhere to the chicken. Place onto the clean plate and repeat with the other piece of chicken.

Arrange the chicken in an air fryer basket in one single layer leaving space between each piece.

Air fry at 400*F/200*C for 5 minutes. Carefully flip over and air fry for 400*F/200*C for a further 5 minutes.

Remove the basket and top each piece of chicken with half of the marinara sauce and then half of the cheese. Slide3 back into the air fryer and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes at 400*F/200*C until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

My chicken was tender and juicy and the crumb coating nice and crisp.  Both were very well flavored.  The sauce and cheese were perfectly heated through and melted in the given times.

I chose to serve mine with some pasta. Spaghetti which I tossed with a bit of butter, some seasoning a TBS or so of grated Parmesan cheese and some chopped parsley.  The whole thing was quite delicious!

Quick, easy, healthy, delicious, this air fryer chicken parmesan recipe was what I would call a winner, winner chicken dinner!

Here are some other air fryer recipes that I have cooked in The English Kitchen that you might also enjoy:

AIR FRYER FRENCH BREAD PIZZA (FROM SCRATCH) -  This is no frozen pizza. You use freshly cut French bread and all natural ingredients to make these delicious pizzas. Delicious, sized for two people and on the table in about 10 minutes. A salad on the side and dinner is served! You can't go wrong!

AIR FRYER TWICE BAKED POTATOES - These make a lovely side dish in the summer when the temperatures soar. You can have a delicious side dish that everyone will enjoy without heating up the oven and your kitchen in the process!  Simple to make and delicious!

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 13 MinTotal time: 23 Min

Crispy coated, well flavored, tender and juicy pieces of chicken, topped with marinara sauce and cheese. This Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan is much healthier than the traditional version, is very simple to put together, less messy to make and cook, and is incredibly delicious! I will never make it the normal way again!

Ingredients

• 1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 cup (60g) panko bread crumbs
• 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup (65g) grated Mozzarella cheese
• chopped parsley to serve

Instructions

1. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut your chicken in half lengthwise all the way through the center to create two thinner chicken fillets. Season on both sides with some salt and black pepper.
2. Set up a breading station. In one shallow bowl place the flour as well as a hefty pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Beside it place another shallow bowl and beat the egg in it with a fork to blend. Place a third shallow bowl beside this one and into that one whisk together the bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic powder.
3. Have a clean plate ready.
4. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it first in the flour to coat, then into the beaten egg to coat and then finally into the bread crumb mixture gently pressing the crumbs so that they adhere to the chicken. Place onto the clean plate and repeat with the other piece of chicken.
5. Arrange the chicken in an air fryer basket in one single layer leaving space between each piece.
6. Air fry at 400*F/200*C for 5 minutes. Carefully flip over and air fry for 400*F/200*C for a further 5 minutes.
7. Remove the basket and top each piece of chicken with half of the marinara sauce and then half of the cheese. Slide3 back into the air fryer and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes at 400*F/200*C until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.
8. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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