Description
This air fryer Parmesan crusted chicken gives you a juicy center with a shatteringly crisp, golden Parmesan-panko coating in under 25 minutes. It’s weeknight-easy, kid-approved, and lighter than pan-frying.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lb / 680 g), halved horizontally into 4 cutlets
- 1 tsp kosher salt (6 g), divided
- ½ tsp black pepper (1 g)
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (45 g), fresh-grated
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs (60 g)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (3 g)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (2 g)
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30 g)
- Avocado or olive oil spray
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry. Pound thicker ends to an even ½ inch (1.25 cm). Season both sides with ½ tsp salt and pepper. Preheat air fryer to 400°F (205°C) for 3 minutes.
- In one shallow bowl, whisk flour with remaining ½ tsp salt. In a second, beat eggs. In a third, combine Parmesan, panko, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika.
- Dredge each cutlet in flour (shake excess), dip in egg, then press into the Parmesan-panko mix until fully coated. Lightly mist both sides with oil spray.
- Arrange cutlets in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Air fry at 400°F (205°C) for 6 minutes. Flip, mist again, and cook 6–8 minutes more until coating is golden and internal temp is 165°F (74°C).
- Rest 2–3 minutes so the crust sets. Serve with lemon wedges and optional parsley.
Notes
For gluten-free, use GF panko and 1:1 GF flour. For dairy-free, sub Parmesan with 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast + ½ tsp extra salt. Avoid overcrowding the air fryer for maximum crisp.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cutlet
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 44g
- Cholesterol: 170mg
Keywords: air fryer, chicken, parmesan, crusted, gluten-free, dairy-free