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This Healthy Chicken Parmesan is breaded with a delicious panko and parmesan mixture and seasoned with garlic and Italian seasoning. It is air-fried until golden and crispy then topped with tomato sauce and melty cheese. You can make it in about 10 minutes and it is a healthy dinner recipe that the whole family will love!
This is a healthier Chicken Parmesan recipe that you will want to make over and over again. It takes less than 10 minutes to make it and it comes out super crispy, crunchy, and packed with flavor!
It’s an easy chicken recipe that has become one of my go-to meals! I love that it tastes just like traditional chicken parmesan without all of the oil and frying.
And you will get perfectly cooked, crispy chicken every time! You could also make the chicken into thinner, crispier chicken cutlets. That has a wonderfully golden, crispy crust that is also great for topping with sauce and melted cheese.
What is really great about this recipe is that it is a delicious, Italian-style, quick, and simple dinner you can make and have on the table for your family in no time at all. Plus kids love it too!
Check out this Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan for a meat-free version of this recipe!
Or this gluten free chicken parmesan for the oven version.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It takes 10 minutes to make it!
- Easy healthy dinner you can make any day of the week.
- Kid-friendly!
- Easily made gluten-free.
- Only requires a few simple ingredients.
- It is packed with crispy goodness and lots of flavors.
- Tastes like traditional chicken Parmesan minus all of the oil and frying.
Ingredients you will need
- Chicken breast – boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- Breadcrumbs – any breadcrumbs will work! I like to use seasoned panko and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs that help the breading stick to the chicken.
- Parmesan cheese – just grated or shredded parmesan cheese.
- Seasoning – garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper
- Tomato sauce – any kind of tomato-based sauce. I used homemade but your favorite store-bought brand will work fine as well.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – for topping the chicken parmesan.
How to make healthy chicken parmesan
*Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of recipe ingredients, instructions, and nutrition.
- Coat the chicken. Dip each chicken cutlet into the egg, then dip it in the breadcrumbs mixture, pressing the breading into the chicken as you dredge it.
- Cook the chicken parmesan. Place the coated chicken cutlets into a preheated air fryer and cook them at 390° F for 5 minutes per side. Top with sauce and cheese and cook for 2 more minutes to melt the cheese. Per the recipe card below.
- Serve. Top with more shredded parmesan cheese and some chopped basil or parsley. Serve warm with a side salad or on top of your favorite pasta.
How long should you cook chicken in the air fryer?
Chicken cooking times will vary based on the air fryer you are using as well as the size of your chicken breasts. Here are some recommended cooking times for chicken cutlets in the air fryer.
- 4-5 ounce chicken breast cutlets will take about 9-11 minutes to fully cook.
- 5-6 ounce chicken breast cutlets will take about 10-12 minutes to fully cook.
- 6-7 ounce chicken breast cutlets will take 11-13 minutes to fully cook.
Note: Chicken should be cooked until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Recipe Tips
- Use good quality organic boneless chicken breast for the best version of this recipe.
- To slice the chicken breasts into cutlets, press down on the chicken breast lightly with one hand and use your dominant hand to slice through the chicken from one end to the other using a sharp kitchen knife and slice it open like a book. Then slice it down the middle to separate the two halves. Follow this method to cut both pieces of chicken, giving you 4 chicken cutlets. Pound the chicken cutlets out if needed to ensure they are even all around. You can also use store-bought chicken cutlets.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- To make this chicken recipe even more crispy add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the breadcrumb mixture and mix it in with your hands pressing it into the breadcrumbs to make the coating nice and crunchy.
- Kick up the flavor a bit and use this Simple Homemade San Marzano Tomato Sauce.
- Adjust the cooking times based on the thickness of your chicken cutlets. The cutlets I used were about ¾ of an inch in thickness and took about 5 minutes on each side to cook all the way through. This will ensure you get a super crispy outer layer with a nice juicy, tender inside.
Make ahead tips
To make this recipe ahead of time, coat the chicken, place it onto a clean plate and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before cooking it in the air fryer.
Can you make this chicken recipe in the oven?
You can easily make this recipe in the oven if you do not have an air fryer. To make it in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Coat the chicken as instructed in this recipe and spray it well with cooking spray.
Place the coated chicken onto the baking sheet and bake it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side. Top with sauce and cheese, then increase the oven temperature to broil and cook for 2 minutes to melt the cheese. Yummy!
Ways to serve healthy chicken parmesan
I love to serve this recipe with a side salad for a healthy dinner idea or light lunch. Here are a few other favorite recipes that pair great with this incredible chicken.
- Serve it with these Butternut Squash Noodles, this Lemon and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, or this Easy Kale Salad With Lemon.
- Enjoy it with some Oven Roasted Broccoli or this Easy Sautéed Spinach With Garlic.
- Have it on top of some Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash or these crazy good creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- To store: This chicken parmesan stores great in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just make sure to let it cool completely before storing it.
- To reheat: easily reheat portions in the microwave or in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes or until warmed through.
More healthy chicken recipes
- 15-Minute Crispy Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Breast
- Rainbow Chicken Pad Thai
- Easy Juicy Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken breast
- Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan
- Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Cutlets
Did you try this healthy chicken parmesan recipe? If you do then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
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Crispy Healthy Chicken Parmesan – Air Fryer Recipe
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
This healthier and lighter chicken parmesan is the perfect go-to easy meal! It comes out wonderfully crispy, golden, and juicy every time and it only takes minutes to make it thanks to the air fryer!
Ingredients
- 2 (6 oz) chicken breasts – cut into cutlets (see recipe tips in the post on how to cut them) or you can use store-bought cutlets.
- 2 cups seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2–3 large eggs
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped basil and parsley for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 390° F.
- Set up a dredging station – in a shallow bowl combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Then crack and whisk the eggs with some salt and pepper in a separate shallow bowl.
- Coat the chicken – dry the chicken with a clean paper towel. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, shaking off any excess, then coat it in the breadcrumbs mixture, pressing the breading into the chicken as you coat it. Place the coated chicken onto a clean plate. Continue until you have coated all of the chicken.
- Cook the chicken – spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray. Lay the chicken cutlets into the air fryer in a single layer so that none of them are touching. Spray the chicken with olive oil spray and cook it for 5 minutes. Then flip each piece of chicken over and spray with more cooking spray and cook for 5 more minutes. Note: make sure to use non-aerosol cooking spray.
- Add the sauce and cheese – open the air fryer and carefully spread some of the sauce over the top of each piece of chicken and top each with some shredded mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan. Cook the chicken for 2 more minutes to allow the cheese to get nice and melty.
- Serve – remove the chicken parmesan from the air fryer and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then serve it with a spinach salad or your favorite pasta.
Notes
- You can store this chicken parmesan in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Easily reheat it right in the air fryer at 350 degrees F until it is warmed through.
- Make sure to use even-size chicken cutlets for even cooking times.
- Chicken cooking times – 4-ounce chicken breasts will take about 9-10 minutes, 5-ounce chicken breasts will take around 10-12 minutes, and 6-ounce chicken breasts will take 11-13 minutes to fully cook. Note: chicken should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: healthy dinner ideas
- Method: Air-Fryer
- Cuisine: italian
Literally my new favorite air fryer recipe 😱
This came out PERFECT
This was so good and crispy. It was just like fried chicken lol but not
My wife made this for us and it was very good
A great recipe for the air fryer!! I’ve been looking for a good chicken recipe for the air fryer!
Really good my kids liked this. I am going to use the panko for more now.
Awesome! Perfect go to air fryer recipe!
Gave it four stars instead of five because it’s unnecessarily greasy with the olive oil. I’ve made basically the same thing for the past 25 years using fat free Italian dressing to dip it in. It’s delicious and a lot lower fat that way.
Gave it four stars instead of five because it’s unnecessarily greasy with the olive oil. I’ve made basically the same thing for the past 25 years using fat free Italian dressing to dip it in. It’s delicious and a lot lower fat that way.
Hi Macy, Thank you for your comment. The olive oil in this recipe is actually optional so you don’t need to use it at all and the chicken will still come out very juicy. Although, I am going to try your idea with the Italian dressing, it sounds delicious!
I wish these recipes could have the opportunity to share so I could save them for another day !
Hi Rosanne, I am working on adding a recipe box to me site. In the meantime, you can save any recipes to a Pinterest board. Just click the “pin it” button in the recipe card and you can save any recipe to the board of your choice.
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SOOO good!! Wish I had made more!!! Will be a staple in our house now that the weather is cooling down.
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Great recipe! We had it over spaghetti squash and it was light but still so satisfying.
Hi Kaitlyn, I am so glad you liked it! Love the idea of serving it over spaghetti squash.
I absolutely love this recipe and have made it many times. Do you know if you can freeze it? I’d love to make it for meal prep in my freezer.
Hi Cynthia, I am so glad you liked it! I have never tried to freeze chicken Parmesan since cheese usually doesn’t freeze well, but I believe it would work if you froze the cooked, breaded chicken and then added the cheese later once you defrost and reheat it in the air fryer.
I am so impressed by this recipe! I made some modifications, namely reducing panko breadcrumbs to 1 cup, and used shaved parmesan that I then rough chopped. I really like how that ratio and texture came out. I also used chicken breasts and sliced them in half width-wise so I think my chicken was much thicker than the chicken in the recipe (each piece was between 6-8 oz before dredging) but they came out perfectly using the recipe’s cook times. This recipe is such a good hack for an entree that is normally super heavy and calorie dense. It is definitely getting added into the regular dinner rotation at my house!
Thank you so much Britt! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I thought this was going to be hard to put together, but it was simple enough for a so-so cook! Very very good! I’m so happy there’s leftovers for tomorrow.
Thank you Janell! I am so glad you liked it!