Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Tender but crispy air fryer parmesan crusted chicken is fast, easy, and full of flavor, with juicy chicken cutlets coated in mayo and a mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Ready to eat in as little as 20 minutes!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- A lot of breaded or crusted chicken dishes use an egg to coat the meat and help the breading stick. With this air fryer parmesan crusted chicken, though, we use mayo instead. Mayo actually makes the chicken extra juicy and way more tender than egg. You’ll love it! And don’t worry if you’re not a big mayo fan – you really won’t notice the flavor under the breadcrumb coating!
- It’s quick and so easy! It only takes about 15-20 minutes to air fry 4 parmesan crusted chicken cutlets. I don’t know about you, but that’s faster than I can place a DoorDash order or even get out of my neighborhood to pick up dinner.
Chef’s Tips
- Make sure all the chicken cutlets are roughly the same size and especially the same thickness. Pound them equally thin with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or the bottom of a skillet if you need to! If they vary wildly in size or thickness then some cutlets will take longer to cook than others, and you risk over- or under-cooking them.
- Speaking of over- and under-cooking: use a meat thermometer! Don’t just go by the cooking times listed. They all behave differently, so you may need more time (or less) with your air fryer than I needed with mine. Use a meat thermometer and take the parmesan crusted chicken out of the air fryer once the internal temp of the cutlets reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
- Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving. That 5 minutes allows the juices within the meat to redistribute, making each bite nice and juicy. The chicken will also cook a little more during that time, coming up to the food-safe 165° target.
More Must-Try Chicken Recipes
- Tangerine Chicken
- Chicken Ranchero
- Mustard Fried Chicken
- Chicken Savoy
- Blackened Chicken Sandwich
- Ground Chicken Soup
Equipment
- air fryer
- 2 large, shallow bowls
- mixing spoon
- tongs
- neutral cooking spray (must be safe for air fryers)
- internal meat thermometer
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 medium chicken cutlets (approximately 6 ounces each)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Add ½ cup mayonnaise to one shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Add ¾ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, lots of salt, and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper to second shallow bowl. Stir ingredients together until well blended. Set aside.
- Working one by one, dredge chicken cutlet in mayonnaise, covering both sides of cutlet completely.
- Once cutlet is coated in mayonnaise, place cutlet in bowl of breadcrumb mixture. Flip cutlet 3 to 4 times, coating all sides of cutlet completely. Repeat until all 4 medium chicken cutlets have been completely coated in mayonnaise and breadcrumbs.
- Lightly spray air fryer basket with neutral cooking spray. Place breaded chicken cutlets in air fryer basket, making sure cutlets do not overlap.
- Place basket in preheated air fryer. Air fry cutlets 7 to 8 minutes, then carefully flip chicken cutlets over. Air fry cutlets 5 to 7 additional minutes or until internal temperature of cutlets reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
- Once target temperature is reached, carefully remove chicken cutlets from air fryer and set aside to rest 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, internal temperature of chicken should be 165° Fahrenheit. Place chicken with desired sides and serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken: Use 4 thin, similarly-sized chicken cutlets, or cut 2 large chicken breasts in half horizontally, creating 4 thin-cut cutlets.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover chicken in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer until chicken is warmed through.
Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
