Chicken parmi with an air-fried crumb and a big salad
50 min · 62 g protein · 545 cals / serving
The pub classic at home: thin chicken schnitzels in a parmesan crumb, crisped in the air fryer instead of a deep fryer, then topped with ham, napoli sauce and bubbling mozzarella. It comes with a big, sharp salad where the chips usually sit.
Ingredients
- 2 large (800 g) chicken breast
- 3/4 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the salad
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Crumb
- 1 egg
- 55 g breadcrumbs, panko if you have it
- 20 g grated parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- a few sprays cooking spray
Topping
- 4 thin slices deli ham
- 320 g marinara sauce, napoli or passata-based pasta sauce
- 100 g mozzarella cheese, grated
Big salad
- 1 large romaine lettuce, chopped
- 250 g grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 cucumbers, Lebanese, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
To serve
- a few leaves fresh basil
Steps
- Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 thin schnitzels. Lay them between two sheets of baking paper and flatten with a rolling pin to an even 1 cm thickness, so they cook through before the crumb burns. Season both sides with the salt and pepper.
- Beat the egg with a splash of water in a shallow dish. In a second dish mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, oregano and garlic powder. Dip each schnitzel in egg, let the excess drip off, then press firmly into the crumb on both sides.
- Heat the air fryer to 390°F. Spray the schnitzels well on both sides with oil and air-fry in batches, 10–12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and 165°F in the thickest part. (No air fryer: bake on a rack over a tray at 430°F fan-forced for 18–20 minutes.)
- Top each schnitzel with a slice of ham, a few spoonfuls of napoli sauce and the mozzarella. Return to the air fryer for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese melts and blisters.
- While the cheese melts, whisk the balsamic, olive oil, mustard and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, then toss in the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum and onion. Serve each parmi with a quarter of the salad and a few basil leaves.
Good to know
Why flatten the chicken?
A whole breast is thick in the middle and thin at the ends, so by the time the center is cooked the crumb is dark and the edges are dry. An even 1 cm schnitzel cooks in the time it takes the crumb to turn golden.
Ham or no ham?
Pubs argue about it. The ham adds a salty, smoky layer and a little extra protein; leave it off for the plain version and nothing else changes; it's about the same score.
Can I still have chips?
Of course. A handful of air-fried potato wedges beside the salad is a good compromise; the parmi itself is the same either way.
Per
- Calories
- 99
- Protein
- (47%)
- 11 g
- Fat
- (31%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (22%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 247 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2180 kcal goes into the pot and 2453 g of ingredients comes out as about 2210 g of food: 99 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.