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Short-Order Kitchen

Chicken Parmesan Bowl

By Wes Ellis1 min read
Breaded chicken parmesan with melted cheese and tomato sauce beside a nest of pasta, parmesan wedges behind it.
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
5 minutes
Cook
10 minutes
Method
Air fryer
Heat
380°F air fryer
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 4 of the thread Bowls, salads and wraps

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Air fry about 3 oz of frozen breaded nuggets at 380°F for 8 minutes.
  • Cottage cheese plus pasta sauce makes a creamy, high-protein base.
  • Two short microwave rounds: 90 seconds, then 30 to 45 to melt the mozzarella.
  • Eat it fresh. The nuggets soften fast.
THE RECIPE · CHICKEN PARMESAN BOWL

Ingredients

You'll need

  • Air fryer
  • Microwave-safe bowl
  • Knife

Directions

  1. Air fry the nuggets at 380°F for about 8 minutes (or follow the package) until hot and crispy.
  2. While they cook, stir the cottage cheese and pasta sauce together in a microwave-safe bowl.
  3. Cut the nuggets into bite-size chunks and stir them into the sauce.
  4. Microwave for about 90 seconds, until the cottage cheese is hot and starting to melt.
  5. Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt to taste.
  6. Top with the mozzarella and microwave 30 to 45 seconds more, just until it's melted and bubbly.
  7. Sprinkle with Parmesan and eat it hot.
Notes Leftovers keep a day or two in the fridge, but the breading goes soft. Reheat gently in the microwave. Roughly 360 calories and 41 g protein per bowl, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/chicken-parmesan-bowl/

Real chicken parm means pounding, breading, frying, baking, and a sink full of dishes. This is the weeknight shortcut: store-bought nuggets from the freezer, a jar of sauce, and a tub of cottage cheese. It lands surprisingly close.

Why cottage cheese

Stirred into warm marinara, cottage cheese melts into something that tastes a lot like the ricotta layer in a baked pasta. It turns plain sauce creamy and adds a big chunk of protein without anyone at the table spotting it. If the curds bother you, blend it smooth first.

Heads up

Microwave it in short rounds. Cottage cheese can split and turn grainy if you blast it for three minutes straight. Ninety seconds, stir, then the cheese.

Keep the crunch

The nuggets are the whole point, so cut them in big pieces and stir them in at the last minute. Small crumbs disappear into the sauce. Big chunks keep a little crispy edge on top, especially once the mozzarella melts over them.

If you'd rather make the breaded chicken yourself, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders work here just as well. When you're cooking for a crowd instead of one, the Chicken Parmesan Casserole scales the same flavors up to a baking dish.

Tip

A pinch of red pepper flakes in the sauce doesn't hurt.

LINKED FROM2 notes

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