Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries

Crispy Parmesan and panko crusted zucchini fries with chipotle dipping sauce. Super easy to make in the oven or air fryer.

When my husband and I got married last September we set up a registry (as you do). I wanted an air fryer, he wanted an espresso machine. We compromised and got neither. Luckily my mom has a knack for remembering my one-off quips of kitchen-need and guess what I got for my birthday this year…

You got it dude…I’m the proud (read: ridiculously excited), owner of an air fryer – a Power Air Fryer XL, to be exact (see below). This may be the first appliance for which I actually read the Owner’s Manual. I didn’t want to screw up my chance to impress my husband with my air frying finesse. And you know what got him?

These crispy, delicious Parmesan Zucchini Fries.

This is a great alternative to sauteed or grilled zucchini (our go-to with squash). And there’s truly a zero-guilt factor involved because these are crisped up by AIR. Boom. Sold. Hook, line, sinker. If you don’t have an Air Fryer (what are you waiting for?!?!), you can bake these in the oven as well.

I’m excited to share this recipe with you. It’s fast, healthy and with the air fryer and some dredging tricks (coming up), almost mess free. I used a three step dredging process: flour, egg, panko.

Here’s my no-mess dredging process:

1. Set up your stations. Place flour in a large plastic, Ziploc bag. Whisk egg in a deep bowl. Mix panko with spices and Parmesan in a shallow dish.
2. Add zucchini slices to the flour bag, separating pieces by hand. Zip back up and shake to coat.
3. Knock excess flour off of zucchini batons and drop into egg. Coat evenly.
4. One by one, remove zucchini from the egg wash, letting excess egg remain in the bowl, and add in batches to the panko mixture.
5. Once fully coated, lay in a single layer on a plate. At this point, you can refrigerate zucchini to let the coating set or play directly (in batches) into the air fryer!

Using an Oven Instead of an Air Fryer

No air fryer? No problem. You can easily make this recipe in a conventional oven. Too bake, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place a roasting rack on a baking tray. Lay zucchini fries in a single layer and bake 15-20 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown and crispy.

This chipotle dipping sauce is perfect for these fries. I use Chipotle Tabasco but any chipotle hot sauce will work. Chipotle dipping sauce is creamy and just spicy enough to contrast well with the crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside zucchini fries.

Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 TBSP+ Chipotle hot sauce

1 tsp cold water

Combine and your done!

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