Give Chicken Parmesan A Spicy Kick With One Saucy Swap

When it comes to dinners that check all the boxes, chicken Parm — including adjacent dishes, such as a cheesy chicken Parm spaghetti bake — is at the top of the list. It looks and feels fancy enough to serve to guests, but with a warm, indulgent flavor that places it firmly in a category where sophistication and comfort food overlap. It's no wonder, then, that chicken Parm is beginning to get something of a spicy makeover — there's nothing Americans love more than fusing one classic comfort food flavor profile with another.

In this case, the happy marriage is between the aforementioned chicken Parm and spicy Buffalo wings. The crisp, breaded chicken base remains as-is, but marinara is replaced with buttery, zesty Buffalo sauce while the expected blanket of melty mozzarella is mingled with tangy crumbled blue cheese before its stint under the broiler. Whether your weeknight dinners have begun to feel monotonous, or you're simply looking for a new take on your favorite air fryer chicken Parmesan to liven up a dinner party, this may be exactly the upgrade you're looking for.

Other than the swapped ingredients, the biggest difference between Buffalo chicken Parm and the traditional marinara-draped version is how much sauce you use. Classically, the rule is the more marinara the better, but this isn't the case with Buffalo sauce. A drizzle to start is best; you don't want its piquancy to overwhelm the rest of the dish, or literally make your dinner too hot to handle.

If you're serving a crowd, or simply don't know how spicy you like your meal, it's best to serve the Buffalo sauce on the side, in a warm dish. Serving it warm not only helps keep your chicken from cooling too quickly, but also enhances the overall flavor of the Buffalo sauce by helping its nuances stand out. Meanwhile, leaving the sauce off the chicken lets everyone customize their meal's spice level, and prevents the sauce from soaking the breading and making it soggy.

Though mozz is still often used in the Buffalo-style variation because it melts beautifully, you can add another layer of intense flavor by tossing your blue cheese together with something else. Smoked mozzarella is a great option because it evokes the feeling of eating beautifully charred hot wings. However, you can also use smoked Gouda for a bacon-and-blue flavor combo; aged white cheddar for some additional funky goodness; or provolone to add a little tanginess without overshadowing the other flavors.

Something else to think about are the sides that go with this dish, such as nutty, roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled with hot honey, broccolini tossed in Parmesan cheese and sauteed in lemon-infused olive oil, or roasted asparagus dressed in a fruit-forward vinaigrette. In terms of carby sides, tossing pasta or tortellini with one of the aforementioned veg would be both sophisticated and tasty, though opting for roasted potatoes would also be divine.