Incredibly delicious with common on-hand ingredients, this Mayonnaise Parmesan Chicken is a real crowd-pleaser that will melt in your mouth.
Say goodbye to boring, bland, and dry baked chicken. Mayo parmesan chicken is so moist that even picky kids will devour it. This just might be your new favorite chicken recipe with easy prep and great taste.
Chicken mayo parmesan just might be the easiest and downright most flavorful chicken recipe you could ever make. It’s a great, no-fail, easy recipe that every new cook can master the first time.
Why do you put mayo on chicken?
The short answer is to keep it moist.
Chicken breasts are a lean white meat that tends to dry out very quickly. The oil and egg in mayonnaise get absorbed into the chicken, keeping it succulent.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken breasts — this recipe calls for pounds of boneless skinless breasts, but you can easily adapt this for more or less servings.
- Grated parmesan cheese — fresh grated, pre-shredded, or even granulated (the stuff in the green can) all work perfectly for this recipe.
- Mayonnaise — use your favorite brand. We used Best Foods (Hellman’s).
- Seasonings — salt, garlic powder, celery seeds, and ground black pepper.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One — Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat the chicken dry using paper towels and place them in a baking pan, baking sheet, or similar. Using a fork, poke each breast 4 to 5 times. Sprinkle the seasonings over the chicken then gently press them into the meat.
Step Two — Coat each breast with the mayo. You can use a basting (or pastry) brush, spatula, spoon, or whatever works best for you.
Step Three — Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the mayo on each chicken breast.
Step Four — Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer indicates the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Once done and golden brown, remove them from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Variations and Tips
Mayo parmesan chicken is a delicious recipe as is, but everyone loves playing with flavor.
- Extra crunch — mix 1/4 cup of bread crumbs (or Italian bread crumbs), or panko crumbs with the parmesan cheese.
- Seasonings — this is the easiest way to play with flavor. Herbs: thyme, dill, parsley, and rosemary. Spices: paprika, lemon pepper, cajun blend, Italian seasoning blend. The possibilities are endless; use your favorites. Dried works best, but fresh are wonderful as a garnish. Buoy the garlic flavor by swapping the garlic powder for granulated garlic.
- Cheeses — use finely grated cheese of choice: cheddar, pepper jack, Swiss, and more.
- Lighten up — plain or plain Greek yogurt can be partially or wholly substituted for the mayo. Yogurt will give it a slight tangy taste.
- Easy clean up — line the baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper before placing the chicken in the pan.
- Even cooking — if the top part of the chicken is much thicker than the bottom half, gently use a meat mallet to thin it out. Place wax or parchment paper between the chicken before pounding the chicken breasts evenly.
How to serve:
We don’t expect you to eat this parmesan crusted chicken all on its own (although we won’t judge you if you do), here are some of our favorite things to serve with it.
- Fresh vegetables like green beans, steamed broccoli, a green salad, baked onions, or sautéed spinach.
- This is wonderful served over mashed potatoes, or with rice pilaf. Even our decadent Noodles Romanoff would be great.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Though, you will need to cook bone-in chicken for about 20 minutes longer.
Yes! I have tested this recipe with miracle whip and it’s AMAZING. Though miracle whip is a touch sweet, if you do not like miracle whip, then you will not like miracle whip chicken.
Letting the meat rest before serving (i.e. cutting) allows its juices to settle. If you cut meat too quickly from the oven, the juices will escape causing the meat to lose moisture and dry out.
If you make the basic recipe with just chicken, mayo, and parmesan, with gluten free seasonings, then yes it is. If you incorporate bread crumbs, then it will not be gluten free.
Store any leftovers of this mayonnaise parmesan chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Yes! Though you won’t get browned chicken, you can make definitely make this in the crockpot! Cook on HIGH For 3.5 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
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Mayonnaise Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. chicken breasts 4-5 chicken breasts
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. celery seeds
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup fresh finely shredded parmesan cheese (though you can use kraft grated parmesan)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350° degrees F.
- Unpack the chicken breasts and place them in a 9 x 13 bake dish.
- Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- With a fork, poke each breast 4 to 5 times.
- Sprinkle the seasonings (salt, garlic powder, celery seeds, and ground pepper) on the chicken. Gently press down so it sticks to the chicken.
- Brush the mayonnaise on the chicken. Coat all chicken breasts.
- Evenly sprinkle the parmesan on the chicken.
- Place in a preheated oven and cook for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165° degrees F, take them out of the oven.
- Let them cool for a few minutes.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
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