Fast Chicken Mayo Parmesan

Who knew chicken, mayo and parmesan cheese topped with some crispy bread crumbs could turn in to one of the easiest and most flavorful dinners out there? See how easy it is to have this family favorite on the table in under 30 minutes.

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Chicken gets boring and it can feel hard to find new ways to dress it up. But this chicken mayo parmesan is one recipe you’ll look forward to making. The chicken stays so juicy and tender and if you’re me, you’ll stand over the hot pan picking the toasty mayo-parmesan cheese mixture off the top.

This whole recipe comes together in about 10 minutes or less and bakes for 20 if you use breast meat. It can also be made ahead and tossed in the oven when you get home in the evening. Even if you have mayonnaise haters at home, they won’t mind this version.

Choosing the right mayonnaise

Depending on where you live in the country, the popular three mayo brands are all the same recipe (for the most part): Duke’s, Hellmann’s and Best Foods. From what I understand they are all re-labeled and basically identical in flavor though I know a few people who would hotly debate this.

But there are issues with this mayonnaise. Use what you want, but store bought mayonnaise is loaded with chemicals to make them shelf stable. These include sodium benzoate, BHA and EDTA. Plus they’re made with canola oil which is highly inflammatory.

There’s no reason that eggs and oil should be able to sit on a shelf unrefrigerated for a year. You should be concerned about that.

Of course I’m going to tell you to make your own. You can find my mayonnaise recipe here but I get it if you want to use a store bought brand. Chosen foods mayonnaise doesn’t have any synthetic preservatives.

Tips for the best baked mayonnaise chicken

As usual, I’m going to bark at you about the quality of your ingredients. What you use matters and how it effects your overall health is determined by the ingredients.

• Real parmesan cheese gives the best salty flavor. Parmiganno Regianno from the deli in a block is the real deal. The powdered parmesan in the green can isn’t going to be your best option.
• Choose a mayonnaise that’s either homemade with good ingredients or a store bought one that’s free from preservatives and canola oil. This is especially important if you are watching your inflammation levels.
• Use any bread crumbs you like. I make mine homemade from sourdough bread, but any gluten free or traditional version is fine.
• Make sure your Italian seasoning is fresh, and avoid using fresh herbs here because they will burn in the heat of the oven. You can add some at the end as a garnish if you’d like to.

Steps for making chicken mayo parmesan

Cut both breasts horizontally in to thinner cutlets. The chicken cooks faster and you don’t end up with huge thick breast meat at the end. Sprinkle with just a bit of salt and pepper. Remember your mayonnaise and your parmesan cheese will be salty so you just need a pinch on each breast.

Mix the mayonnaise and parmesan together in a medium bowl. Spread this mayonnaise mixture over the chicken breasts evenly.

Mix the bread crumbs and Italian seasoning and sprinkle over the mayonnaise. If you are using other spices like lemon pepper, that can be added to the mayonnaise or sprinkled on the chicken directly.

Bake until golden brown and cooked through–about 20 minutes for thin chicken breasts.

Make double sure to nibble all the golden brown cheesy bits that melt off the top of the chicken. That’s my favorite part!

Give the chicken a couple of minutes to cool down and rest before serving. It helps the mayonnaise layer not slide off the chicken when you slice it.

What about Miracle Whip? Can I use that?

Nope.

Tips for choosing great chicken

Have you ever gotten chicken at the grocery store only to cook it and discover it’s so tough you can’t cut it or it has an odd mushy texture? You can thank the chlorine bath dip that most conventional chicken goes through during processing for that.

Instead, look for chicken that’s air chilled at the very least and isn’t dipped in chlorine or injected with water. I’ve seen some boneless skinless breasts have up to 13% injected water in them!

We’ve always had good luck with Katie’s Best Chicken and there are new brands like Pasture Bird out there–but you’ll pay a hefty price.