Known as Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chicken, Mayo Parmesan Chicken is oven-baked, skinless boneless chicken breasts coated with garlic, Parmesan, mayonnaise, and a sprinkle of Panko bread crumbs. A fast and easy-to-make recipe that's crunchy, moist, and tender baked mayo chicken breasts for a perfect weeknight dinner.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken breasts
Mayonnaise
Parmesan cheese
Italian Panko bread crumbs
Pantry ingredients—seasoning salt, garlic powder, black pepper
Jump To (scroll for more)
Featured comment from Katherine:
"Five-stars. This recipe has been a go-to since you first posted it. Comes out melt-in-your-mouth perfect every time!"
You can never have too many great chicken recipes; this one has everything. It's extraordinarily moist, has a great taste of Parmesan, and a slight crunchiness. Plus, it has a skill level of 2/10. Anybody can handle this easy dinner recipe.
Sometimes called "melt-in-your-mouth" chicken, this baked garlic Parmesan chicken is perfect for a healthy low-calorie. And since it is a lightly breaded, it is also a great low-carb chicken recipe.
👨🍳How to Make Mayo Parmesan Chicken
Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° for a regular oven. Trim and pat dry skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin it to ¾ inch with a meat mallet.
Mix mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded or grated preferred), seasoning salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Prepare a cooking sheet with aluminum foil (to help clean up) and a rack (not required).
Dry the chicken with paper towels. Dip the chicken in the mayonnaise Parmesan mixture.
Lightly sprinkle with some Italian bread crumbs on both sides.
Bake until an internal temp of 165°—about 40 minutes. At 20 minutes into baking, flip the breasts with a fork.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
Baked Chicken Recipes
Check out some of my favorite chicken breast recipes, like How to Bake Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven, Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts, and Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast.
🐓Ingredients options and variations
Chicken options
This recipe uses skinless boneless chicken breasts. You can use skinless chicken thighs, chicken cutlets, or tenders, but the cooking time varies.
TIPS: Try to use breasts of about the same size and thin if over ¾ inches thick. For other forms of chicken, cook to 180° for thighs for tenderness, but 165° for other chicken.
Mayonnaise options
Use good quality since cheaper versions may be more watery and not stick as well.
Other possible bases for the coating are Miracle Whip®️, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or even cream cheese. People worry about the mayonnaise taste, but even the "mayo haters" love it in this recipe—see the comments.
TIP: DO NOT apply the mayo layer too thick. It will lead to the coating not sticking well and "melting" off. A light coat only, please.
Cheese options
Parmesan cheese is the most commonly recommended cheese. Other cheeses like Ramono, cheddar, or Asiago may be used.
TIP: Grated cheese is usually used, but I prefer shredded cheese for added texture.
Bread crumb options
Panko-type bread crumbs will add some crunch. I prefer the Italian spiced bread crumbs, but use what you want.
TIP: Keep the bread crumbs light. You are not making "Panko chicken."
Seasoning options
Seasoning salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, but modify to your taste.
↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size " recipe
The recipe is now set for two chicken breasts. But this is a very easy recipe to scale to any size. Make it for one, two, or a crowd.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to the number of breasts you are cooking.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- Cooking instructions remain the same.
🍴Serving
Serve with rice, potatoes, or noodles as a starch—hot vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, or asparagus. A side salad and some crusty bread will round out a complete meal.
Check out these recipes for ideas: Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan, Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes, and Easy Yeast Dinner Rolls.
👨🍳How to get the coating to stick better
- Nothing sticks well to wet chicken, so dry the chicken before coating.
- The mayonnaise needs to be of good quality. Cheap mayo will have more liquid.
- The mayonnaise coating must be thin—too heavy of a coat will melt off the chicken.
- If the chicken is still partly frozen, it will release fluid, and the coat will fall off.
- Never pick up coated or breaded meat with tongs—it will rip off the coating.
❄️How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 4 days refrigerated or 4 months frozen, but the crunchiness will suffer.
Reheat in a convection oven or an air fryer for best results.
❓FAQs and Tips
I'm adding a suggested flip of the chicken halfway through the cooking. Some (not me nor many others) have problems with a soggy bottom.
A couple of possibilities occur to me. First, previously frozen chicken or older chicken can release more fluid. Also, too much or thinner mayo could contribute. Or nothing they did.
Either way, the flip should help those cases and won't hurt. Use a fork for the flip. Tongs may remove some coating.
You can cook directly on PAM-covered foil, but it will have a soggy bottom. A rack will help prevent this.
I love cooking my chicken on a rack. You really need to get a rack. For a few dollars, you will become a much better cook. But get one that is "oven-safe." Some racks are cooling racks only and have a coating.
If your local store does not have them, Amazon will. I list a few in Cooking for Two Shop, but others will work.
If you have time, brining it will make the chicken more moist and tender.
The ratio for a brine is 2 cups of water and one tablespoon of table salt. Some people will add some brown sugar equal to the salt. Remember that all salt is not identical, and 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
As little as 15 minutes makes a big difference. But you can brine for up to 2 hours if you want. This is a "heavy brine" in the amount of salt and matches the Cooks Illustrated suggestions. You may see longer brine times suggested, but please limit it to 2 hours maximum.
If you brine, be sure to wash off the salt gently. Also, instead of seasoning salt, use paprika in the coating.
Food safety
Raw chicken and other poultry should be considered contaminated and handled with care. Wash your hands carefully before and after touching raw chicken.
We do NOT wash raw chicken routinely due to water splatter. See Chicken... To Rinse or Not To Rinse? for more information.
You must cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165° for safety—see the USDA for more information. You need to check this with an instant-read thermometer.
Most recipes (including this one) include estimated cooking times. These are provided for planning purposes. You can not cook safely by time—you must use a thermometer.
📖 Recipe
Mayo Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts trimmed
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - grated - fresh preferred
- ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt - Lawry’s
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup Italian Panko bread crumbs - Very light coat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° for a regular oven. Trim and pat dry 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin it to ¾ inch with a meat mallet.
- Mix ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded or grated preferred), ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Lawry's), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Prepare a cooking sheet with aluminum foil (to help clean up) and a rack. The rack will help crispness all around. You can do without the rack, but the bottom will not be crispy. Give the rack a good spray of PAM. If you don't have a rack, they can go directly on PAM sprayed foil.
- Dry the chicken with paper towels. Dip the chicken in the mayonnaise Parmesan mixture. Be sure to get all surfaces coated. Finger use is allowed, but wash well before and after. Note: keep the coating light.
- Lightly sprinkle with some Italian bread crumbs on both sides. You are not coating them but just adding some crispy flavor—about ¼ cup for two breasts.
- Bake until an internal temp of 165°. This will vary by oven but mainly by the size of the chicken. At 20 minutes into baking, flip the breasts with a fork. The total cooking time of about 40 minutes for medium to large. 45 minutes for huge. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Want to save this recipe for later?
Get the recipe link via email to comeback later.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Try to use chicken of about the same size. If over ¾ inch thick, flatten it out a bit with a meat mallet.
- Be sure to pat dry the chicken. Very dry. The coating will stick better.
- Keep the coating light and bread crumbs light. You may not need all the coating.
- I added a flip in the middle of the recipes. Some appear to need it. Use a fork, please. Not mandatory.
- Miracle Whip, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or even cream cheese may be used.
- Obviously, an easy recipe to adjust.
- Common problems: Not drying enough, too much coating, too many bread crumbs, cheap mayonnaise, previously frozen chicken will release more fluid.
- Be sure to cook to the final internal temperature of 165°. Or cook to 180° if using chicken thighs for tenderness.
- Storage for 4 days refrigerated or 4 months frozen, but the crunchiness will suffer.
- Reheat leftovers in a convection oven or air fryer.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
The "inspired by" for today goes to Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breast at Food.com.
Editor's Note: Originally published December 12, 2012, it has been buried on the blog for a while and needs to see the light of day. The pictures are re-edited. The text is rewritten and buffed up.
Shell says
Tried this first time not the greatest but good you have to flip the chicken even on a rack unless you want crispy on top and dog on the bottom
Shelby says
Question. I have some chicken breast fillets in my freezer, would I be able to use that to make this chicken? Please advise! Sounds delicious :)
DrDan says
Hi Shelby,
Welcome to the blog.
It somewhat depends on exactly what you have. To me, chicken breast filets are a thinner piece of a skinless boneless chicken breast that is cut to have a more even thickness. More of a cutlet. If the chicken is too thin, it will get over cooked rapidly before the crust is done.
So my guess is not a good choice.
Dan
samantha says
Hi shelby, I have made this recipe with thinner chicken breasts and it was great. Adjust the cooking time and no need to flip. I cook mine in a glass baking dish for about 20-25 minutes and spread the mayo mixture on just the top of the chicken.
DrDan says
Hi Samantha,
Welcome to the blog.
Thanks for the report and suggestion for another cooking method.
Dan
Joni says
My family loves this chicken and my husband is picky. For the rest of us I finely chop a couple of artichoke hearts. Yummy and easy.
Cynthia Fabros says
I used this recipe before about a year or so ago. My family loved it then. I made it again today and my family still loved it!! I didn't measure everything out exactly as it said but it still turned out great!! Not soggy at all.
Judy says
Hi, tried the chicken, delicious. The next time I made it I put 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese in the mayonnaise, loved it
KE says
Your other recipes have been great, but this one was a disaster. Coating mostly fell off during cooking, and the end result was completely tasteless, rubbery, inedible chicken. Although it did do a nice job of smoking /stinking up the house! One clunker in the bunch doesn't detract from all the other good recipes....
Ryan says
I feel like when 9 out of 10 comments on a recipe are about how good it turns out and how great it tastes, you can't really blame the recipe. When someone runs a red light at an intersection, you don't assume it's the car that (deleted).
kimberlee says
Very very good and flavorful . I followed the directions , I did skip the flip though and it was fine (Did use a rack) . Terrific recipe! Thank you for posting .
Lylene M says
Hubby gives two thumbs up... says he feels like he’s eating a fine restaurant meal. I’ve broiled fish with a similar topping, but I really love these flavors. Thanks!
NYGrufus says
Will this recipe work with thin sliced chicken breast? If so, how should I adjust the cooking time?
Thank you
DrDan says
Hummmm...
I don't think so. Before the coating cooks, the chicken will probably be way over cooked. I have done this relatively small chicken breast (8 oz) but they were not extra thin. They only took about 35 minutes (going on memory here).
Dan
S. Yamada says
Yes, it does work with thin breast meat. In fact, I pounded the chicken breasts to obtain a more uniform thickness. I also used a rack to eliminate the need to flip the chicken during the cooking process. To ensure moist chicken, you can also brine the meat for 30-45 minutes prior to baking it. 1/2 inch thickness required about 30 minutes baking time, but I gauged doneness by internal temperature (165 F).
Alisha Moore says
Yum, this Parmesan Baked Chicken Breast is so good! I couldn’t use the Italian bread crumbs. This is very simple but a great change from plain baked chicken and you are is the best. So super easy and authentic tasting. No need to look no more, my search is over. Thank you so much for a faultless recipe!
https://simplydesigning.porch.com/bbq-chicken/
Jen says
Anyone try this with sour cream? Currently out of mayo and really would like to try the recipe.
DrDan says
Hi Jen,
Welcome to the blog.
I have my doubts that sour cream would work well but you could try. If you do, please report back
Dan
Deb says
This was a big hit for me and my husband. I tried it because I have used a similar topping in the past on cod and salmon to rave reviews. This was very simple but a great change from plain baked chicken. Thanks!
DrDan says
Hi Deb,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love this recipe. But I do love simple and tasty.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Alice Herring says
Cooked tonight minus the bread crumbs and was well received. Any thoughts on how to get it crispier? Higher temperature?
DrDan says
Hi Alice,
Welcome to the blog.
It is not going to crisp without the bread crumbs. That is why they are there. If you increase the temperature, the outside probably will burn before the inside reaches a safe 165 degrees.
If you are against the bread crumbs, you could add some more parmesan on top or other cheese but I'm not sure how that would go.
Dan
Mar says
Delicious my husband loves it while he was eating this tasty chicken he couldn’t stop talking about how moist and flavorful it was and if I could add this to our favorites list thanks for this wonderful recipe
DrDan says
Hi Mar,
Welcome to the blog. Glad it worked well for you.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Pamela Taylor says
Dr. Dan, your version of this recipe is by far the best. I've been using it for a couple of years now. I'll try the flip next time, but really haven't had much of a problem. Thanks for all the great recipes and the doggie pictures! Keep 'em coming.
DrDan says
Hi Pamela,
Molly and Lilly say thanks.
I rarely will change a recipe but always will note it and why. I don't feel the flip hurts unless you knock off coating with tongs (Having done that...). Enough commenters were having the same issue and this should fix that.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Heatlover1717 says
Wonderful! I've been looking at this type of recipe from different sources - so glad to see your version and can't wait to try it!
cheryl says
I'll try yours soon. Here's one I've made many times.
Chicken Dijon Pronto for 2 people
Ingredients
¼ cup dry, herb-seasoned breadcrumbs or Panko, adding thyme
¼ cup lightly packed grated parmesan cheese
1/12 c. melted butter
1 garlic cloves minced, and grated lemon zest
⅙ c. Dijon mustard
¾ Tbsp. white wine
2 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
Preparation Steps
1. Combine crumbs, cheese, garlic and butter on large piece of foil or dish. In another dish combine wine and mustard. Coat the chicken in mustard mixture, then dip the rounded side of each breast in the crumb mixture. Set crumb side up slightly apart in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake in 450 degree oven about 20 minutes, or until top is golden and chicken done through.
2. 1/4 recipe: (1/4) cup dry, herb-seasoned breadcrumbs or Panko, adding thyme (1/4)cup lightly packed grated parmesan cheese (2T) c. melted butter (2) garlic cloves minced, and grated lemon zest (3T) c. Dijon mustard (2 tsp) Tbsp. white wine (2) boned, skinned chicken breast halves