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    🏠Home » Recipes » Chicken Breast Recipes

    Mayo Parmesan Chicken AKA Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

    Oct 14, 2021 | Last Updated Apr 9, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.26 from 601 votes

    You can't have enough great chicken recipes, and this quick and easy recipe uses only a few ingredients and goes in the oven in about 10 minutes. Also known as Melt in Your Mouth Chicken (MIYM), it makes a moist and delicious easy dinner.

    Parmesan Baked Chicken Breast on a fork

    Table of Contents
    • 🐓What Is Melt in Your Mouth Chicken?
    • 🐓Ingredients for Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
    • 👨‍🍳How To Cook Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
    • ❓FAQs
    • Food Safety Tips
    • ❄️Storage
    • 📖Chicken Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    This recipe 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.

    This is a baked chicken recipe using an easy, tasty coating.  The "inspired by" for today goes to Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breast at Food.com.

    While it is a top-rate recipe, I thought it needed a little crunch and some other small touches. But otherwise, a wonderful recipe.

    The recipe starts with a base of some mayonnaise. Add some Parmesan and seasoning. Then coat some well-trimmed skinless boneless chicken breasts.

    To add crunch, sprinkle all sides with some Italian bread crumbs. Bake and you're in chicken heaven.

    My Rating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    The wife started chanting 5 and then changed Christmas dinner to this. I think she liked it. And so did I.

    🐓What Is Melt in Your Mouth Chicken?

    Melt in your mouth chicken has become an internet classic and is generally made with skinless boneless chicken breast coated with spiced mayonnaise and some parmesan cheese.

    Substitutes are allowed, and I add a touch of bread crumbs for some crunch.

    🐓Ingredients for Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

    Chicken

    This recipe uses skinless boneless chicken breasts, which have "grown" in my lifetime. Once upon a time, we were talking 6-8 oz. Now mostly about 10-12 oz and occasionally a full pound.

    Try to pick chicken that is all about the same size. The results overall will be better since they will cook more evenly. If you are cooking more than two, the larger breast should be to the outside of the pan.

    If the chicken is thicker than ¾ inch, flatten some with a meat mallet.

    Mayonnaise

    A good quality mayonnaise is an excellent choice, and you may use a lower fat version. People worry about the taste, but even the "mayo haters" love it in this recipe—see the comments.

    Miracle Whip will work nicely but will add a bit of a different taste.

    Other possible bases for the coating are Greek yogurt, sour cream, or even cream cheese.

    Some cheaper mayonnaise or another base will have more fluid and may not stick well. Also, applying it too thick will lead to the coating not sticking well.

    Cheese

    Parmesan cheese is the most commonly recommended cheese—usually grated, but I prefer shredded.

    Other cheeses like cheddar or Asiago can be used.

    Bread Crumbs

    Panko-type bread crumbs will add some crunch. I prefer the Italian spiced bread crumbs but use what you want.

    It is always tempting to add more of something you like. I like Panko breadcrumbs. But a LIGHT sprinkle. If you do more, you will have a "Panko Chicken," so let's be careful.

    Seasoning

    Seasoning salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, but modify to your taste.

    👨‍🍳How To Cook Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

    1. Preheat oven
    2. Trim and pat dry 3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin to ¾ inch thick with a meat mallet.
    3. Mix mayonnaise, Parmesan and other ingredients for topping.
    4. Prepare cooking sheet with foil and a rack.
    5. Dry the chicken with paper towels and cover the chicken with a light coating of the topping.
    6. Give the chicken a light sprinkle of Panko bread crumbs.
    7. Bake for about 45 minutes until internal temperature is 165° but filp gentley with a fork at 20 minutes.

    ❓FAQs

    Do I need a rack?

    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.

    Should I brine the chicken?

    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 gently wash off the salt. Also, instead of seasoning salt, use paprika in the coating.

    Do I need to flip the chicken during cooking?

    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.

    How to get the coating to stick better?

    Nothing sticks well to wet chicken, so be sure to dry the chicken before coating.

    The mayonnaise needs to be of good quality. Cheap mayo will have more liquid.

    The mayonnaise coating needs to be thin—too heavy will just melt off the chicken.

    If the chicken is still partly frozen, it will release fluid.

    Never pick up a coated or breaded meat with tongs—it will rip off the coating.

    Food Safety Tips

    Chicken should not be rinsed for food safety. It will splatter germs over your kitchen. For more details, please see Chicken… To Rinse or Not To Rinse?

    ❄️Storage

    Storage for 3-4 days refrigerated or 3-4 months frozen, but the crunchiness will suffer.

    📖Chicken Recipes

    Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts

    How to Bake Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven

    Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Italian Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    chicken breast with mayo and seasoning

    Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° regular oven. Trim and pat dry 3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin to ¾ inch thick with a meat mallet.

    mixing mayo with Parmesan and spices in white bowl

    Mix in a medium bowl ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded or grated preferred), ¾ teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Lawry's), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

    spary rack on tray and foil with pam

    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.

    coating a chicken breast with mayo mixture

    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 be sure to wash well after. Note: keep the coating light.

    a light coat of bread crumbs on chicken breasts on a rack

    Lightly sprinkle with some Italian bread crumbs on both sides. You are not coating them but just adding some crispy and flavor—about ½ cup for four breasts.

    Melt in your mouth chicken on a white plate

    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.

    mayo Paarmesan Chicken on a white plate
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    📖Recipe

    bite of mayo parmesan chicken on a fork

    Mayo Parmesan Chicken AKA Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    You can't have enough great chicken recipes, and this quick and easy recipe uses only a few ingredients and goes in the oven in about 10 minutes. Also known as Melt in Your Mouth Chicken (MIYM), it makes a moist and delicious easy dinner.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.26 from 601 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts trimmed
    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - grated - fresh preferred
    • ¾ teaspoon seasoning salt - Lawry’s
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ cup Italian Panko bread crumbs - Very light coat

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° regular oven. Trim and pat dry 3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin to ¾ inch thick with a meat mallet.
      chicken breast with mayo and seasoning
    • Mix in a medium bowl ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded or grated preferred), ¾ teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Lawry's), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
      mixing mayo with Parmesan and spices in white bowl
    • 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.
      spary rack on tray and foil with pam
    • 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 be sure to wash well after. Note: keep the coating light.
      coating a chicken breast with mayo mixture
    • Lightly sprinkle with some Italian bread crumbs on both sides. You are not coating them but just adding some crispy and flavor—about ½ cup for four breasts
      a light coat of bread crumbs on chicken breasts on a rack
    • Bake until an internal temp of 165°. This will vary by oven but mostly by the size of the chicken. At 20 minutes into baking, flip the breasts with a fork.
      Melt in your mouth chicken on a white plate
    • 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.
      mayo Paarmesan Chicken on a white plate
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Try to use chicken of about the same size. If over ¾ inch thick, flatten it out a bit with a meat mallet.
    2. Be sure to pat dry the chicken. Very dry. The coating will stick better.
    3. Keep the coating light and bread crumbs light. You may not need all the coating.
    4. I added a flip in the middle of the recipes. Some appear to need it. Use a fork, please. Not mandatory.
    5. Miracle Whip, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or even cream cheese can be used.
    6. Obviously, an easy recipe to adjust.
    7. Common problems: Not drying enough, too much coating, too many bread crumbs, cheap mayonnaise, previously frozen chicken will release more fluid.
    8. Be sure to cook to the final internal temperature of 165°.
    9. Storage for 3-4 days refrigerated or 3-4 months frozen but the crunchiness will suffer.

    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

    Calories : 260 kcal (13%) | Carbohydrates : 10 g (3%) | Protein : 28 g (56%) | Fat : 11 g (17%) | Saturated Fat : 3 g (15%) | Cholesterol : 81 mg (27%) | Sodium : 631 mg (26%) | Potassium : 441 mg (13%) | Fiber : 1 g (4%) | Sugar : 2 g (2%) | Vitamin A : 122 IU (2%) | Vitamin C : 2 mg (2%) | Calcium : 98 mg (10%) | Iron : 1 mg (6%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : American

    © 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.

    Editors Note: Originally Published December 12, 2012, It has been buried on the blog for a while and needed to see the light of day. The pictures are re-edited. The text is re-written and buffed up.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathleen

      March 06, 2022 at 7:15 pm

      Exactly...it was awful. Not one person in my family enjoyed it at all
      Was hoping for a good chicken recipe as we eat a lot of it. Won't be making this one again 😣

      Reply
    2. Darlene

      March 05, 2022 at 1:30 pm

      4 stars
      I tried this last night and I was sad. The coating came off at the flip. Then when I went to serve, the coating that was now on the bottom also came off. Naked chicken. Sad. It was still pretty moist, just no coating. I scraped some of the coating off the bottom of the pan/foil/rack and placed it on top to serve. The coating was delicious! I used a well-oiled rack, Hellmans Mayo, fresh chicken carefully dried, and fresh grated parm. The coating was too thick to "dip" so I had to spread it on. I will make this again, use foil, and put the coating only on the top with no flip.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 05, 2022 at 1:37 pm

        Hi Darlene,

        Welcome to the blog. Sorry you had a problem.

        A few hints on getting the coating to stick. Most important is dry meat. Nothing sticks well to wet chicken. If the chicken was previously frozen then be sure it is totally thawed—if not it will release fluid.

        The coating layer needs to be light. You should be able to see the chicken through it. Lastly, use a good quality real mayo.

        Hope that helps.

        Dan

    3. Katherine Kelley

      January 17, 2022 at 11:41 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe has been a go-to since you first posted it. Comes out melt-in-your-mouth perfect every time!

      Reply
    4. regina

      January 03, 2022 at 11:13 pm

      5 stars
      Made this recipe tonight, my two teens and husband and myself all loved it. Thank you! The tips you gave were really helpful. We used breast tenders and cooked for about 20-25 min.

      Reply
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