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Melt In Your Mouth Chicken

Melt in your mouth chicken with a golden, puffy Parmesan-mayo crust and juicy interior baked at 375°F. This easy baked chicken recipe coats tender chicken breasts in a smooth herb-flecked topping that turns bubbly and crackly.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sauce & topping
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.75 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 0.25 Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Garnish
  • 1 Fresh parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Make sure the oven is fully heated before baking for the right crust texture.
  2. Season the chicken breasts lightly with salt and cracked black pepper, then place them in the prepared dish. Arrange them with space between so they bake evenly.
  3. Mix together mayonnaise, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and lemon juice until smooth. Stir until the mixture looks creamy and uniform with no dry Parmesan clumps.
Bake
  1. Spread the Parmesan mayonnaise mixture generously over the top of each chicken breast, covering completely. Press lightly so the topping adheres and bakes into a puffy layer.
  2. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden and bubbly and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Look for visible bubbling and a browned, set crust.
Serve
  1. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately. The crust is best right after baking while it stays crackly.

Notes

For extra-even baking, choose chicken breasts that are similar in thickness; if needed, pound to a uniform thickness before seasoning. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat at 350°F until warmed through (the crust may soften slightly). Freezing is not recommended because the mayo-Parmesan crust texture changes after thawing. For a lower-fat option, use light mayonnaise while keeping the Parmesan amount the same.