You've never had oven baked chicken breast like this before. Super crunchy, crispy, juicy, full of flavor, and EASY to make, this is a MUST try recipe, and one of those fabulously easy chicken breast recipes with few ingredients.
You may or may not already know that I can be something of ... a recipe snob. My recipes do not involve things like "Ranch Packets", Italian Salad Dressing marinades, or crumbled taco-flavored tortilla chips.
I like to make food full of ingredients I can pronounce, and I will go ahead and tell you that although this holds true for this recipe, something about it does feel a little like those recipes I avoid because it's just so EASY. Like I must be cheating or something.
But I also want to tell you about something else.
About those days when you've worked way too many hours, come home well after dark to an inbox full of unanswered blog emails, and the only thing in the fridge is chicken breast that you decided three days earlier while planning your meals for the week would be something fabulous and gourmet, but now you just want to order Kung Pao Tofu from the local Chinese delivery place and hope you don't fall asleep before the delivery guy gets to your house.
Starting with the basics
In lieu of eating something that would just make me feel worse, I decided to make one of my favorite hectic weeknight dinners: basic chicken breast with cous cous and green beans. Oh, except we're out of olive oil.
In 8 years of home ownership we have run out of toilet paper three times, but this was the first time we'd EVER run out of olive oil. Olive oil is apparently more standard in my house than toilet paper. And we were out.
Frantic to make boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a way one can only be if exhausted and hangry, I desperately hunted for an easy cooking alternative. Out of cooking oil. Out of butter. Out of eggs.
"Yeah, this is going to happen" -- Mayonnaise
Then I saw it. Sitting there in its blue-lidded jar, staring back at me from the back of the fridge, previously forgotten, the mayonnaise seemed to be looking at me, mocking me, like, "Yeah, this is going to happen." And so the Shame Chicken was born.
Everyone loves panko
I know that's not the blog title of this recipe, but in my house, this "Oven Baked Chicken Breast" is lovingly called Shame Chicken.
See, I am not an eater of mayonnaise.
I don't want it on a sandwich. I don't want it in my food.
There are a few exceptions, of course ( anything egg related and pimento cheese), but mayo is definitely not in our regular ingredient rotation.
Neither, really, is breading. Nor "Cajun Seasoning". I don't even know why I had it in my pantry, but I threw it in the breading because I'd already put my last teaspoon of garlic powder in but wanted a bit more flavor.
If you want to make this chicken for a certain cuisine, sub the cajun seasoning for something cuisine-specific ( like more garlic, chili powder, yellow curry, fine herbs, you name it! )
Hands down, this is the BEST way to cook crispy chicken breasts in the oven
So, the Shame Chicken. A recipe using a method I feel the innate need to dislike, with ingredients I don't even want to admit are in my kitchen, but a DIVINE crunchy texture, juicy meat, and effortless cooking method that all result in me making this recipe at least once a week every week since we made it that first time.
I made a video of how to make Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Breast!
So just once, suspend the horror of a recipe that involves "Coating with mayonnaise" and give this one a try. I promise, you won't be let down. I'd LOVE to hear what you think of it in the comments!
Also, if you love the items I used in this post, you can check them out here, and I receive a very small kickback ( at no extra cost to you ), if you buy something:
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Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken ( around 1.2 lbs )
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning Optional, but delicious
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup panko
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Use a spatula to cover all sides of the chicken breasts with a light coating of mayonnaise.
- Make the panko with the paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning.
- Dredge the mayonnaise coated chicken in the panko mix, pressing the panko mix into the chicken.
- Spray baking pan with cooking spray and place the coated chicken in the pan. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray.
- Bake for 25 min. Serve.
Can you taste the mayo on them???
No, after cooking you can’t taste the mayo. Mayo, at least the real stuff, is predominately made of oils and egg— same as what you’d use to traditionally dredge or coat the chicken with if you were to pan fry it. It works great.
What is the temperature of the chicken supposed to be when it's finished?
How do you get the chicken from draining so much water?
Delicious. Been looking for a recipe that’s easy. Chicken breasts are tasty and tender. Love the idea of adding grated cheese. This will now be my ‘go to’ recipe.
Excellent recipe!! So easy and fast! I did make a little mistake that ended up being very good! I accidentally mixed all the seasonings in the mayo. didn't realize my mistake until it was too late so I spread it on anyway. I then mixed grated Parmesan cheese in with the Panko and it was delicious!