Mayo-Panko Crusted Chicken

It is Tuesday afternoon, 5pm after work and I'm staring at a defrosted bag of chicken breast. What to do?!

I had no time for a decent marinade or for a brine to make the forever dry chicken breast moist.... but alas it hit me! Mayonnaise!

You must be thinking, what in the world? How does that make sense?

Baking chicken is, to me, the fastest, easiest way to cook chicken but baking tends to make the chicken breast dry out.  Here's how I fixed that little problem...

The mayonnaise in this breaded chicken recipe not only does the job of adhering the panko but adding much needed moisture and flavor to the breast. The panko makes it fluffy and crunchy ... it a perfect marriage. The recipe was a hit at home! I even shared it with a co-worker and it was a hit at her home; we were both successful in feeding our tired, hungry men AND they both asked that it be added to our cooking routine. Now that is a compliment. You could substitute chicken breast for chicken tenders. For an accompaniment, I made macaroni and cheese but the options are endless: pasta, corn on the cobb, baked potato, steamed veggies, rice pilaf, salad, beans, coleslaw, French fries and the list goes on. Have fun with it and enjoy!

Recipe:

Mayo-Panko Crusted Chicken is a
Wednesdays with Eryka Recipe

1lb chicken breast, halved
salt and pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup panko
1/2 grated parmesan cheese

1. Butterfly the chicken breast so that they are thin resulting in faster cooking time and more pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In one bowl or shallow dish, place the mayonnaise. In another dish, combine panko and parmesan cheese. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with non-stick spray.

3. Take the first piece of chicken breast and coat in mayonnaise. Followed by coating the chicken with the panko-parmesan mixture then place on the baking sheet. Repeat for all pieces of breast.

4. Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Flip half way through cooking to ensure browning (it also adds a pretty color). Once done, serve and enjoy!