Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Bake: A Quick and Easy Family Dinner Idea! Enjoy diced chicken, coated in a creamy Parmesan mayonnaise sauce, baked to perfection. It’s juicy, tender, and ideal for any occasion! Serve over garlic parmesan spaghetti, zoodles, instant pot jasmine rice, or on it’s own!
This simple dinner is not only delicious, but it comes together using simple ingredients! Thanks to the creamy sauce, the chicken literally melts in your mouth!
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Bake
- Easy and Quick to Prepare– this bake can be ready for the oven in under 10 minutes! You can even save on time by preparing ahead of time and keeping in the refrigerator until ready.
- Loaded with Flavor– the creamy Parmesan mayo sauce combined with moist, tender chicken literally melts in your mouth.
- Can be altered to fit tastes and diet– you can use Greek yogurt or Mayo depending on tastes, and also serve this chicken as is, over pasta, zoodles, rice, etc.
- Leftovers are just as delicious– if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, they reheat perfectly in the microwave and are just as tasty!
Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Bake
This recipe is actually one that I have changed up from my original Melt in Your Mouth Chicken. As comments came in on the original recipe, I made changes and decided to turn this version into more of a casserole bake that could be served over anything versus serving whole chicken breasts. Either recipe, you can’t go wrong, this one just is a bit more kid-friendly, versatile, and can easily be altered.
The mayo-Parmesan mixture turns golden brown once cooked over the chicken and smells incredible. If you love tender, moist, insanely flavor packed chicken, this bake is for you!
Ingredients
See printable recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and step by step directions.
- Chicken– I use boneless chicken breast. Thighs and drumsticks work too, you may just have to adjust cook time.
- Mayonnaise– this adds incredible flavor and prevents the chicken from drying out. Feel free to substitute Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese– fresh is best versus pre-packaged, Asiago, cheddar, Mozzarella, or Gruyere are all great substitutes.
- Seasoned Salt/Pepper– season to taste.
- Garlic– I used fresh, minced, but dried or powder works too.
- Red Pepper Flakes– this adds a slight kick, but doesn’t add heat, so it still maintains its kid-friendly status.
- Italian Bread Crumbs– a tasty addition to the topping. Adds a slight crunch and flavor boost.
How to make Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Bake
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and place diced chicken on the bottom.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise (or yogurt), Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Spread mixture evenly over chicken.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of mayonnaise mixture.
- Place pan in preheated oven, 375 degrees, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove pan from oven and use a slotted spoon to serve chicken on top of pasta, rice, or by itself.
What to make with Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Bake
This chicken is incredibly versatile and pairs perfectly with so many side options!
- Pasta– keep it simple and make buttered noodles, or have some fun with it and serve Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti with this!
- Veggies– good ol’ garlic and Parmesan roasted asparagus pair perfectly each time!
- Rice– French Onion Rice or Instant Pot Jasmine Rice is our favorite with this chicken served on top!
- Potatoes– whether you mash potatoes, loaded smashed potatoes, or serve baked potatoes; this chicken is a great addition!
How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container once fully cooled.
- Refrigerator– up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezer– up to 3 months. Allow to thaw before reheating in microwave.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Dice chicken into pieces the same size so they cook evenly versus cutting some pieces larger than others.
- Be sure chicken reaches 165 degrees F when meat thermometer is inserted into center of chicken.
- This dish can be prepared ahead of time, up to 24 hours, and wrapped in plastic wrap before placing in the refrigerator.
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop chicken out of pan to drain most of the juices before serving.
- Have fun with seasonings and Herbs in this. Thyme, Paprika, Lemon Seasoning, and more are all great additions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the mayo add to this recipe?
This is the main ingredient in creating the rich, creamy sauce that goes over the chicken. It also prevents the chicken from becoming dry and tough.
Why didn’t my cheese mixture melt evenly?
Hopefully you didn’t use pre-packaged cheese as those packages are coated in an additive that prevents clumping in the bag. This prevents the cheese from melting evenly.
Can I use Rotisserie chicken?
Typically, I am all about shortcuts, but using Rotisserie in this recipe cuts the cook time down significantly and the sauce won’t melt into the chicken as much meaning the chicken won’t be as “melt in your mouth” delicious!
Can I use the sauce mixture on top of other meats?
Absolutely! You can use this mixture for fish such as my Parmesan Crusted Salmon, Cod, or even over pork loin, roast, and different cuts of chicken or turkey!
Can I make this in the slow cooker?
Yes! Here is the recipe for that version! Just as yummy and even easier to make!
More Chicken Recipes to try
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Melt In Your Mouth Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless/diced
- ¾ cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan and place diced chicken on the bottom.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise (or yogurt), Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Spread mixture evenly on top of chicken.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of mayonnaise mixture.
- Place pan in preheated oven, 375 degrees, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove pan from oven and use a slotted spoon to serve chicken on top of pasta, rice, or by itself. Enjoy!
Sara Marx says
I followed the recipe exactly but it seemed like the ingredients were way too small for a 9 x 13 pan.
The chicken & mixture barely covered the bottom of the pan ending up very dry and it could have used about half of the bread crumbs.
When the recipe suggested serving it over pasta or rice I assumed it would be a creamy consistency.
I was very disappointed!
Kristin says
How much chicken did you use? The pan size is only so the chicken can be in a single layer, making cook time shorter. 1lb is typically about 2 chicken breasts. If using more, you would want to increase ingredients. It definitely should have had a creamy sauce on top of the chicken and be moist. If you’re open to it, try doubling ingredients and see what you think. Its quite flavorful. Sorry it wasn’t a hit though!
Joy says
Just came across this recipe on Pinterest. I doubled everything, used half Greek yogurt and half mayo, and used a packet of Italian dressing mix instead of the seasonings. I topped it with Italian panko bread crumbs mixed with a little melted butter. It was AMAZING! Served it over brown rice with salad on the side and my husband raved about it. Can’t wait for leftovers!
Kristin says
Oh yum! Sounds like you made great additions to it! So glad it was a hit! Leftovers are just as tasty, so enjoy!!
Joyce says
PLease add me. Thanks
Kristin says
Adding you right now! Enjoy the recipe!!
Delilah says
I used Greek yogurt & doubled the sauce. I filled the pan with a flat layer of boneless thighs. I ended up with a lot of juice, so I drained it into a pot & thickened it with some flour. All the yogurt curds blended in with some whisking. I finished rotini in the pot sauce with some fresh baby cooking greens. Really happy with the results. Btw, my bread crumbs didn’t brown well, so it might b the yogurt. But didn’t bother me at all. Ty.
Kristin says
Sounds delicious! And using thighs….yum!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Michelle Long says
This was the best ever! I was challenging myself this week to use only what I had on hand. My theory is that I’m actually ‘making’ money when I don’t have to stop at the store…lol. This recipe fit perfectly!!! I had frozen garlic and herb chicken so I figured that would fit the ‘theme’ of the recipe. I also didn’t have Italian bread crumbs so I doctored up some panko with seasonings to make it ‘Italian’. I had many small bits of grated Parmesan, Romano and Asiago in the freezer, so I cleared out and used all of them. I used a 8 by 8 pan, but followed the rest of the directions and served over spaghetti rigati. So, so, so good!!! Thanks for putting this out there, we now have a new family favorite.
Kristin says
Yea!! Love hearing this and YES, I too love that thought process! Making money if you don’t spend it for sure! This is my family’s all time favorite, so glad its a hit in your house too!!
Andrea Danni says
Pls add me to your list
Kristin says
Adding you to the mailing list right now! Welcome to the page and enjoy the recipes!
Sarah says
Accidentally mixed the bread crumbs into the mixture! Will it turn out okay ?! 😬
Kristin says
Yep, it will still be good, just may not have a brown coating on top! Enjoy!
Stephanie says
Have you ever substitute the mayo or yogurt for cream cheese?
Kristin says
I haven’t, but it should work! It may not get as “sauce like”, but should be creamy and delicious!
Beth says
This was delicious!! 5 stars from my family. After reading several comments, I did however double the ingredients on the topping. (So glad I did, yummy) Added some extra garlic. Also, I made my own bread crumbs since I didn’t have any. I served it over pasta. I will definitely be making this again very soon. Thank you for sharing.
Kristin says
Yea! So glad you all enjoyed it!!