Mayonnaise Chicken

Why This Recipe Works

• It is unique. We cook a lot of chicken, so we always like to spice things up so it doesn’t feel like we are always eating the same old chicken. And this Mayonnaise Chicken is truly special. It is one of those recipes that you have to experience to understand. And you’ll want to make this over and over again.
• It is kid-friendly. Our kids love this chicken dish, and we know yours will, too. The flavors are simple yet satisfying and the meat comes out perfectly tender. It’s the perfect entrée to make for your whole family, and you can pair it with various sides.
• It has easy prep and cleanup. This recipe is incredibly easy to make! We love how it requires very little hands-on time. Marinating the chicken is effortless, as the mayo helps the seasonings to coat the meat evenly. After marinating it to your liking, you can let the oven do all the work for you.

How it comes together

Here is a step-by-step video on how to make this tasty Mayonnaise Chicken:

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Ingredients Needed

You need very simple ingredients for this mayo chicken.

Here are some of the most important ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:

• Chicken: This recipe uses skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. We find that bone-in has a much deeper flavor!
• Mayonnaise: Mayo produces succulent chicken and helps form a satisfying crispy crust. Make sure to use high-quality real mayonnaise. Even though you can’t taste it once the chicken cooks, it is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe so special!
• Chicken Bouillon Powder: This ingredient has a bold umami flavor, making this dish truly irresistible. It also has some saltiness, so this recipe doesn’t need much salt.
• Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: Who doesn’t love garlic and onion? These spices amplify the dish’s flavor, and they can withstand the high temperatures used in this recipe.
• Dried Herbs: This recipe calls for dried basil and thyme, which complement the other ingredients and add earthiness.

Of course you also need the seasoning staples, salt and black pepper. See the recipe card below for exact quantities and the remaining ingredients you need.

How it comes together

Here is how to make this easy chicken recipe:

1. Rinse chicken, then pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and seasonings to make marinade.
3. Rub the mayonnaise mixture all over the chicken to get to every nook and cranny of the chicken.
4. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or for 2 hours in the fridge.
5. Place the chicken on a greased baking sheet and grill on broil until done, flipping once as needed.
6. Serve warm with your favorite side dish.

After making this recipe several times, we have found that the marinating time makes ALL the difference. If you cook the chicken immediately after seasoning it, it will be too salty on the outside but lack flavor on the inside. If you let it marinate overnight in the fridge, it will be well-seasoned throughout. We suggest marinating for at least 2 hours in the fridge so the chicken can soak up the flavors. Please don’t skip the marinating time.

To ensure the chicken is done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the deepest part of a chicken thigh. If it reads at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73 degrees Celsius) then the chicken is done.

Pantry notes

There are so many ways to switch up this recipe, from choosing different chicken parts, to adding different kinds of herbs, or even making it in an air fryer. See the suggestions below.

• Chicken: Instead of using chicken thighs, you can use chicken drumsticks, chicken breasts, chicken quarters, or even a whole chicken. We will go into further detail about this below!
• Chicken Bouillon: You can substitute the bouillon powder with seasoning cubes if needed.
• Make It Spicy: If you want a spicy version of this recipe, include some red pepper flakes or cayenne in the marinade mixture.
• Herbs: Experiment with different herbs! Many herbs pair with chicken, such as parsley, rosemary, marjoram, and oregano or use seasoning blends such as Italian seasoning.
• Parmesan: Sprinkle some finely shredded parmesan cheese over the chicken when it is done cooking. This will add an extra layer of nutty flavor from the parmesan.
• Italian Bread Crumbs: You could coat the chicken with a mixture of Italian breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan. In this case, instead of broiling, bake the chicken at 400 degrees F until done. This will yield parmesan crusted chicken.
• Air Fryer: You can make this chicken in the air fryer. Please adjust the cooking time based on your air fryer. Make sure you arrange the chicken in a single layer and depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to cook in batches.

For a tasty recipe with boneless chicken thighs, check out our Pan Seared Boneless Chicken Thighs.

Other Chicken Cuts For Mayonnaise Chicken

Chicken thighs are great because they contain just the right amount of fat, making them super tasty. It is hard to ruin them. But you could also apply the mayonnaise chicken marinade to chicken breasts (boneless or bone-in), quarters, chicken drumsticks, chicken tenders, or even a whole chicken.

Note that the cooking times will change significantly if you use a whole chicken—it will need to cook for a couple of hours. The other chicken parts should cook for about the same time as this recipe, which is 40 minutes, with the oven set to low broil.

A good rule is to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (75 Degrees Celsius) with a meat thermometer.

Cook notes

• If your chicken is significantly bigger than 4 pounds (maybe close to five pounds), then add a big pinch of salt to the salt the recipe calls for. This will help ensure that the chicken is properly seasoned.
• We recommend that you set your oven to broil instead of bake. Broiling cooks the chicken at a higher heat and roasts it instead of baking it, making it taste like it was grilled on the grill outside. Use the low broil setting of your oven.
• Marinating the chicken for several hours is best since the meat will absorb all of the good flavors. You can always prep and marinate the chicken in the morning and leave it in the refrigerator until dinner time so it will be ready to go.
• To enhance the dish further, consider using homemade mayonnaise. It is easier to make than you think, and the fresh ingredients give it a much richer flavor than store-bought.
• You can also grill the chicken on the BBQ if you don’t want to broil it in the oven. We suggest starting with 10-15 minutes per side for bone-in chicken thighs. Of course, it all depends on size and thickness, so it will vary.

That’s it, friends. We hope this inspires you to make some awesome Mayonnaise Chicken. If you try the recipe, please let us know, and also feel free to leave a review below!

• Yield: 8 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 40 minutes
• Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ginger powder
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper

Method

1. Rinse chicken then pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, garlic powder, ginger powder, salt, white pepper, dried thyme, dried basil, onion powder, and chicken bouillon powder.
3. Rub the mayonnaise mixture all over the chicken ensuring it gets to every nook and cranny of the chicken. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge up to overnight or for at least 2 hours.
4. Set the oven to low broil. Place the chicken skin side down on a large, greased baking sheet.
5. Broil for 30 minutes, take out the baking sheet and flip the chicken to be skin side up. Broil for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve warm with your favorite side dish.