Mayo is the MVP of our Perfect Mayonnaise Chicken Recipe, resulting in a perfectly cooked, crispy chicken that will become a dinner table staple in no time!
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Mayo Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Perfect Roast Chicken
- Mayo Chicken Recipe Tips
- How to Serve Mayonnaise Chicken
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Mayo Chicken Recipe
This recipe is…
Perfect oven-roasted chicken is one of those timeless recipes you always want to have in your back pocket. Not only does roasting a chicken at home make your entire house smell incredible with the scent of the roasting meat, herbs, and citrus, but having one (or two) on hand means you’re always ready to quickly whip up countless delicious dishes. (Classic chicken salad, Caesar Salad Wraps, and Verde Enchiladas to name a few!)
And while people are always trying to achieve the perfect roast chicken recipe, we think we’ve cracked the code, thanks to a secret ingredient that’s probably already in your fridge: a humble jar of mayo. We get it: slathering mayonnaise on a raw chicken might not sound like the most appealing thing! But the results – incredibly moist, and tender meat and crispy skin – will be sure to sell you on this unconventional technique. Make this recipe once, and you’re sure to be a believer in the magic of mayo!
Here are a few reason why:
- Slathering your chicken in fat is something you were probably already going to do when roasting a chicken. Whether you were going to use olive oil or butter, this is really not that different.
- Mayo actually “holds” herbs and seasonings on the chicken even better than olive oil or butter. The emulsion stays put better vs. running off the chicken once it heats up.
- It stays put, helping to really crisp up the skin.
But the kind of mayo you use is actually important here. We don’t recommend using a conventional mayo from your usual brand. If you don’t want to make it in house, we recommend grabbing a jar by either Sir Kensington’s or Primal Kitchen Foods.
To make this Roasted Mayo Chicken, all you need to do is pat your chicken dry, fill the cavity with lemons (and/or onions), add some herbs in with a little mayo, and slather it over. Tie the legs with some twine, position it in your favorite frying pan (or dutch oven), and bake at 375 F for one hour and fifteen minutes.
While you’ve got the oven going, make it a complete meal by adding some easy oven-baked veggie side dishes to cook along with the chicken, like our Perfect Oven Roasted Vegetables, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans, Oven Roasted Broccoli, or Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Humble mayo is the secret ingredient in this perfect roast chicken recipe, with moist meat and crispy skin!
- Simple recipe just requires a chicken, mayo, lemon, and common pantry spices/herbs
- Just 10 minutes of prep
- Easy to customize with whatever herbs and seasonings you have on hand (meaning this is a great chance to use up that jar of herbes de Provence gathering dust in your spice cabinet!)
Mayo Chicken Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need a whole chicken, mayo, and a handful of simple pantry staples to make this roasted chicken recipe. (You’ll also need some kitchen twine to tie the legs together.) Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Whole chicken – a 4-5 pound roasting chicken is the main ingredient
- Mayonnaise – 1/4 cup mayo is the MVP of this recipe
- Lemon – a lemon does double-duty here: zested, and then cut in half to get tucked inside the chicken as it roasts
- Parsley, thyme and rosemary – this trio of dried herbs adds incredible flavor
- Garlic powder – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder gives the recipe a little punch
- Salt and Black pepper – 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon sea salt season the chicken
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
Here are a few easy ways to tweak this simple roasted chicken recipe to your liking:.
- Herbs and spices – we call for dried parsley, thyme and rosemary, but you can use any fresh or dried herbs you have on hand. Dried basil, thyme, and chives – as well as spice mixes like Italian seasoning blend, lemon pepper, herbes de Provence, or poultry seasoning mix – would all be great to rub into the chicken skin. Sprigs of fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and tarragon are other aromatic options to add to the chicken cavity along with the lemon halves.
- Citrus – A lemon does triple duty in this recipe: the zest flavors the skin, and the cut halves placed in the cavity of the chicken as it cooks both flavor the meat, and keep it moist. Lemon is the ideal citrus to use because of its bright, versatile, and universally-complementary flavor. But an orange, Meyer Lemon, or onion would work here too.
How to Make Perfect Roast Chicken
Once you make this oven roasted chicken once, you’ll want to make it again and again! Here’s how this simple roast chicken recipe comes together – with just 10 minutes of prep!
Step 1: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then place breast side up in a large cast iron or roasting pan.
In a small bowl, mix together mayo, lemon zest, herbs, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture evenly over the chicken.
Step 2: Place the lemon halves inside of the cavity of the chicken, then tie the legs together with the twine.
Step 3: Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the chicken breast reaches a temperature of 165 F and the juices run clear when cut.
Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then carve and serve!
Mayo Chicken Recipe Tips
Double up – While this oven roasted chicken is actually quite easy to prep (it takes less than 10 minutes to get into the oven), it does require a little over an hour to cook. So while you’re at it, double up and roast two chicken so you have one for dinner tonight – one for quick and easy meals for later in the week.
No twine? – No problem. Tying the chicken legs with twine makes the whole bird look tidy, and helps the chicken cook more evenly. But if you don’t have any twine on hand, don’t stress…you can skip this step. Whatever you do, don’t pull a Bridget Jones and tie it up with blue string, dental floss, or other “creative” substitutes!
Shred it – shredded chicken is a versatile protein to have on hand for everything from topping salads and bowls to Tex-Mex favorites. If you’ve got leftovers, check out this genius trick for how to shred chicken.
How to Serve Mayonnaise Chicken
Once the chicken is out of the oven, resist the urge to cut into it right away! Letting the bird sit for at least 10 minutes will give the juices a chance to redistribute, ensuring moist, juicy meat. Then carve it up with a long, sharp carving knife (or chef’s knife) and enjoy.
How to Store and Reheat
Whole or carved, the chicken will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat it, warm it in the microwave, or cover and heat in an oven (with a splash of chicken stock if you have it to keep the meat from drying out as it cooks).
Frequently Asked Questions
Slathering your chicken in fat is something you were probably already going to do! Whether you were going to use olive oil or butter, this is really not that different.
Mayo actually “holds” herbs and seasonings on the chicken even better than olive oil or butter. The emulsion stays put better vs. running off the chicken once it heats up.
Because it stays put, it also helps to really crisp that chicken skin.
In this recipe, we use three strategies to achieve the juiciest meat and crispy skin – without drying out the meat:
Slathering on mayo both crisps the skin, and keeps the meat moist.
Cut lemon halves steam inside the cavity of the chicken as it cooks, adding bright citrus flavor to the chicken as well as adding moisture to the meat.
Don’t overcook! Roast the meat just until the thigh reaches 165 F (the USDA recommendation). Or, do what chefs do and cook it to 160 F, knowing that “carryover cooking” will continue to cook the meat at least 5 additional degrees once the bird is pulled from the oven.
While you can cook a chicken either way, we prefer to roast it uncovered so that the skin gets crispy as it cooks. Covering the bird with a pot lid or aluminum foil will steam the chicken, resulting in paler, less crispy skin.
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Perfect Mayonnaise Chicken Recipe, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝comments below!
Mayo Chicken
Ingredients
- 1, 4-5 pound roasting chicken
- 1/4 cup mayo
- One lemon, zested then cut in half
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 inches cooking twine, to tie the chicken
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then place breast side up in a large cast iron or roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together mayo, lemon zest, herbs, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture evenly over the chicken.
- Place the lemon halves inside of the cavity of the chicken, then tie the legs together with the twine.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the chicken breast reaches a temperature of 165 F and the juices run clear when cut.
- Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then carve and serve!
Nutrition
I used almost the exact same reipe for air fryer turkey breast and it was outstandin. The only differance was the the addition of ground sage. I was looking for something similar for a roast chicken snd found this one my first shot. I am a retired cook and have been using mayo or mustard as a binder for years on all differant types of protein. A little cornstarch mix as a salt and sugar rub under the skin is also a great addition..
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing, Robert! We’re going to have to try a turkey breast in the air fryer now. How long did you cook it for? Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with us! -Team FF
If I don’t have a cast iron or roasting pan, what would you suggest making this in?
A large baking dish should work, Jordan!
What would it look like to add potatoes and carrots to this to cook at the same time?
You can just add the potatoes and carrots to the roasting pan (on either side of the chicken) and let them cook with the chicken! No need to adjust the recipe/time at all!
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for explaining the purpose of using mayo on roast chicken. I had another recipe pinned but it didn’t explain at all the benefits so I looked up other recipes online & yours was the 1st that actually went into detail while keeping it simple and to the point. Love the simplicity of the recipe and what you had to say here. I hate blogs that ramble on & on about their personal life..making you read through a bunch of stuff before you get to the recipe, having to scroll down forever. I totally agree with what you said about fats! Anyway, this will be my new pin.
This was excellent! Way more flavorful than my go-to olive oil method. The herb blend is spot on, and the skin is absolutely perfect. Thank you!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is fantastic! I never thought of roasting a chicken like this until I saw this recipe posted on your site! I meal prepped this for my lunches this week and got 6 meals out of this. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!!! 🙂
This was awesome! The whole family gobbled it down, including my 18 month old. What a brilliant idea!!
Looks so yummy! Do you think this could be cooked in the instant pot if it was seared on all sides first and then had the mayo topping placed on it?
I would go ahead and sear it with the mayo on, then make it in the Instant pot!