As promised (or warned – however you’d like to think about it), here is the chicken dish that was the perfect accompaniment to the barley pilaf.
Simple as simple can be (and so fast to prepare and cook!), the chicken in this recipe is broiled lightly and then topped and broiled again with a creamy, delicious mixture made even more sultry and tasty with the addition of fresh lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and a few simple spices.
The resulting chicken is extremely juicy and tender and infused with all the bright, refreshing flavors of the Parmesan and lemon topping. If you haven’t become one yet with your broiler, I encourage you to do so. Using the piping hot broiler element will amplify the number of ways chicken can shine at dinnertime and as long as you keep a close eye while the chicken is broiling (now is not the time to start painting toenails, painting bedroom walls, or painting watercolors with your children, catch my drift?) and ensure it doesn’t overcook, success can be yours.
Welcome another quick and delicious weeknight chicken dinner into your rotation!
One Year Ago: Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Two Years Ago: Classic and Simple: Black Beans and Rice
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
Note: If the chicken breasts I am using are on the thicker side, I like to slice them lengthwise to form two thinner chicken cutlets. It helps the flavor infuse into every bite and they cook more evenly.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Directions
- Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Stir in the dried basil, pepper, salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix well and set aside.
- Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer on the prepared pan. Lightly season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper. Broil a few inches from the broiler element for 4-5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and broil for a 3-4 more minutes, until mostly cooked through. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread an equal amount of the Parmesan mixture over the top of each chicken breast. Broil for another 2-3 minutes until the topping is golden and bubbly and the chicken is completely cooked through. Serve.
Thank you! I wanted to make chicken tonight, but needed an easy recipe! Mel to the rescue again
This looks amazing, Melanie! I need to become one with my broiler, as I don’t use it very often. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Wow. . . Never would’ve thought to make Parmesan Chicken with this technique. Interesting! Think I’ll Experiment with this Technique with another type of chicken dish I develop. Thanks!
My broiler has two settings, low and high. Which one is appropriate for this recipe?
Kristin – I always broil on high but that’s just my preference. You may need to experiment with your oven – some broiler settings may be much hotter than mine. If you use high, err on the side of placing your oven rack at least six inches away from the broiler element instead of having it only 2-3 inches away.
Oh, I’ve made that tilapia recipe (on my site) but never thought to adapt it to chicken. Good going, Mel–I’m on it. I know in advance that it’s a winner! I really appreciate how you post real food that real people actually want to make and eat. I am immediately turned off when I see some of the weird lists of ingredients and combos that bloggers come up with.
This recipe is great with chicken or tilapia. I substituted Laughing Cow cheese for the mayo and liked it even better, but either way, it’s a hit at my house!
I thought this recipe looked familiar! I’ve made the tilapia version several times, and it is deeeelish. I’m definitely going to try it with chicken. Thanks for the great idea!
That looks soo delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh my goodness. There were RAVES at the table tonight. Great recipe! We really enjoyed the Barley Pilaf with it as well.
Finally made this for Sunday supper and it didn’t disappoint! Thanks for another great one, Mel!
I can’t wait to try this. I’m always so hesitant to use my oven in the hot midwestern summer but this is so fast I think I could get away with it before my husband starts complaining. Speed is the name of the game
Definitely going to try this soon!
Just made this tonight. So easy and so delicious! And I even copped out on my needed grocery trip and used walmart Parmesan and bottled lemon juice. Still super tastey! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Looks and reads yummily. A must make recipe.
[...] We’ve covered beef and pork, so of course I have to throw a chicken recipe into the mix — preferably an easy one, since that seems to be the theme here. Here’s a simple recipe for broiled chicken that’s coated with a buttery, Parmesan-lemon spread. Quick and flavorful, this one is definitely going into my recipe rotation. (Mel’s Kitchen Cafe) [...]
I made this last night for dinner and was super yummy and easy and the hubs loved it!! I love all your recipes that you post. Thanks for sharing!!
Tried this one last night and it was a big hit!! I love that it was simple yet Yummy!!!!
I just made this tonight for my father who proclaimed, “This is the best chicken I’ve ever had!” so definitely a keeper. Thanks for another winner!
I just made this (with the baked brown rice – perfect!) and it was delicious! The lemon really makes it shine. Random question – I grew up using bottled lemon juice, not knowing how amazingly superior fresh is. I have a semi-old bottle lying around… is there anything good to do with bottled lemon juice?
I made this last week for my husband and we both loved it! I even used the margarine from a tub instead of butter. This is definitely going into rotation!
Loved this! The chicken was really tender and flavorful.
This will be in regular rotation at my house! I served it last night to rave reviews. A word of advice if I may? I tried to save on dirty dishes by broiling the chicken in a casserole/serving dish instead of a baking sheet. Quite a bit of moisture accumulated at the bottom of the dish and I guess I should have poured it off, but I didn’t. As a result the sauce was a bit runny. Not that the kids were complaining, they just poured it over their rice.
[...] our camera back this week repaired from“the accident“, so this is another one of mels awesome pictures, that I will replace with my own next week! She made this with chicken, and I [...]
we had this for dinner tonight and it’s fabulous! Thanks for another winner!
Made this the other week as a quick dinner idea and my boyfriend talked about it all week. Thanks again!
I have used the parmesan/mayo and garlic or other herbs combo on garlic bread as well as fish. I haven’t done it on chicken, but no reason not to expect the same great results. When I did it on the fish I also sprinkled a thin layer of italian seasoned breadcrumbs on top.
I am always looking for new chicken recipes!
This was right up my alley – ingredients I keep on hand, easy, inexpensive, and very tasty! I overcooked the chicken a bit, so I’ll cut down the cooking time next time. There will definitely be a next time, this is a keeper!
This has become a family favorite at our house! I love that all of the ingredients are staples for me. I serve it with the Pioneer Woman’s Baked Lemon Pasta and oven roasted broccoli…SO delicious!
This is the second recipe from your site I’ve tried (so far…there are so many I’ve bookmarked) and it was another hit! So quick and easy to put together, I had dinner on the table in no time, which was great after a long day. The chicken stayed so juicy! I’ve actually used a method similar to this on fish (without the cheese) with success also. Looking forward to working my way through more of your recipes…thanks!
[...] – Grilled Parmesan and Lemon Chicken, tossed green salad and Hasselback Potatoes with Thyme and [...]
I made this for dinner last night and it was great! The chicken had a lot of flavor and was so quick and easy to put together. The only change I made was I omitted the mayo and used two wedges of garlic herb laughing cow cheese instead. I also had thicker chicken breasts so I had to cook them a few additional minutes on each side but they also browned up a bit more which was nice.
Thanks for sharing!
This was a great weeknight meal that I was able to prepare in a flash! My husband loved the chicken and we were able to re purpose the leftovers in chicken tacos. Yum! Thanks for a keeper!
Just had this for dinner. SO GOOD. Thanks again, Mel!
Mel- this was fantastic! I cut my chicken breasts lengthwise, and used a laughing cow wedge instead of the mayo. The flavors were so delicious, and the chicken was so moist. It’s a good thing I was watching it though… I almost had a flame up! Thankfully only a little of the drips burned.
As with all of your recipes- this one will be made again. Thanks!