Onion-Crusted Chicken Breasts
Take your go-to breaded chicken dish next level with this super-easy, super-fast, super-delish recipe.
For many of us, breaded chicken breasts have become a go-to dish on a weeknight, when time is tight, mouths are hungry, and we’re running a bit low on supplies in the fridge.
This is one of those recipes that is usually handed down from one generation to another. As a result, it hasn’t been updated much: dip the chicken breasts in beaten eggs, dredge them into whatever breadcrumbs you’ve got, and then plop it into the oven for 20 - 30 minutes.
The results are always pretty much the same: a chicken breast that retains some juiciness, but still needs some sort of condiment to make it actually taste yummy.
So a bottle of something - ketchup, hot sauce, bbq sauce, or whatever you’ve got sitting on a shelf in your fridge - becomes the way you enhance the flavor of this dish.
As lovers of all sauces, WE TOTALLY GET IT. Ketchup slathered all over a breaded chicken breast can be delicious! And we know that this combo in particular is a fan favorite with most kiddles.
But there are only so many times we can eat this before it gets as boring as a Maroon 5 song.
With just a few tweaks here and there, you can easily zhuzh it up and take this weekly staple next-level, all with using just a handful of ingredients most of us have in our kitchens at all times.
Behold the magic of mayo!
Our not-so-secret-secret-sauce here is using mayo before you bake the breasts. This not only helps seal the natural moisture in a chicken breast, but it acts to enhance it to a level of juiciness that can only be rivaled by Lizzo’s next single.
The combo of eggs, oil, lemon, and mustard in most mayo adds a deeper, creamier, more tangy taste to chicken. For our more “how is it made” readers, this article is a great resource on all things mayo.
Our tasters all agreed that there’s a noticeable lift in the taste of this dish by using mayo as an ingredient used in the preparation vs. a condiment used once the chicken is already baked.
How to make bread crumbs even tastier.
It doesn’t take much more than adding some chopped onions to your store-bought breadcrumb mix to easily elevate your breadcrumbs from ‘meh’ to ‘magical.’ We prefer using panko because it usually has a bit more texture to it and gets super crisp when baked, which really pairs well with the little itty-bitty pieces of onion that also get browned and crispy after being baked.
All it takes is chopping up a little onion, mixing it into the bread crumbs, and dashing a few herbs and seasonings you’ve got in your kitchen.
We make some seasoning suggestions in the below recipe, but these are totally customizable for whatever you’ve got lying around and/or your taste preferences.
Don’t have cayenne pepper in the house, or don’t like your chicken with that kind of kick? It’s all good. Just swap out the cayenne for some dried basil or oregano, or even a hit of garlic powder.
So, rather than yet another boring AF night of breaded chicken, try this easy upgrade. We think you and your taste buds will agree it’s worth the changes.
Onion-Crusted Chicken Breasts
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 main dishes
Ingredients
½ medium yellow onion, chopped almost to the point of mincing it
½ cup bread crumbs or panko
½ tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp cayenne (optional, if you like heat)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, preferably organic
½ cup of mayo (or about 1 tbsp per chicken breast, depending on how large the breasts are that you buy)
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray olive oil cooking spray onto an oven-proof baking tray. Set aside.
3. Chop up onion so that it’s almost minced.
4. In a small bowl, mix the chopped onion with the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you want, and then pour out onto a large plate.
5. Rub chicken breasts with mayo so that all sides are nicely coated. It’s ok to use your hands and get a little messy.
6. Dip chicken breasts into the onion breadcrumbs and coat all sides, one breast at a time. You might need to push them onto the breasts to make sure they stick, but the mayo should help bind the crumbs to the breasts. Place each breast onto the pre-sprayed baking tray.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the breasts over once halfway through.
8. Take out of the oven, plate with whatever sides you like, and enjoy!
Onion-Crusted Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray olive oil cooking spray onto an oven-proof baking tray. Set aside.
- Chop up onion so that it’s almost minced.
- In a small bowl, mix the chopped onion with the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you want, and then pour out onto a large plate.
- Rub chicken breasts with mayo so that all sides are nicely coated. It’s ok to use your hands and get a little messy.
- Dip chicken breasts into the onion breadcrumbs and coat all sides, one breast at a time. You might need to push them onto the breasts to make sure they stick, but the mayo should help bind the crumbs to the breasts. Place each breast onto the pre-sprayed baking tray.
- Bake for 30 minutes, turning the breasts over once halfway through.
- Take out of the oven, plate with whatever sides you like, and enjoy!