Coated in crushed tortilla chips and slathered in mayonnaise, this Chipotle Lime Chicken is crunchy and delicious.
Chicken slathered in mayo is always super moist and is a recipe that your whole family will love! It's a perfect quick dinner idea with your favorite Mexican inspired flavors.
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This post was originally sponsored by Hellman's was published in October of 2012. I've updated the images and steps to make it more user friendly. I also used different mayo since Hellman's isn't sold on my side of the country.
A delicious chicken dinner idea
Are you sick of dry chicken breasts? I tend to overcook my chicken and hate when they are rubbery and dull. So when I found out that there was a trick to make sure they were always moist, I absolutely had to try it!
I think mayonnaise is an evil invention. Yeah, I said that.
But when Hellmann's sent this recipe for Chipotle Lime Chicken crusted in tortilla chips, I knew I needed to try it. The flavors sounded insanely delicious. Delicious enough to use mayo, an ingredient I generally avoid at all costs.
I'm always looking for quick dinner recipes and this one turned out to be super delicious, moist and full of flavor. In spite of the mayo.
Please forgive my horrible misstep in food blogging. I didn't realize that my rice was the EXACT SAME COLOR as the chicken until it was on the plate...It still tastes great but your eyes are probably offended. Rightly so.
Like most of you, I struggle with getting a delicious, home-cooked meal on the table each night. On top of that, I have dietary restrictions, picky eaters and budget constraints to work with. And I just get plain tired of the things that I make over and over.
Which brings me to why I decided to challenge myself and use mayonnaise.
The smell of mayo turns my stomach. And the consistency can trigger my gag reflex like nothing else. We're off to a good start here, aren't we?
But I know that mayo is a great substitute when you don't have eggs and can be used in baking (Mayo Cookies, anyone? Or maybe you'll like Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes better). and cooking.
And also, it just makes sense that it would be a great vehicle to get the tortilla chips to stick to chicken.
How to make Tortilla Crusted Chicken with Mayo
The ingredient list is short and the most exotic item is the ground chipotle pepper that I was able to find at Target. I followed Hellman's mayo chicken recipe but feel free to add or subtract flavors you feel would best suit your family.
Scroll down to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with full measurements and more detailed instructions.
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Lime juice
- Ground chipotle chile pepper
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- Crushed plain tortilla chips
I used shredded Pepper Jack cheese and it was also delish! It would probably also work with cheddar but that would change the flavor quite a bit.
If you can't find chipotle pepper, just use chili powder. You will lose a little bit of the smokiness but it will still taste amazing.
Why Use Mayonnaise in Chicken Recipes
It turns out that mayonnaise actually has positive qualities. If you can get past the smell while making your recipe, mayo provides moisture and flavor that you wouldn't expect.
It kind of acts like a marinade that makes it easy to create a nice flavorful crust on a simple baked chicken breast. But, if you ever try to sneak mayo into anything I'm eating, I promise I may kick you.
I only ever eat it in Tuna and Noodles, a dish my mom used to make for me. Because otherwise, it's gross.
The recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook which is pretty fast for baked chicken! The secret is a high temperature for speedy cooking and the mayo for keeping it moist and keeping the tortilla crusted chicken extra crunchy.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the mayo, jack cheese, lime juice and chipotle in a medium bowl.
Put your chicken breasts on a baking sheet. I like to cover mine with foil to help with clean up. Because the mayo has oil in it and, there is also cheese, it will have a little bit of a baked-on delicious mess.
Evenly top each breast with the mayo mixture. Then sprinkle on the crushed tortilla chips.
I pressed them down a little bit so they would stick well. Then bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
I'm known to over cook my chicken out of fear but the mayo keeps everything from getting dried out which is awesome.
I would recommend doubling the number of chips you use for this part. It provided a nice crunch on the finished baked chicken breasts with mayo and I could have used more of it. More is always better, right?
It really was quick to put together although I found that I needed a little bit more cook time.
This was a perfect weeknight dinner recipe. It was such a nice change of pace. And while I did plug my nose while I slathered the chicken breasts in mayonnaise, it really is a fantastic way to add moisture and flavor to chicken and would work with all kinds of different flavor combinations!
Check out the recipe for Parmesan Crusted chicken. It's another great chicken baked in mayonnaise recipe.
The chipotle pepper added a little kick to the dish and the smokiness of the spice coupled with the creaminess of the jack cheese created a delicious ranch-like taste.
While I just made some quick rice for this photo, I usually serve this chicken baked in mayonnaise with this black bean salad.
Chipotle Lime Chicken with Tortilla Chips
Ingredients
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- ¼ cup crushed plain tortilla chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice and ground chipotle in a medium bowl.
- Arrange chicken on a baking sheet.
- Evenly top with mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.
- Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- 20 Super Easy Dinner Ideas That Hardly Count as Cooking
- Sweet and Sour Pork Chops
- Easy Teriyaki Ground Turkey Stir Fry
This easy Chipotle Lime Chicken Recipe is a great weeknight dinner idea that your whole family will love. The crunchy tortilla crust is addicting! Pin to save this recipe for later.
Roxana says
I used this recipe but used panco bread crumbs instead of tortilla chips and it was FABULOUS !!!!! Thanks for the new recipe. So most and juicy. Will be cooking this again and again.
lyndsey @ the stationery place says
omg you are the CUTEST!!! awesome video editing skills, i'm super impressed. and your boys are adorable.
Jenny @ hank and hunt says
AWESOME! You did amazing! YAY! Why haven't you done more of these?
lauren says
GREAT video! i'm such a geek though:) thanks for dinner. what are you making next week?
Amanda says
Sharon! I love this post you did such a great job and the VIDEO is terrific - time lapse is rad. I have to say though, my favorite part of the whole thing is Lauren's commentary on the chicken (lol). Thanks again for the tasty dinner last week!