My MIYM Chicken has got to be one of my all time favorite dinner ideas. Why? Melt In Your Mouth Chicken is an EASY chicken recipe and packs so much flavor into tender chicken breasts. My family devours this recipe.
We eat more chicken recipes in our house than any other meat for sure. Chicken enchiladas, crack chicken, shredded chicken …the list goes on and on. And real talk, chicken nuggets are basically the perfect food…soooo. Chicken is just an easy starting point for dinner, and you only need a few ingredients to make it completely different every night you use it! Today we’re making “Melt In Your Mouth” chicken, which is basically ultra-tender chicken breasts that are full of flavor and served with cheese.
Why You’ll Love Melt In Your Mouth Chicken
- This is hands-down one of my most popular recipes ever. I’ve been making it for over a decade and still get emails from people who can’t believe how good it is with so little effort.
- Made with sour cream. My mom used to make this with mayo, but I always thought it was a bit much. There is a fine line with mayo in my opinion. Anyhow, to sideline that whole debate, I use sour cream in my recipe, which seems to make everyone happy. Sour cream also tenderizes the chicken breasts, so you end up with these incredibly juicy and flavorful cuts of chicken on your plate. So good!
- Prep takes five minutes, tops. Stir, spread, bake. That’s it. And if you’re feeling extra, broil it for a few minutes at the end to get that golden cheesy top.
- Picky-eater approved. The flavors are mild, cozy, and somehow just work for everyone—this one’s been a winner with even the pickiest people in my house.
What You’ll Need
The prep time on this Melt In Your Mouth Chicken Recipe is literally minutes. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need along with my notes. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.
- Boneless Chicken Breasts: Here’s the deal with chicken breasts, the thinner they are, the faster they bake. I prefer a more “medium” sliced breast, so not ultra thin, but not thick. Be sure to adjust your bake time based on the thickness of your breast.
- Sour Cream: This adds moisture to your chicken. You can sub in Plain Greek Yogurt or mayonnaise in its place.
- Parmesan Cheese: I love using Parmesan Cheese in this dish because it packs a lot of flavor punch. You can absolutely use another type of cheese, but I would recommend using one that is slightly sharper, like a Gruyere, an Extra Sharp Cheddar, or Asiago.
- Seasonings: This is where you can get creative and adapt the recipe to accommodate all the picky eaters in your life! The recipe is written with classic seasonings like garlic powder and seasoned salt, but you can use tons of spices to switch it up! Make it Tex-Mex and use Cumin, make it with a little Italian flair and add Basil or Italian Seasoning, or even add some smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to add a little smoke and heat! I love chicken recipes like this that are so easily adaptable!
How to Make Melt In Your Mouth Chicken
Ok, let’s get cooking! Here’s how to make this super easy chicken recipe:
- Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 375F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with PAM and set aside.
- Prepare the MIYM mix. In a medium bowl combine the sour cream, garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Add the MIYM mix to your chicken. Put the chicken breasts into your prepared pan in a single line, then spread the MIYM mix on top of them. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.
- Bake. This chicken recipe cooks in 25-30 minutes.
- Broil. I like to broil the chicken for 2-3 minutes, just until they brown a bit on top.
- Serve!
Tips for Success
- Want to prep it in advance? You can do everything up to baking the chicken the day before. Just keep the prepared chicken in the fridge, covered with saran wrap, until you’re reading to bake it. Remove the plastic wrap and continue with the rest of the recipe.
- How can I tell the chicken is done? The answer here is based on the thickness of the chicken you use. If your chicken breasts are trimmed thin, they will bake faster than a thick chicken breast. You bake the chicken until the juices run clear, but if you’re concerned about the doneness, use a meat thermometer and bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- What happens if there is a lot of liquid in the pan? This is a very common issue with all baked chicken recipes. Chicken naturally releases juices as it is cooked, and since you’re baking this in a dish, those liquids have no place to go, except for…well…the baking dish. You don’t notice it as much when you are pan frying chicken because of the high pan temperature, the liquid evaporates quickly, but in an oven at 350°F, it won’t evaporate fast. But don’t worry, it’s completely normal! Just drain the liquid, it will be fine! You can drain the liquid before or after you pop it under the broiler.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is a keeper! I enjoy serving it with my Homemade Egg Noodles on the side when I have the time to make them. But here are a few more options:
How to Store and Reheat
- Store in the fridge: Once cooled, pop the leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Warm it up in the microwave or oven until heated through. If you’re using the oven, cover it with foil so the top doesn’t get too brown.
- Can I freeze it? I don’t really recommend it—sour cream doesn’t always freeze great and can get a little weird when it thaws. Fresh is best with this one.
Melt In Your Mouth Chicken
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
A retro/nostalgic & easy MIYM (Melt In Your Mouth) chicken recipe that is in constant rotation in my house!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 pounds boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Place the chicken breasts evenly into the pan. Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Turn the oven to broil and place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned on top.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat on microwave or in oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 321
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 642.2 mg
- Fat: 12.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.2 g
- Protein: 46.1 g
- Cholesterol: 145 mg
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Delicious! I have made this multiple times now, and have made some “alternations” just due to availability of ingredients on hand. I use 3 chicken breasts that I slice in half and tenderize with a meat hammer, 1/2 cup of mayo & 1/2 cup of light sour cream. I used gruyere cheese instead of Parmesan which gave it this very creamy sauce. I also topped it with a mixture of gluten free bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, and grated Parmesan. Huge hit everytime!
My very picky family really enjoyed this dish, the chicken was very flavorful and tender. I followed the recipe exactly but used light sour cream instead of the regular. I noticed the sauce curdled and it was a bit watery in the bottom of the baking dish.
I think next time, I’ll use regular sour cream and add a little flour mixed into the sour cream mixture. Hopefully this will avoid any curdling.
Chicken can definitely release water while baking and I have found it varies brand to brand. I drain the water when I’m done baking if too much is released. Glad you enjoyed!
I found that mine also separated when I used only sour cream. I switched to using 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 mayo, and that has stopped the separation.
One of my family’s favorites! Love this, it is so easy and delicious!
Have not tried this yet but I am definitely going to. It looks so good.
I was trying what to do with my chicken breast for dinner. As I’m searching on the web for quick easy chicken recipes, I came across this one and decided to try it. OMG ….. It truly was amazing. My kids and husband looooooved it. Just awesome
Thank you so much for the review and I’m so glad you liked it!!
The chicken was very tough definitely did not melt in my mouth. The flavor combination was delicious but eating tough chicken..
I would have to say it was the chicken….
So easy, flavorful, and creamy! Will definitely be making again 🙂
Amazing. Will make it a regular meal in my house.
I recommend cutting all ingredients in half except the sour cream, especially the parmesan cheese. Too salty and strong garlic flavor, and I am a salt and garlic person. I have learned to always use less parmesan than required, but I did not listen to myself.
Bullshit about liquid coming out chicken, small amount is normal but at the moment companies are hydrating chicken which increases weight, thus lots of excess fluid when cooking.