Lemon Mayonnaise Chicken

You know the old saying, “When Life Gives You Lemons… Make Chicken” right?  Well, it’s something like that.  I had to good fortune to be sent home with a TON of organic lemons from my sister’s tree in California a couple of weeks ago.  Her tree was FULL of them! It never ceases to thrill me when I get to cook/bake with them!

I, of course, did some baking, but I wanted to try a new chicken dish.  We eat chicken at least 3 times per week, so it’s nice to have something new to add to the rotation.  I had seen this recipe on Pinterest a few times, and went back to find it again.

I had never used mayo on my chicken before, but I am here to tell ya folks, there is a reason that it makes it so good! (I have since then used it on another chicken recipe I have yet to post)  It makes it so moist.  If you think baked chicken has to be dry, you are mistaken, my friend.  This marinade holds in the juices and the skin becomes a perfect golden crispy brown.

Now, if you don’t like mayo, and I know a lot of people don’t.  I want you to know that it doesn’t make the chicken taste like it.  This chicken had wonderful spices, and it was flavored with lemon.  So good.  It made a wonderful addition to salads and sandwiches the next couple of days, too!

Here it is, all rubbed down and sprinkled with spices and ready for the oven.

Don’t second guess if your chicken is done or not.  This Thermapen Mk4 is the best meat thermometer I have ever owned! 

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Lemon Mayonnaise Chicken

Perfectly marinated with mayonnaise and spices, this chicken, is then stuffed with lemons while baking,it has a wonderful flavor, and turns out so moist!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Additional Time15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: Chicken

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon Mayonnaise Chicken

Servings: 1 chicken

Calories: 4863kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• Thermapen Mk4 Instant-read Thermometer 

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 5 pound chicken giblets removed and rinsed inside and out, patted dry
• salt & pepper
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 small lemons 1 lemon zested and juiced the other 2 cut into quarters
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup dry white wine I used a Chardonnay

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place chicken in dutch oven.
• Mix together: mayonnaise, oregano and lemon juice and zest.
• Generously salt and pepper the chicken cavity. Rub the mayo mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Sprinkle with outside with salt and pepper. (I used a pepper mill, to get more of the pepper corn look.)
• Fill the inside of the chicken with the 2 quartered lemons. Pour the wine into the bottom of the dutch oven.
• Place the lid on your dutch oven and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for an additional hour, or until meat thermometer registers 165 degrees in the chicken's thigh.
• Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving, to unsure it will be nice and juicy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 4863kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 621g | Fat: 226g | Saturated Fat: 49g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 142g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10094mg | Sodium: 2875mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g

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Our favorite way to bake chicken is to stuff it with wild rice:

Easy Baked Chicken Stuffed with Long Grain & Wild Rice

Last summer when I got lemons, I made these yummy Chewy Glazed Lemon Cookies:

Got Chicken?

I have recipes… LOTS of them!

20+ Family Favorite Chicken Recipes

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recipe found and slightly adapted from the nutmeg nanny