A complete dinner in one pot, Roasted Mayonnaise Chicken Dinner is a whole chicken basted with a mayonnaise sauce and roasted on bed of potatoes, carrots, and onions.
I have to say, I was very skeptical of this chicken dish from the first time I saw it. But, I kept seeing variations on chicken recipes that used mayonnaise as a sauce. With a whole chicken in the fridge, I decided to put the recipe to the test. I made a few changes and a few minor tweaks, but the result was absolutely delicious.
This chicken dinner has everything you need to make a complete meal in just over an hour. It’s one pot and very little fussing around. It would make a great Sunday family dinner. And there’s enough to feed a family of four!
LET’S TALK CHICKEN
The chicken is obviously the main in this recipe. And, because we are preparing the entire dinner in one pot, it’s imperative that everything is cooked through, but not over cooked. The best way to achieve this is to ensure that your chicken is completely thawed, if you are using a previously frozen chicken) and that your chicken is as close to four pounds at possible.
If you use a smaller chicken, it will roast too quickly. So, by the time your veggies are done, the chicken might be a little dry. And, alternatively, if you use a larger chicken, the veggies will be a mushy mess by the time the chicken is cooked all the way through.
It is better to buy two chickens – again, at the 4 pound mark – if you need to feed more than four people. For best results, prepare each chicken the same way, but in two separate pots.
As important as it is to have a completely thawed and room temperature chicken, it’s also important to have a completely dry chicken. I wash everything before eating it, and chicken is no exception. Wash the chicken under cold running water. Be sure to wash the cavity too. Once done, dry the chicken very well with paper towels.
Drying the chicken will help the skin to crisp better. And, it will certainly help to keep the mayonnaise sauce from running off. Trust me on this one!
ROASTING AT A HIGH TEMPERATURE
Roasted Mayonnaise Chicken Dinner is prepared at a high temperature. I usually roast a chicken at 350 degrees, but this particular recipe needs 450 degrees. The intense heat will not only bake the chicken faster, but will lock in the juices. This means a more moist chicken.
Because of the very hot oven, and the addition of the mayonnaise sauce, the meat will be more moist and tender. The skin will brown more quickly and will create a barrier, which in essence, locks in the juices. The last thing you want to do is to let the chicken dry out. Dry chicken is the worst!
Remember, the lower the temperature, more moisture will be released. That excess moisture sits at the bottom of the pot and steams those veggies rather than roasting them. Do you know what else that excess moisture does? Turns the skin on the bottom of the chicken to a flabby mess. You want browned skin with lots of flavour!
MAYONNAISE ON CHICKEN?
Listen, Dear Reader, as far as I’m concerned, mayonnaise should be on everything! I just love it! But, yes, it does work on a roasted chicken. Now, I know that mayonnaise might have a bad rep. You know, it’s fatty and high in calories.
With that said, some of you might be tempted to use low fat mayonnaise. If you choose to do that – and, you can! – just remember to taste the sauce first and season accordingly. Low fat or fat free mayonnaise sometimes has less salt and you will want the saltiness to be just right in order to have a great tasting chicken dinner.
When I debated whether or not I would risk ruining a perfectly good chicken with mayonnaise, I thought the many recipes that already use mayonnaise and how much we love them. We use it in potato salads, quiche, hot dips and spreads, in salad dressings, etc., so why not? I’ve even used it in a chocolate cake!
VEGETABLE OPTIONS
The bottom of my pot was lined with chunks of potatoes and carrots, as well as a whole chopped onion. I placed in a few sprigs of thyme, a bunch of rosemary, and also some fresh sage. Those particular herbs are a classic pairing with roasted chicken, but you can change those up to match your personal tastes. I would consider summer savoury, or even tarragon.
For the vegetables, you’ll want to stick to root vegetables. They take a longer time to cook, so they won’t be mush when the chicken is cooked through. I would consider using golden beets, Brussels sprouts, turnip, parsnips, or even radishes. Roasted radishes are delicious!
THE RIGHT PAN FOR THE JOB!
Whenever I’m roasting something, I like to use a Dutch oven. They are great in high temperatures. They’re also really good at locking in moisture. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on brand name Dutch ovens. Any one will do just fine.
I have a bunch of them, but to be honest, one of my favourites is a very inexpensive Pioneer Woman Dutch Oven that I picked up at Walmart for $40. That’s a huge difference from the $400 Le Creuset version!
You can also use a roasting pan. Just be sure that there are enough vegetables to cover the bottom of the pan and to elevate the chicken so that it does not sit in its own juices. Remember, we want that skin to be browned and crispy!
Roasted Mayonnaise Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, 4 pounds
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes, optional
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- fresh thyme sprigs
- fresh rosemary sprigs
- fresh sage sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Wash and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Insert a sprig of rosemary, thyme, and sage into the cavity. Use butcher's twine to tie the legs together. Set aside.
- Place the potatoes, carrots, onions, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and two sprigs each of the sage, rosemary, and thyme into the Dutch oven. Stir to combine and distribute so that there is an even layer of veggies.
- Place the chicken on top of the veggies. Cover with a lid and roast for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, dried red chili flakes, and the remaining salt and pepper. Set aside.
- After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and baste the chicken with half of the mayonnaise mixture. Keep the lid off. Return to oven for another 20 minutes.
- Once again, remove from oven and baste with the remaining mayonnaise mixture. Return to oven for another 20 minutes.
- Check that the temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F. If not, return to oven for a few more minutes until done. If the chicken is browning too much, loosely tent with aluminum foil.
- Once done, remove from oven and let rest for five minutes. Lift out the chicken and carve. Use a slotted spoon to retrieve the vegetables. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Joanne says
Is there anything you could use besides mayonnaise? I just bought a new Dutch oven and am anxious to use it! Thanks.
AJ says
Hey Joanne,
Instead of mayonnaise, you can substitute it with sour cream, creme fraiche, or plain Greek yogurt.
Hope that helps!
AJ
AJ says
My Lord,
I just tried your Mayo Chicken today for Sunday lunch with the parents, and it was superb!
The veggies I used were purple top turnips, carrots, onions, celery, heart of palm (will discuss later), and LOTS of mushrooms, (love them!) – baby shiitakes and baby portabellas. I am, like yourself, a professional amateur chef and I would like to suggest some ideas on ingredients to be tried out in the future with this dish.
I love cooking with vinegar. The sharpness, tangy bite that the generic vinegar’s bring to recipes can really lift up the dish. Saying that, however, I found out using apple cider vinegar, ACV, was a little too overpowering. Knowing that it would be a bit too much, I instead used red wine vinegar. Again, the tangy flavor profile was there, but it was still too strong. The problem was with the finished dish, the vegetables in particular, really soaked up the vinegar and made them strong. I hardly tasted it on the chicken itself. It was still tasty, but it was like a punch in the mouth. I would like to suggest replacing the ACV, or my red wine vinegar, with a weaker vinegar, ie. a nice flavored rice wine vinegar, or better yet, some tarragon vinegar. Tarragon and roast chicken go very well together, either grilling or roasting. I also put some dried tarragon into the mayo baste. The cooking will leech out some of the herbs flavor but what was left on the chicken itself really complimented the baked bird. Now that I am thinking about it, you may can even substitute a 1/4c of lemon juice and one tbsp of fresh lemon zest and do away with the vinegar. The mayo itself has some vinegar kick to it, and I think that that would be enough if using the lemon juice and zest baste.
Earlier I mentioned the hearts of palm… I literally was desperate for veggies to bed the bird, so I grabbed a can out of the pantry, drained, and put it in with all the rest. To be honest, still using the original mayo baste, or with a modified version, this would make an excellent Mediterranean roast chicken!!!
Arrange carrots, leeks, green olives/capers, heart of palm, artichoke hearts, onions, parsnips, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, and whole cherry tomatoes on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add olive oil, fresh/ground thyme, rubbed sage and dried tarragon, juice of one lemon, and a 1/4c white wine. Mix to combine. Stuff chicken cavity with fresh sage, fresh thyme, fresh tarragon, 1 quartered lemon, 3 cloves of garlic-halved, celery leaves and parsley. Roast according to your directions and when done remove chicken to carve, scoop veggies out, add the juice of 1 more lemon and reduce drippings/cooking liquids by half. Finish your roasting liquid reduction with 2 tbsp of butter. Whisk to emulsify. Serve sauce over chicken and vegetables.
Hope you try my Mediterranean version sometime soon. Let me know what you think about it!
Thanks for the recipe!
AJ
Savannah, GA
JoEllen says
You cook it at 450 degrees the entire time? Is that not too hot?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Yes, and no, it’s not too hot. Just be sure you’re using a Dutch oven!
Jeanine says
I made this last night and it was one of the best chickens that I have
ever roasted! The veges were carmalized and super sweet!
I had to cook for an additional 1/2 hour to get the chicken to the right doneness. I did add a tiny bit of butter, whiskey and water toward the end because it was really drying out on the bottom. Turned out perfect! I had to use dried herbs because I didn’t have fresh. This is on the top of my rotation for chicken. The leftover pieces today are addicting.
Jslimon says
Thank you for this. Absolutely delicious.
Felicity Isserow says
Proof will be in the tasting! Loved the taste of Marinade! Felicity CapeTown