Mayo-Marinated Chicken With Chimichurri

By J. Kenji López-Alt

Updated April 26, 2024

Mayo-Marinated Chicken With Chimichurri
David Malosh for The New York Times
Total Time
About 10 minutes, plus marinating if desired
Rating
4(4,021)
Comments
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If the idea of rubbing chicken cutlets with mayo before grilling them leaves you cold, I relate — I felt the same way until I tried it. Now I use mayonnaise as the base for nearly every marinade I use, whether I’m cooking on the grill or in a cast-iron skillet indoors. The magic of mayo is that it helps your other marinade ingredients spread evenly across the surface of the meat, delivering more consistent flavor, while improving browning. (Don’t worry, the cooked meat doesn’t taste like mayo.) In this recipe, that means chicken cutlets that cook through and brown in about four minutes, with deep chimichurri flavor enhanced by a post-grill drizzle of fresh sauce. This recipe will work with nearly any marinade, exactly as written: You could use pesto, salsa verde, bottled barbecue sauce, jarred Thai curry paste, teriyaki sauce or mole, all with equal success.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • 4chicken breast cutlets (4 to 5 ounces each), pounded about ¼-inch thick
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • ⅓cup store-bought or homemade mayonnaise
  • 1cup chimichurri (see recipe)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season chicken cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk together mayonnaise and ¼ cup chimichurri in a large bowl. Reserve remaining chimichurri. Add chicken cutlets to the mixture and turn to coat. Cook immediately, or for better flavor, transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

  3. Step 3

    To cook on the grill: Heat a gas or charcoal grill over high heat for 10 minutes. Cook chicken cutlets directly over high heat, turning and flipping occasionally, until just cooked through and lightly charred all over, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon some of the remaining chimichurri over the chicken and serve the rest in a small bowl on the side.

  4. Step 4

    To cook in a skillet: Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water immediately balls up and dances across the surface. Add chicken cutlets in a single layer and cook, swirling them and flipping them occasionally until browned all over and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon some of the remaining chimichurri over the chicken and serve the rest in a small bowl on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
4,021 user ratings
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Comments

JP

Question about the mayo searing. If you are going to sous vide, do you put the mayo on the meat before or after the sous vide?

Perignon

A variation I love is blending 1 tbs of garlic paste and 1 tbs of mushroom powder into 1/4 cup mayo. It's amazing on almost any meat or fish. When a grill is not available it makes 6oz filet mingon steaks done in my cast iron skillet come out perfectly medium rare, with a beautiful and delicious note of crust that doesn't require overcooking.

Tony R

Ok now the whole nation is going to be cooking with mayo :) If you like Indian flavors, it can get even simpler. Buy masala from any Indian store (I prefer one of the the Shaan kabab mixes for this). Mix the masala with mayo (adjust based on preferred spice level), slather it on the meat and bake. This works best for thinner portions of meat. Lamb or goat chops work well. Use a thermometer to control doneness. You can throw in some veggies into the pan as well. Elegant family dinner in 20.

AMReing

Excellent recipe! However I made a chimichurri using parsley and cilantro, as I’m not a big fan of oregano. Came out fantastic.

Yumyum25

I love the mayo tip - it makes so much sense! I’ve mixed many other flavours in for other dishes and it really works as a great medium to carry flavour as well as an ideal fat to fry/cook in

tim

I see there are lots of comments about various aspects of this recipe, but I wanted to go on record as loving this dish. I was skeptical of the dried oregano and the heat that 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes would add, but in the end this was really pretty darn delicious. I served it with crispy, roasted vinegar and salt potatoes. The mayo technique produced beautifully flavorful meat! And the oregano and garlic forward chimichurri holds up after the marinating and frying. Give it a try as written!

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