Miracle Whip (Recipe: panko-crusted baked chicken)

Each year in August, I confess my sins -- well, the worst of my culinary sins -- and ask your forgiveness.

I love Miracle Whip.

There. I've said it.

First-time readers of The Perfect Pantry might attribute my love for this guiltiest of guilty pleasures to temporary insanity or summer heat stroke.

Not true.

I've been a four-seasons Miracle Whip lover, all year round, year after year, since long before my friends and I gave each other Miracle Whip facials in junior high school.

Miracle Whip Dressing -- by law it can't be called mayonnaise, because it contains vinegar and sugar -- was invented by Salem, Illinois, restaurant owner Max Crossett, who sold the formula to Kraft Foods in 1931 for a whopping $300. At Kraft, the salad dressing was mixed in a new type of emulsifying machine, nicknamed "Miracle Whip", which ensured that the ingredients would become thoroughly whipped and blended. Kraft introduced its new product at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933, where it was an instant success. And thanks to its long shelf-life and low price, Miracle Whip salad dressing remained a success throughout the Depression years.

While Miracle Whip is no all-natural product, the list of ingredients contains nothing I can't identify: water, soybean oil, vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch, sugar, salt, enzyme modified egg yolks, mustard flour, artificial color, potassium sorbate as a preservative, paprika, spice, natural flavor, dried garlic, beta carotene (color). The order of ingredients (which indicates the percentage of total content) has changed a bit since last year, giving me hope that one day soon Kraft will eliminate the HFCS.

Once opened, Miracle Whip must be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep almost indefinitely. The taste is both sweeter and brighter than homemade mayonnaise. Miracle Whip comes in "light" and "fat-free" versions as well, but I never use them; I much prefer the taste of the real thing, even if that thing isn't real mayo.

A bit of Miracle Whip smoothes the taste of pesto and guacamole. You can substitute MW in many recipes, like deviled eggs, that call for mayonnaise, or try these recipes for parmesan chicken, spinach and bacon quiche, broccoli raisin salad, ham and cheese tortellini, tomato soup vegetable salad, and cocoa cupcakes.

See you next August, when once again I promise to confess my (culinary) sins.

Now, what's your guilty pleasure?

PANKO-CRUSTED BAKED CHICKEN
Great for picnics, or chopped up in a crunchy summer salad. Serves 6.

1-1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 Tbsp Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Few drops of hot sauce, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloin removed, all fat trimmed

Preheat oven to 450°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Place panko in a pie plate or other flat-bottom bowl. In a mixing bowl, combine Miracle Whip, cheese, mustard, hot sauce and black pepper, and stir. Dip the chicken breasts into the mixture, and then roll them in the panko, pressing lightly to make sure the crumbs adhere. Place on the prepared sheet, and bake for approximately 20 minutes, turning once, or until the chicken is cooked through and the panko is browned. Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Deviled eggs
Vegetarian Cuban canapes
Grilled chicken salad
Jennifer's Criminal Crab Cakes
Curried orzo chicken salad

Comments

[Vicki]

I love Cheez Whiz. (Whew, that was hard.)

I grew up with Miracle Whip, but my parents always called it mayonnaise. If they wanted the real stuff they made in the food processor (which they always had), they'd call it "homemade mayo".

[Jason]

I love this post!!! I grew up with miracle whip, but am now a mayonaise convert and only eat realy mayo.
My guilty pleasure...the cheeze sauce with salsa in it, and I eat it with nacho cheese doritos! It sounds absolutly horrible, but I really love it. I think I only eat it once a year or so, so I don't feel too guilty.

[Michelle]

My husband is a Miracle Whip addict. Eats it with everything. And after 27 years of marriage, I still can't stand the stuff. It's not easy being a mustard gal living with a Miracle Whip Man. It just goes to show ya, opposites do attract.

[peabody]

I grew up on Miracle Whip and I still love it as well. To this day I can not have my Thanksgiving turkey sandwich without Miracle Whip.
And I love it with chicken, makes it so moist.

[rita]

guilty as charged.

i love miracle whip and can eat it with anything. more, pls :)

[Paz]

Another recipe to try. Hmmm... I don't think I've ever tried Miracle Whip. Gotta pick it up next time I'm in the market. ;-)

Paz

[Sue]

I generally do not like MW, but this recipe looks delicious.

Saturday night dinner for sure along with La Laiterie's corn pudding.

Thank you!

[jo]

Oh yea...I grew up in an exclusively Miracle Whip home and only ever had mayonnaise at my 'other' grandparents house.
Elbow macaroni salad in the summer just WOULD NOT be the same without miracle whip.
My Mom slathers it on swordfish and then puts it under the broiler to cook. Very good...and a taste of my childhood.

[Michele]

Miracle Whip or Hellman's? It's the divide some couples cannot cross. It should be a standard online dating question. I always substitue Hellman's whenever a recipe calls for MW, otherwise my ancestors would return from the great Hereafter to set me straight!

[Julia]

I was raised on Hellmans, but I've been told that MW makes a great lobster roll. I just confessed my guilty pleasure too...Popeyes Fried Chicken http://www.growcookeat.com/2008/07/my-ten-favorite-dishes-5-guilty.html

[Mary Coleman]

Doritos and Onion Dip. LOVE THIS.
I'm a Hellmann's girl born and bred. If I don't make the mayo I use Hellmanns. Miracle Whip has never graced my kitchen. Probably never will, but that's ok.
Difference of opinion makes horse races, as my grandfather used to say!

[Sharon]

Hi, my name is Sharon and I am a Fat Free Cool Whip addict....
I know, it is awful for me, however, I love it. I like to eat it with ice cream, fruit, just by itself off the spoon, you get the picture.
oooh, I feel much better!

[Marilyn @ Simmer Till Done]

Miracle Whip! My mom always made her deviled dggs with it - and I found later that if you used anything else, they just didn't taste the same way. Another secret (from way back) was the Squeeze Parkay we used to top corn on the cob. It just...covered everything so nicely. A melty, guilty pleasure indeed!

[KBo]

My live-in boyfriend loves Miracle Whip and I always give him crap about it...I'm mayo all the way!

I don't see how you guys like that sweet stuff, but "to each his own!"

If I listed all my guilty pleasures here...well, there just wouldn't be room. :)

[Susan Z]

Okay, my husband of 17 years doesn't even know this, but my guilty pleasure is fried crisp Spam on wonder bread slathered in Miracle Whip. ( If this gets out I'll be disowned by my Jewish family and have to go into the witness protection program :*)

[honey]

Would it spoil the recipe to use Hellmans?
Miracle Whip freaks me out! But I must say that every recipe I've tried from the P P has been a success... so maybe I'll give it try.

[April]

Oreos. Dunked in milk until they're all soft. I don't think I've ever had Miracle Whip. Hmm...

[Amy Sherman]

I created a similar recipe, I used equal parts melted butter and mustard and also crusted the chicken in panko. Amazing how crispy it comes out of the oven, isn't it? My guilty pleasure is Haagen Dazs ice cream, especially dulce de leche.

[Michelle]

I grew up on Miracle Whip... and my mom made a similar chicken dish that I still love. In recent years, I've converted over to mayo for most things... but there's still MW in my fridge!

[Cate O'Malley]

I never got into Miracle Whip, but panko bread crumbs, on the other hand...

[Heather]

Mmm. I love this sandwich that is actually pretty gross in terms of nutrition, etc. Buddig beef with Miracle Whip on some sort of soft wheat bread. And Spaghetti-O's. (no not together!!) They are just weird things that are comfort food to me, I guess from my child hood. :)

[Audrey]

I so love Miracle Whip. I remember being in high school. They sold sub sandwiches. The reason I loved them was the Miracle Whip. Forget the meat and cheese, I loved the bread and Miracle Whip.

[noobcook]

I haven't tried this b4 though I see it all the time ... and I shall try it ... I just love sinful food indulgence ;D

[Lydia]

Vicki, Cheese Whiz was a favorite of mine in my college days.

Jason, nobody has to apologize for their guilty pleasures, at least not here! I have real mayo in my fridge at all times, too.

Michelle, I know just how you feel -- I'm a "salt" girl married to a "sugar" guy!

Peabody, you are a girl after my own heart. MW on chicken sandwiches is a must for me, too.

Rita, yes yes yes!

Paz, I do think Miracle Whip is a love it or hate it thing, but I love it, and maybe you will, too. It does come in very small jars, so try the smallest size first!

Sue, of course the recipe works with Hellman's mayo, too (that's the brand I keep on hand when I don't want to make my own). And anything would be delicious with La Laiterie's corn pudding, including some of those burgers we're giving away this week.

Jo, for all the years I've been eating MW, I've never tried it on swordfish, which I love. So now I'll have to give that a try. I'm all for new ways to use Miracle Whip.

Michele, you're right, it should be one of those pre-marriage questions. Others: chocolate or vanilla? Chili with beans, or chili with no beans?

Julia, isn't confession supposed to be good for the soul? I feel better just telling all of you about my Miracle Whip love.

Mary, Doritos and onion dip sounds pretty great....

Sharon, thanks for sharing. And it's fat-free, so how awful can it be, really?

Marilyn, yes, deviled eggs with MW -- I still do that.

KBo, luckily I married a guy who likes Miracle Whip too, though if I suddenly changed to a mayo girl, he probably wouldn't notice. I use them both, in different ways.

Susan, my Jewish father's guilty pleasure was Spam, too! He first had it during WWII, and never lost his taste for it. We made him eat it outside!

Honey, Hellman's would be absolutely delicious in this recipe. Maybe not quite as delicious as Miracle Whip -- but that's just my addiction speaking...

April, love my Oreos, too. I always separate the top and bottom, lick out the filling, then eat the cookies. What's up with that?

Amy, love the mustard in this -- it really perks up the Miracle Whip. I'm a fan of Haagen Dazs, too -- any flavor, as long as it's chocolate.

Michelle, I do use both mayo and MW. I really think of them as different products, and prefer the less sweet taste of Hellman's in some dishes.

Cate, do try this with mayo if you're not a Miracle Whip girl. I love panko, too.

Heather, I'm laughing. My husband used to be the biggest Spaghetti-O's fan. At some point I just stopped buying it, but if I have it in the house, he's in heaven.

Audrey, it's clear that you went to a progressive high school!

Noobcook, please let me know what you think. You can see that people have strong opinions, one way or the other.

[honey]

Ok, Lydia. I went out and got a small jar of Miracle Whip just to try the recipe last night. It was worth it!. Husband questioned the M W but but changed his mind when we ate dinner. The recipe is most definitely a keeper. Thanks for your great blog...I really enjoy it!

[Mike]

I've never cooked with/used MW, but your dish certainly sounds tasty! One of these days I'll cross over... ;-)

[Aimee]

OK I have a little more respect for MW now! Not sure I'll add it to my grocery list, though! Culinary guilty pleasure? Does poutine count?

[Lydia]

Honey, welcome to the MW fan club! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe -- it's such a great picnic food.

Mike, it is a bit like going to the dark side, but I think MW is worth it. Let me know if you try it.

Aimee, oh yes, poutine is very high on the guilty pleasure list! My wonderful Canadian husband introduced me to poutine years ago.

[Scott]

Ah, miracle whip! How I used to love that tangy zip! I can't remember the last time I've had it though. Years and years. Mmmmm, miracle whip!

[Kirin]

I took MW out of the sin column a lonnnnnng time ago. I let it unleash the endorphines as I grin broadly through my homebaked hot-from-the-oven bread and tomatoes fresh from the garden, all slathered abundantly with MW. This ritual repeats until the tomatoes are finished, by then I've had my yearly fix and that's an end to it until next year.

[Lydia]

Scott, time to give it another taste? I think the formula has changed a bit over time, but it's still just as good as it was when I was a kid.

Kirin, I like the way you think! Yes, MW and garden-fresh tomatoes sounds perfect.

[Tartelette]

Hubby introduced me to it and I think he was expecting a "yuck" from me, which he did not get but I have to admit I did like its ability to coat chicken when I tried baked chicken for the first time! Nice recipe for the summer!

[Chris]

The first time I had Miracle Whip was in my 20s when I was trying to find something to eat in an ex's pantry.. ha! It wasn't bad! A mayo girl, it took me a sec to get used to it, but its ok with me! I must admit...my mouth watered reading this...time to bring MW to my kitchen! :)

[Sandie]

Lydia, you naughty Miracle Whip girl, have you tried my recipe for frozen fruit salad yet? If you love the tangy zip of Miracle Whip, I betting you'll enjoy that frozen salad!

By the way, I love the recipe you've included with this post. I make a similar dish and it's always been one of my favorite, go-to chicken recipes.

[dawn]

That recipe sounds so good. I have never really used Miracle Whip. I use Hellmans once in a while on sandwiches and salads. But I love your use of Panko here. I can't wait to try this one out.

[Andrea]

Both hubs and I grew up on MW, though we have both mayo and MW in the frig now. It took a while to convince him that mayo is good, too!

My favorite guilty pleasure is caramel syrup. It goes well with ice cream, coffee, or brownies, or all three together. Yum!

[Lydia]

Tartelette, sounds like we're cooking the same chicken dish -- it's one of my summer favorites.

Chris, there's room for both in the fridge -- at least, I always have both MW and mayo in mine. But if I had to choose just one, I'm afraid I'm a MW girl at heart.

Sandie, I haven't tried the frozen fruit salad, but I'll check your blog for the recipe!

Dawn, I joke about it, but this really will work with Hellman's or even homemade mayonnaise, too. But I promise it will taste better with Miracle Whip!

Andrea, caramel syrup and brownies sounds wonderfully over the top... but then, the ice cream and caramel sounds really amazing, too.

[ageekymom]

I make my chicken salad with MW. I add a little mustard and chopped onions and if I have them on hand, green grapes, mandarin oranges and slivered almonds.
Chicken salad made with mayo is bland to me.

[Mimi]

I refuse to feel guilty about the pleasure I get from Miracle Whip. I love mayo, too. Lately I've been using the stuff made with olive oil.

Guilty? Not me.

[Lydia]

Geekymom, your chicken salad sounds delicious!

Mimi, same here. No guilt.

[Kristen]

I love Miracle Whip too, Lydia. In fact, one of my favorite sandwiches is... one slice of bread, Miracle Whip, folded over. Mmmmmm!

[Lydia]

Kristen, what's more perfect than that? (White bread, I presume...!)

[Meeta]

I gave up Miracle Whip centuries ago! Although whenever I do use mayo I normally buy a small jar of Miracle Whip Balance. It does not make me feel so guilty! After reading your chicken recipe it looks I will be heading to the store for a small bottle again ;-)

[Ann]

I grew up with Hellmans, but know lots of MW devotees. Love the sound of your recipe and the confessional post. And now I am intrigued to see what you confessed to last year... :-)

[katie]

I love Miracle Whip! Needless to say it's not available here.
My favorite (are you sitting down?) is Miracle Whip and Spam sandwiches on white bread.... Ooops, gotta run, I see the food police....

[Lydia]

Meeta, it's not so bad for you every now and then...!

Ann, I confess to the same sin (MW) every year. I figure if I don't stop eating the stuff, I should atone.

Katie, I'd be happy to send a small jar in a care package. I definitely don't want you to go without.

[annmariemarie]

I only use Japanese Mayo -- the one in a squeezable jar, yes the one with a naked baby in its plastic cover. Why? I don't know! For some reason, I feel that it's healthier than other mayos in the grocery. I have never tried MW Dressing. But good for you, you could read the ingredients list in MW. The Japanese Mayo ingredients are unknown to me. I hope it does not have HFCS.

[Steph]

My mother was a Miracle Whip afficionado. When I finally tasted real mayo as a teenager, I was converted forever. Miracle Whip never again crossed my lips!

[Kelroy]

I too am a Miracle Whip lover. I am devestated that the recipe has changed.
Has anyone else noticed? What are we gonna do?

[Jorge]

I think deviled eggs made with Miracle Whip are simply delicious. People always ask me what I put in them!