Italian Dressing Chicken made with only two ingredients is a simple and mouth wateringly delicious dish with juicy baked chicken thighs smothered in a tangy marinade.
Chicken cooked with Italian Dressing is ridiculously simple to make, but absolutely one of our family’s favorite meals! This recipe makes flavorful and incredibly juicy piece of meat that you’ll want to make again and again! Try it alongside some easy zucchini noodles with blender spaghetti sauce and chocolate chip nutella brownies for dessert!
Italian Dressing Chicken
Italian Dressing Chicken
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Italian Dressing Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken – My preference for this recipe is bone-in chicken thighs with skin. The meat comes out tender and juicy, while the skin browns and crisps beautifully. Drumsticks are also a great option. You can use boneless cuts or breast meat as well.
- Italian Salad Dressing – You can use any kind of Italian salad dressing you prefer, but our favorite for a quick dinner is a super basic Wishbone or Kraft bottle. Store brand is totally fine too! It is fun to play with flavors sometimes too though, try a few different styles (maybe balsamic or red wine vinegar) and find your own fave! Want to get fancy? Try using our homemade creamy dressing.
- Parsley – This is a very tan dish (delicious, but very tan). As such, I like to sprinkle a little fresh chopped parsely, or sometimes green onion on top before serving.
How to you make chicken with Italian dressing? (Step-by-step)
⭐ First, place chicken thighs skin side up in a casserole dish. It’s fine to crowd them in, but they should still be in a single layer.
⭐ Next, using your upright blender or stick blender, blend the Italian dressing until it is emulsified and completely homogeneous (looks the same throughout).
⭐ Then, pour dressing over chicken, making sure to lift each piece and allow dressing to get underneath as well.
⭐ Finally, bake until chicken reaches a safe temperature and skin is turning golden. If you are using a broiler safe dish, you can turn the broiler on for a minute or two (watching very closely) to brown skin further.
Preparation
Can you make Italian Dressing Chicken ahead of time?
You can prepare the chicken in the marinade up to 48 hours in advance of cooking it. Alternatively, you can bake it 3 – 4 days ahead and store the cooked chicken in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Do you have to marinate the chicken in advance?
You do not have to marinate the chicken in this recipe ahead of cooking. We typically do not at our house.
How long can you marinate chicken?
Chicken should be marinated no more than 48 hours in advance. Any longer than this and the dressing will cause the chicken to be tough.
Can I use chicken breasts instead?
You can use chicken breasts instead of thighs in this recipe. Use a meat thermometer to remove the breasts from the oven as soon as they reach a safe internal temperature (165 F) to avoid over cooking. Chicken breasts can become dry and tough if cooked too long.
Leftovers and Storage
How long will Italian dressing chicken last before it’s cooked?
You can marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before cooking it. Do not marinate chicken longer than that as the acids in the dressing will cause the meat to toughen if left too long.
Another alternative is to freeze the chicken in the marinade for up to several weeks.
How long will cooked Italian dressing chicken last?
Cooked chicken will last 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to three months.
Make sure it’s kept in a sealed refrigerator/freezer safe container and has not been left out at room temperature for longer than two hours at any time. If it has been left out in excess of 2 hours, the chicken should be disposed of.
Can you freeze Italian dressing chicken?
You can freeze the chicken either before it is cooked or after. The chicken should be stored in an airtight freezer safe container.
If freezing before cooking, you can keep the uncooked marinated chicken in the freezer for a few weeks. If freezing after cooking, the chicken can be kept in the freezer for several months.
How to reheat?
Reheat in the microwave for 60 – 90 seconds on high power. You may want to cover the dish with a paper towel or other device to avoid splatter.
Complete this meal with our recipe suggestions
I am a chicken and potatoes gal, so you’d better believe I’m going to suggest some oven roasted red potatoes as the perfect side dish for this recipe.
But if you don’t have two ovens and still want potatoes, try using a larger casserole dish and cooking the potatoes right alongside the chicken. They’ll be totally delicious!
For something green, try our broccoli salad recipe, easy sauteed vegetables, or shaved brussel sprouts salad. I also love chicken alongside this easy cranberry sauce recipe. And you’ll definitely want to end on a sweet note with a thick slice of our cinnamon sour cream coffee cake!
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Pan seared chicken thighs
- Teriyaki chicken thighs
- Crockpot honey garlic chicken thighs
- Peanut butter chicken thighs
- Honey mustard chicken thighs
- See all our easy chicken thigh recipes!
Other Italian inspired dishes
Tools we love
- Stick blender – Possibly the most used gadget in my entire kitchen. The key to making a hand blender useful versus a giant pain in the butt is to rinse it immediately after using. That way you’re never trying to get crusty dried goop out from under the blades.
- Digital meat thermometer – The best way to get a quick reading on your meats and make sure you don’t serve overcooked food!
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How to Make Italian Dressing Chicken
Italian Dressing Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 large chicken thighs bone in/skin on
- 1 bottle Italian dressing 16 ounces
- Chopped fresh parsley or green onion optional
Instructions
- Blend Italian dressing with a stick blender or in an upright blender until emulsified (when the oil is no longer separated and it all looks the same throughout).
- Place chicken thighs in single layer, skin side up, into a 9 x 11 roasting pan. It’s fine if they are packed in tightly, just make sure they are in a single layer and not stacked on top of one another.
- Cover with Italian dressing, lifting each chicken thigh to make sure sauce is on all sides.
- Bake on middle rack of oven at 350 degrees uncovered for 45 - 50 minutes, or until chicken reaches a safe internal temperature (165 F).
- If using a broiler safe dish, turn on broiler for 1 - 3 minutes to brown and crisp skin. (Watch carefully to avoid burning).
- Garnish with chopped parsley or green onion.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t get enough chicken? Try our smoked chicken legs recipe!
Italian Dressing Chicken
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Kyanna says
I’m doing chicken leg quarters with red potatoes, onions & peppers in the same pan then a side salad as well!
April Woods says
sounds wonderful!
Heidi Harvey says
making tonight! 😀
Kimberly says
I put my chicken in a ziplock bag drench in Italian dressing and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and grill it so good