How long to marinate chicken breast in italian dressing

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Italian Dressing Chicken is juicy, tender, and embarrassingly easy to make. Whether you’re making this zesty Italian Chicken on the grill or in the oven, this is a quick and simple recipe the whole family will love!

I first posted a recipe for this Easy Italian Dressing Chicken way back in 2011, when the only people who read my blog were my husband and my mom.

Not all the recipes from those early days have stood the test of time, but this is one we continue to make over and over again.

It’s so incredibly simple and reliably delicious, it’s become a standard in our home. We can’t wait to share how to grill or bake your way to some flavorful Italian Dressing Chicken.

Ingredients for Italian Dressing Chicken Marinade

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Italian dressing
• Chicken
• Salt and pepper

Yes, I’m serious. THAT’S IT. Italian dressing makes an AWESOME marinade for chicken. It has a great balance of acid and oil, plus plenty of herbs to add flavor.

Italian Dressing Chicken should be marinated for at least 30 minutes but preferably 2+ hours. This gives the meat plenty of time to absorb all those delicious flavors!

What Italian Dressing Marinade to Use

You can use store bought or Homemade Italian Dressing for this recipe. We’ve tested several different kinds of store bought dressing, including Wishbone Zesty Italian and Olive Garden Italian Dressing.

While they all work great, we’ve found we like the Wishbone Zesty dressing or homemade dressing the best.

What Chicken to Use for Italian Chicken

We generally stick to boneless skinless chicken cuts when using a marinade. Most often we use chicken breasts or tenderloins for Italian Dressing Chicken, but boneless skinless thighs work well too!

One tip: If you’re using chicken breasts, take the time to pound them to an even thickness before grilling. This results in more even cooking, so the ends aren’t burnt before the center is cooked through.

How much marinade to use for chicken

In general, you will need about 1/2 cup of marinade per pound of meat. Feel free to scale up or down based on your needs.

How to make Grilled Italian Dressing Chicken

Now that you’ve gathered that super long list of ingredients (har), let’s make some chicken!

1. Marinate the chicken in a zip lock bag or dish in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees. Dunk a paper towel in a dish of vegetable oil and use a pair of tongs to oil the grill grates and help prevent sticking.
3. Place the chicken on the preheated grill and grill for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees.

How to Make Baked Chicken with Italian Dressing

1. If using chicken breasts, pound the chicken to an even thickness of 3/4-1 inch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, then place in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2+ hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes (for a thinner cut) or 30-35 (for a thicker cut). I recommend using a meat thermometer so you don’t over cook it! Chicken is done when it’s reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can you freeze marinated chicken?

Absolutely! Freezing marinated meats is one of the easiest dinner hacks. Simply place your chicken in a freezer plastic bag, add 1/2 cup of marinade for every 1 lb. of meat, seal, and freeze.

The meat will keep for around 9 months. Let the marinated chicken thaw in the fridge overnight. It will soak up all the wonderful flavors as it thaws, then you can just grill or bake as usual!

What to Serve with Italian Grilled Chicken:

Looking for side dishes? We love serving Italian Grilled Chicken with Garlic Green Beans or Balsamic Grilled Vegetables. It’s also lovely alongside Creamy Mashed Potatoes.

I always recommend making extras of this chicken, because it makes GREAT leftovers. Slice it and add to a garden salad recipe to turn it into a full meal! We also love cutting it up and using it for Cranberry Chicken Salad.

More favorite Marinade Recipes:

• Marinated Skirt Steak with Simple Summer Salad
• Spicy Chicken Marinade
• Mexican Chicken Marinade
• The Best Pork Chop Marinade

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Italian Dressing (store bought or homemade)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin wrapped in saran wrap. Salt and pepper the chicken.
2. Place chicken in a ziplock bag or baking dish and add the marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2+ hours.

To grill:

1. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees. Dip a paper towel in vegetable or canola oil and use tongs to rub the oil over the grill grates to prevent sticking.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it directly on the grill. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

To bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken and marinade in a baking dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227

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