I am amazed at just how this recipe for Easy Italian Baked Chicken actually is.
It is also really good too!
Easy Italian Baked Chicken
This great-tasting chicken recipe is perfect for anyone who does not have a lot of time to prepare a chicken meal but, wants something delicious to eat. It is also for anyone who appreciates a good meal prep hack (like myself!).
This chicken recipe reminds me of my very popular Mediterranean Diet Chicken Piccata recipe.
That chicken recipe was based upon the classic piccata flavoring that is thanks to adding lemon. However, this recipe is more about the flavors that remind us most of Italian food.
Do you want to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet?
Find out how to follow the Mediterranean Diet here.
This recipe answers the question for anyone who asks can you cook chicken in its marinade,
This short answer is yes, you can cook chicken in its marinade, according to experts.
If you have any doubts, you can either not use the soaking marinade for baking or you can use a fresh batch of marinade for baking with.
But, there is a precaution that you should take when it comes to chicken and marinade.
The marinade that is used with the raw chicken should never be used with cooked chicken. As a result, I always suggest that if you want to serve your chicken with marinade as a sauce, you have a double batch of marinade, using half of it for your raw chicken to sit in and the other half purely for serving your chicken with.
There are theories about what temperature should you bake chicken at.
The goal of the perfect cooked or baked chicken is to have a moist chicken that is thoroughly baked or cooked through. That is, your chicken should not be pink on the inside and it should not resemble cardboard when you bite into it.
Most recipes for baked chicken recommend an oven temperature between 350 and 425.
Obviously, baking at a higher temperature can risk drying out your chicken. Since this recipe is for a moist chicken, we will bake the chicken in the marinade at the lower temperature instead.
Tips Easy Italian Baked Chicken
I just mentioned that this is a chicken recipe that is baked in a marinade. The marinade that the raw chicken has sat in and baked in should not be served with the chicken. Instead, if you want to use a marinade for serving your chicken with, simply make a double batch of marinade and divide it.
Here are some more great tips for you.
- To make this recipe, we will make a simple marinade that is friendly to the Mediterranean diet and has Italian seasonings flavoring it. However, you can use a simple hack of using Italian Salad Dressing as a marinade instead of making your own marinade. I would look for a dressing that is friendly to the Mediterranean diet (look for dressing olive oil for example).
- Use a fork to poke small holes into your chicken bread before marinading it to allow the juice to soak into the chicken. Then midway through baking, spoon the marinade over the chicken.
- Loosely covering the chicken with foil while it bakes helps the chicken retain moisture that could normally dry up in an oven. The loose foil will also make it easier for you to flip and spoon marinade over your chicken as it bakes.
How long does chicken need to sit in marinade?
The longer the better, up to a point. I would say allow the chicken to sit in the marinade for a minimum of an hour. Even better, you can allow the chicken to sit overnight in the refrigerator in the marinade.
Marinading the chicken allows the chicken to soak up moisture.
This moisture is needed to bake a better tasting, more moist, chicken breast. After all, I can think of nobody that I know who enjoys dry chicken that resembles cardboard.
Here is how to prepare your chicken breast for baking in this recipe.
Some people like to rinse the chicken and cut off any fat or anything attached to it (please take proper poultry precautions). I like the idea of using a fork to poke small holes in the chicken before soaking it in the marinade to allow the marinade to soak thought.
By the way, while you are here you may also be interested in these ideas.
- Easy Chicken Orzo Salad (think leftovers from this recipe!).
- Mediterranean Diet Olive Oil Cake.
- How to Follow the Mediterranean Diet.
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Easy Italian Baked Chicken
Easy Italian Baked Chicken
As mentioned, to make this recipe, we will make a simple marinade that is friendly to the Mediterranean diet and has Italian seasonings flavoring it. However, you can use a simple hack of using Italian Salad Dressing as a marinade instead of making your own marinade. I would look for a dressing that is friendly to the Mediterranean diet (look for dressing olive oil for example).
I also mentioned that it can be a good idea to use a fork to poke small holes into your chicken bread before marinading it.
This is done to allow the juice from the marinade to soak into the chicken. Then midway through baking, you can spoon marinade over the chicken.
The Ingredients Needed for this Easy Italian Baked Chicken
We will make our own marinade using the first five ingredients listed below.
However, you can use a simple hack of using Italian Salad Dressing as a marinade instead of making your own marinade. I would look for a dressing that is friendly to the Mediterranean diet (look for dressing olive oil for example).
Ingredients needed for this recipe.
- Vinegar- ½ cup Red Wine Vinegar is a good choice for this recipe.
- Olive Oil- 1 ½ cups.
- Garlic- 1 clove minced (about 1 teaspoon) or crushed.
- Seasonings- 2 teaspoons total for the dressing. Additional for the chicken as needed. This can include Italian Seasonings, Salt, and/or Pepper.
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon. Can try an alternative.
- Chicken- 4 skinless breasts.
How to make this Easy Italian Baked Chicken.
- I suggest using a large zip top bag for the chicken to sit in the marinade in. Place the chicken into the bag.
- In a mixing bowl , whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, seasonings, and sugar. Then pour it over the chicken in the bag and seal the bag. Move the bag around as needed to assure that the chicken gets fully covered with the liquid. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. You can allow the chicken to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- When you are ready to bake your chicken. Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare a 9 X 13 glass baking dish (I like to lightly spray mine).
- Remove the chicken from the bag and place it in the dish. If you have any doubts about baking the chicken with the marinade you can simply discard it and use another batch to use. I like to lightly cover the chicken with
foil to help keep the chicken moist. - Bake the chicken for 50-60 minutes or until it is fully baked (clear juices and no red in the middle). Flipping the chicken midway can help bake it evenly.
- Serve with additional seasonings and marinade.
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Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used.
This delicious and Easy Italian Baked Chicken is friendly to the Mediterranean, Gluten Free, and Low Carb diets.
Easy Italian Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- Vinegar- ½ cup Red Wine Vinegar is a good choice for this recipe. Olive Oil– 1 ½ cups.
- Garlic– 1 clove minced about 1 teaspoon or crushed.
- Seasonings- 2 teaspoons total for the dressing. Additional for the chicken as needed. This can include Italian Seasonings Salt, and/or Pepper.
- Sugar– 1 teaspoon. Can try an alternative.
- Chicken- 4 skinless breasts.
Instructions
- I suggest using a large zip-top bag for the chicken to sit in the marinade in. Place the chicken into the bag.
- In a mixing bowl , whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, seasonings, and sugar. Then pour it over the chicken in the bag and seal the bag. Move the bag around as needed to assure that the chicken gets fully covered with the liquid. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. You can allow the chicken to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- When you are ready to bake your chicken. Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare a 9 X 13 glass baking dish (I like to lightly spray mine).
- Remove the chicken from the bag and place it in the dish. If you have any doubts about baking the chicken with the marinade you can simply discard it and use another batch to use. I like to lightly cover the chicken with foil to help keep the chicken moist.
- Bake the chicken for 50-60 minutes or until it is fully baked (clear juices and no red in the middle). Flipping the chicken midway can help bake it evenly.
- Serve with additional seasonings and marinade.
Recipe Notes
This is done to allow the juice from the marinade to soak into the chicken. Then midway through baking, you can spoon marinade over the chicken.
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Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!
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