If you’re looking for family-based meals that are easy to prep and take practically no time at all then this Italian Chicken recipe is for you. You only need to secure 20 minutes of prep time in order to make this single sheet pan dinner and you can customize it to use just about any kind of vegetable you want. Sheet-pan Italian chicken is a flavorful and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Sheet pan dinners are a savior for any busy parent that needs to make quick meals for the family that taste delicious but don’t take the entire night to make. Whether work is running late or traffic kept you late to come home, this dinner is the perfect choice for those busy nights.
The Italian Chicken is made with chicken, potatoes, and your choice of vegetables that you can easily customize to fit the needs of the entire family. The ingredients are tossed in oil and Italian seasoning before being placed onto the skillet and roasted until golden brown.
Once you get used to the Italian chicken recipes, you can start adding it to your weekly routine and cut off even more time to make this dish.
It’s healthy, easy-to-make, and you don’t need any cooking skills to get it done.
Making Italian Chicken
What really makes this dish stand out is the irresistible balsamic marinade sauce that covers the entire chicken and brings out a zesty flavor. You can also use a ton of healthy veggies in this dies like bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, and onions. Boneless skinless chicken breast also makes this dish healthier.
As the seasons change you can change up the veggies too and add in fresh ingredients like mushrooms, squash, or asparagus. The possibilities are endless! When you’re done, this dish will taste great and look even better with the multiple colors involved.
PRO TIP!
If marinating your chicken is taking too much time out of your day you can also substitute this dish from something like an Italian sausage and rice casserole which is super easy to make and requires everyday ingredients. You can also use an instant pot or make crock pot Italian chicken to make it easy on yourself.
Ingredients
Chicken Breast – This chicken breast recipe is so easy to make all you really need is your high-quality chicken cuts. Chicken breast is going to be healthier for your and add a nice balance to the savory seasonings you’ll add later. Once you know how to make a good Italian chicken dish you can use this recipe as the base and then switch out the meat for pork, lamb, or beef.
Marinade – You’ll definitely want to add some delicious marinade to your chicken to make it really stand out when you serve it to the family. Adding garlic, black pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar create a delicious blend of zesty flavor that goes perfectly with some cooked chicken.
PRO TIP!
The marinade is so good in this recipe you’re going to find multiple ways to use it in other dishes. In fact, it’s the perfect companion for adding to some vegetables when you’re making other recipes.
Zucchini – There aren’t a ton of recipe that call for zucchini so when you can add it in you need to take advantage and really bring out the flavor. It adds a nice contrast to the chicken and potatoes while adding some extra nutrients.
Tomatoes – You can’t really have an Italian dinner without adding in some kind of tomato into the mix. If you are busy and don’t have a lot of time for prepping then head straight for the cherry tomatoes because they’re so small that you don’t need to do anything but stick them in the oven. They shrink to and add a perfect burst of flavor and juice to your delicious skinless chicken breast.
Green Beans – Green beans aren’t just delicious when you throw them in the oven but they come with plenty of health benefits too. You’ll get a ton of fiber and vitamins to help fill you up after dinner is over.
Adjusting the Recipe
What makes this Italian chicken recipe so good is how customizable it is. You don’t have to use any of the vegetables that are recommended in this article, you can get crazy and add in anything that sounds or looks interesting.
You can also switch up the marinade ingredients to make a different flavor profile each time you make this dish. For example, adding some rosemary and oregano will give your chicken an amazing Mediterranean flavor while adding some basil and thyme takes it in a more Italian direction.
If you are using different kinds of veggies that are considered to be “hard” then you will want to try and cut them into smaller pieces. Ingredients like potatoes take a long time to cook so cutting them smaller will help to speed up the process. Alternatively, you could also just start cooking the potatoes sooner than the other parts of the dish to even out the cooking times.
On the other hand, soft veggies that don’t take long times to cook will need to be added later in the cooking time. That way, they don’t get mushy while the other ingredients are perfectly cooked.
Parmesan – You can never have too much parmesan cheese on your Italian dish and the fresher the better. Grate it down on top of your dish right after taking it out of the oven so the cheese melts perfectly on top of your chicken.
Parsley – You don’t need to add parsley in the dish while it is cooking and this fresh ingredient should be kept for after everything is done as a garnish.
PRO TIP!
Want to add some grains to your dish? No problem! This Italian chicken recipe pairs perfectly with a side of quinoa or brown rice to give you a complete and delicious dinner. If you really want to make it authentic then you’ll make some fresh pasta that pair perfectly with your balsamic chicken dish.
Directions
Take a mallet and start tenderizing your pieces of chicken so they can become soft and thinner. Then, season with salt and put it in a Ziplock bog.
Pour all seasoning and marinade ingredients together and mix. Pour everything over your chicken and let it sit in the marinade for as long as 8 hours.
Use the other half of the marinade for your veggies.
Place all your veggies and chicken on a single layer sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for around 15 – 20 minutes at 435F.
When it’s all done, remove the chicken and sprinkle parmesan cheese and fresh parsley on top.
DIETARY NOTE
The recipe has been made to be gluten free. You can remove all dairy by removing the parmesan cheese.
Storage Tips
To Store – Throw all leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days
To Reheat. Preheat oven to 350F for the veggies. Microwave chicken till warm and serve everything together when finished.
Italian Chicken
This delicious recipe is incredibly easy to make for any skill level and includes healthy vegetables with a zest Italian marinade.
Take out your best cutting board and place your pieces of chicken on top. Then, use a piece of plastic wrap to cover all of your pieces of chicken. Then, using a meat mallet, you are going to tenderize the chicken by lightly pounding your breasts until you reach a thickness of around 1/2 inches. The process will help your chicken cook more evenly and quickly. Uncover your chicken and throw away your plastic wrap.
Give the chicken a nice covering of salt and then place it all in a Ziplock bag where you will let them marinate for several hours.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, you'll add in your marinade ingredients including black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Mix up all of your ingredients together until they are mixed thoroughly.
Take half of the marinade mixture you just made and pour it into your Ziplock bag where the chicken is resting. You want to make sure all sides of the chicken are covered to get the best flavor results. Once you are done you can let the bag lay flat in the fridge and keep it there for up to 8 hours but no less than 30 minutes The longer you wait the more the chicken will have a chance to absorb all the flavors.
As the chicken is marinating you have time to start preparing your vegetables. The cherry tomatoes will be left whole so no prep is needed for those. Take your zucchini and cut it into 3/4 dices and you don't have to worry about taking the peel off. You'll be eating it all in this dish. Trim off the ends of the green beans and then place all your veggies into a second Ziplock bag where you will be pouring out the second part of your marinade mixture. Place your veggies in with your chicken and let everything marinade until you are ready to cook.
Preheat the oven to 425F and then remove your chicken and your veggies from the fridge and allow them to come up to room temperature before cooking them in the oven.
Take out a large baking dish and line the inside with parchment paper so that the chicken and veggies don't get stuck on the bottom. Arrange your veggies so that they lay on the outside of the pan while your chicken is right in the middle. You don't want your chicken to overlap each other but your veggies can overlap slightly.
Bake your dish for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of your chicken reaches around 165F. If your chicken is thicker it will take more time to cook and thinner pieces will be done more quickly. When everything is done top it all off with some parmesan cheese and some parsley.
Notes
You can easily adjust cooking times if your veggies aren't done by removing the chicken from the pan and putting it on a plate while you throw the veggies back in the oven. You'll need to cover your chicken so it stays warm while you are cooking your veggies. Any liquid that is leftover should stay in the pan.
To Store - Throw all leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To Reheat - Preheat oven to 350F for the veggies. Microwave chicken till warm and serve everything together when finished.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
