I used to make this Italian dressing chicken a lot as a student and people raved about it. They must have thought I had mad cooking skills. I let them believe that. To marinate or not to marinate, that is the question. I think chicken and especially chicken breasts definitely benefit from some marination. If all you have is 30 minutes, then marinate for 30 minutes. If you can marinate overnight, that’s even better. Skipping marination altogether is no problem either. I’ve done that and still had a great tasting Italian chicken. The reason why Italian dressing works as a marinade for chicken is not coincidental. It consists of fat, vinegar, salt, sugar and seasonings in the proportions that a typical marinade calls for – usually 3 parts oil/fat, 1 part acidic component, plus seasonings. It’s a great chicken sauce too. That’s why this recipe is so awesome and works even without marination.
You can use any part of a chicken to make Italian dressing chicken, though, chicken breasts are most commonly used. Baked chicken breasts are my favorite too. You may wonder why my chicken breasts have those little cute bones sticking out. I am using airline chicken breasts this time around. Also known as airline chicken, statler chicken or Frenched breast. Essentially, it’s a boneless chicken breast with the drumette attached. When I buy whole chickens I sometimes butcher them this way.
To complete the dish I like to add a quick vegetable stir-fry to my baked chicken breasts, like stir-fried balsamic mushrooms which are ridiculously good and perfect for a healthy, low-carb side.
Looking for more great baked chicken breast recipes? Check these out:
Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Baked Marinated Asian Chicken Breast Baked Chicken Breast (Moist & Tender)
