This super simple recipe can be used to dress a salad or as my personal favorite, Italian Marinade for Chicken. It takes just seconds to whip up and makes your chicken extremely flavorful.
It's kind of a throwback recipe to childhood but made from scratch since I'm now a chef.
Ingredients
Why buy dressing or marinade when it only requires a few ingredients and ones that I consider pantry staples? I could make this dressing or marinade at the drop of a hat any day.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
It really couldn't be easier to whip this up. I throw all the ingredients into my mini food processor and pulse it a few times and you have a perfect Homemade Italian Dressing.
Then to marinate some chicken, I typically do breasts, but you could do any cut you prefer, put the chicken and the dressing in a zip-top bag and let it hang out for a bit.
When you are ready to cook the chicken, fire up the grill or heat a grill pan indoors and grill the chicken to perfection.
Notes & Tips
I like to use a mini chopper or food processor to make this dressing. It helps make sure that you keep some of the chunkiness to the dressing, instead of a super smooth puree. I like that some of the garlic stays visible.
Because I use fresh lemon juice in this recipe, you have to do a quick marinade of the chicken, 30 minutes or less. Or do an overnight marinade. It is either or, or you get rubbery tough chicken.
Substitutions
I use EVOO in pretty much everything, you could use a more neutral oil like regular olive oil, canola, or sunflower oil.
Red Wine Vinegar is traditional for Italian Dressing, but you could use apple cider, or white balsamic even for a little bit of flavor variation.
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📖 Recipe
Italian Marinade for Chicken
This super simple recipe can be used to dress a salad or as my favorite, Italian Marinade for Chicken and it takes just seconds to whip up.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Chicken Breasts or Thighs
- ¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon Basil, dried
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Roasted Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- Juice of 1 medium Lemon
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the cup of a blender or mini food processor.
- Pulse until the garlic is in small pieces, but not a paste.
- To marinate the chicken, place it in a zip-top bag and pour over the marinade.
- Squeeze out the air and make sure it is tightly closed. Roll the chicken around in the bag to ensure it is well coated in the marinade.
- Let the chicken rest in the marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight if desired.
- The chicken can now be baked, broiled, or grilled. I personally prefer to grill it.
- Note: The marinade can be double and be used as a homemade salad dressing too!
Notes
Notes & Tips
I like to use a mini chopper or food processor to make this dressing. It helps make sure that you keep some of the chunkiness to the dressing, instead of a super smooth puree. I like that some of the garlic stays visible.
Because I use fresh lemon juice in this recipe, you have to do a quick marinade of the chicken, 30 minutes or less. Or do an overnight marinade. It is either or, or you get rubbery tough chicken.
Substitutions
I use EVOO in pretty much everything, you could use a more neutral oil like regular olive oil, canola, or sunflower oil.
Red Wine Vinegar is traditional for Italian Dressing, but you could use apple cider, or white balsamic even for a little bit of flavor variation.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 26g
This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.
Jen Christensen
I used this marinade today and it was delicious! I cooked the chicken in an air fryer--10 minutes per side, and the chicken was so flavorful and delicious! I set some aside (before adding to the chicken, of course) to use a salad dressing.