Italian Dressing Chicken – Beyond The Chicken Coop

Super easy and delicious marinated grilled chicken. These chicken thighs are marinated in a homemade Italian dressing and then grilled.

Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner!

marinated chicken

This Italian dressing chicken has so much flavor! I’ve made a quick, homemade Italian dressing for the marinade.

Of course, you could also buy a bottle of your favorite Italian dressing. Sometimes we need easy peasy!

This chicken needs at least 30 minutes to marinate, but a longer marinade gives more flavor. This is perfect for throwing the chicken and dressing in a bag in the morning and then pulling it out when you’re ready to cook dinner.

I’ve used chicken thighs in this recipe, but any cut of chicken will work. I like thighs because they have a lot of flavor and they tend to stay juicer than other cuts.

Key ingredients

• chicken thighs – Bone in and skin on
• Italian dressing – store bought or homemade
  • Homemade dressing room – olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, dried herbs

Step by step directions

Marinate the chicken

• Make the dressing – place all ingredients in a glass jar and cover with a lid. Shake vigorously until well mixed. (If using store bought dressing, you’ll skip this step!)
• Place chicken in a zip top bag
• For dressing over the top
• Seal bag and rotate to distribute dressing
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours

Grill the chicken

• Preheat grill for 5-10 minutes so the grates are hot
• Remove chicken from marinade, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place skin side down on grill
• Discard any remaining marinade
• Cook for about 30-35 minutes rotating chicken every 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked through
• Remove from grill and serve hot

recipe tips

• Use any cut of chicken you prefer – cooking time will vary with different cuts
• Place bag of marinating chicken on a cooking sheet or in a large bowl when placing in the refrigerator. This will catch any drips if your bag isn’t fully sealed)
• Make certain the grill is hot before adding the chicken
• Scrape and clean your grates before adding chicken
• Turn the chicken about every 5 minutes. On the first turn, if the skin is stuck at the grate, wait a few more minutes before turning. If it’s sticking, it’s not ready to be turned.
• Watch for flare ups! Chicken is fatty and will often cause flare ups. When a flare up occurs, move your chicken to a new location to avoid burning. If needed, turn off one burner for a few minutes until flames are under control.
• Chicken should be cooked until fully cooked or 165°F when tested with a thermometer

serving suggestions

Serve with your favorite side dishes. Some suggestions include:

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be certain to check out all my main dish recipes!

Italian Dressing Chicken

Kathy

Grilled chicken marinated in a homemade Italian dressing.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Marinating Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

Race main dish

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Kitchen American

Servings 6 thighs

calories 294 calories

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

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Homemade Italian Dressing

Instructions

Homemade Italian Dressing

• Make the dressing – place all ingredients in a glass jar and cover with a lid. Shake vigorously until well mixed. (If using store bought dressing, you’ll skip this step!)

  ¾ cup olive oil, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 dijon mustard teaspoon, 1 teaspoon sugar or honey, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt

Chicken

• Place chicken in a zip top bag

  6 chicken thighs

• For dressing over the top (use homemade dressing or 1 cup of Italian dressing)

  1 cup Italian dressing

• Seal bag and rotate to distribute dressing

• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours

Grill the Chicken

• Preheat grill for 5-10 minutes so the grates are hot

• Remove chicken from marinade and place chicken on a baking sheet

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper

  salt, pepper

• Discard any remaining marinade

• Place chicken skin side down on hot grill

• Cook for about 30-35 minutes rotating chicken every 5-7 minutes (or as needed to avoid burning) until chicken is cooked through

• Remove from grill and serve hot

Ratings

• Use any cut of chicken you prefer – cooking time will vary with different cuts
• Place bag of marinating chicken on a cooking sheet or in a large bowl when placing in the refrigerator. This will catch any drips if your bag isn’t fully sealed)
• Make certain the grill is hot before adding the chicken
• Scrape and clean your grates before adding chicken
• Turn the chicken about every 5 minutes. On the first turn, if the skin is stuck at the grate, wait a few more minutes before turning. If it’s sticking, it’s not ready to be turned.
• Watch for flare ups! Chicken is fatty and will often cause flare ups. When a flare up occurs, move your chicken to a new location to avoid burning. If needed, turn off one burner for a few minutes until flames are under control.
• Chicken should be cooked until fully cooked or 165°F when tested with a thermometer

Nutrition Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1thighcalories: 294caloriesCarbohydrates: 3gprotein: 18gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 281mgPotassium: 248mgSugar: 2gVitamin A: 95UIVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg

Keyword grilled chicken, Italian dressing chicken