Italian Marinated Chicken Recipe
Published July 20, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious Italian Marinated Chicken Recipe is loaded with lemon, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herb flavors for one of the best-tasting chickens around. You will love how easy this is to make and how incredibly tasty it will make your chicken.
We eat chicken several times a week in our house. It’s quick to prepare, it’s a great lean protein, and it doesn’t break the bank. If you are similar, then check out my Teriyaki Chicken or Chicken Marsala.
Italian Marinated Chicken
Italian marinated chicken is a liquid marinade with classic Italian flavors like olive oil, lemon, peppers, garlic, and fresh herbs. There can be many variations to this recipe, and the flavor profile will depend on who makes it and what’s available. This marinade has an excellent balance of flavors with lemon, oil, and herbs and would also go excellent with beef, pork, or fish.
This marinade is used to help flavor and tenderize the chicken to make it juicier and more delicious. When using this Italian marinade, it’s important to remember that the ingredients need time to marry. Because of this, I recommend a 24-to-48-hour marinating time.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oil – I like to use extra virgin olive oil, but any neutral-flavored oil will work. I prefer to use olive oil that is organic, cold-pressed, and bottled at the source with no blending.
- Garlic – Some finely grated cloves will aid in making this chicken delicious.
- Lemon – You will need some fresh lemon zest, juice, and slices for this.
- Herbs – I used a combination of fresh parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, and oregano. However, if you only have 2 or 3 of these, that will absolutely work. With all these fresh herbs being used, this is a great recipe to make in the summer when your herb garden is at its peak.
- Seasonings – I use coarse salt, ground black pepper, and red chili flakes. If you like a bit of spice, feel free to add more of the chili flakes.
How to Make Italian Marinated Chicken
- Finely mince the herbs.
- Next, zest in 1 lemon and squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons. Feel free to slice one of the lemons and add it to the bowl as well.
- Finely grate the garlic into a large bowl.
- Pour in the olive oil, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk the ingredients together until they are combined and emulsified.
- Add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade or a plastic zip bag, and mix thoroughly until it is completely coated. Cover with plastic and marinate it in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours.
Cooking Methods
Gilling – Place the chicken skin side down on a grill that has been lightly oiled on the grated on medium-high heat (375° to 425°) and cook for 10 to 12 minutes per side or until dark grill marks have formed and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Depending on how intense the fire on the grill is, you may need to move the chicken around to that it does not overly char.
Pan-Seared – add two tablespoons of your preferred cooking oil to a large frying pan over medium heat and heat for 1 minute. Place in the chicken skin side down and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked throughout. Be sure to watch the chicken as it can brown very quickly and turn burning. If that is the case, turn the heat down to medium-low.
Oven-Baked – Place the chicken skin side up on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and cooked throughout.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make the marinade up to 2 days before it is ready to be used to marinate chicken.
How to Store: Store the marinade covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will not freeze well. If storing the chicken in the marinade, you can marinate covered up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. You can marinate the chicken and place it in the freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day or until thawed.
How to Reheat: When reheating the marinated chicken, place the desired number of chicken on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 8-12 minutes or until warm.
Chef Notes + Tips
- This marinade will also work well with pork, beef, or vegetables.
- You can marinate up to 5 pounds of chicken with this amount.
- Feel free to use 2 teaspoons of dry herbs in place of the fresh herbs that are used.
- If you start to get nervous that your chicken is burning on the grill or in the pan, immediately transfer it to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake it in the oven at an oven preheated to 350° for 12 to 15 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°, which is according to the USDA.
More Chicken Recipes
- Pipian Verde with Chicken
- Smoked Chicken Wings
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Chicken Paprikash
Italian Marinated Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 sprigs finely minced fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs finely minced fresh oregano
- 3 sprigs finely minced fresh parsley
- 6 finely minced fresh basil leaves
- 1 sprig finely minced fresh rosemary
- Zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 2 lemons, about 1/3 cup
- 5 finely grated garlic cloves
- 1 cup of extra virigin olive oil
- up to 3 pounds of chicken breasts
Instructions
- Finely grate the garlic into a large bowl.
- Next, zest in 1 lemon and squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons. Feel free to slice one of the lemons and add it to the bowl as well.
- Pour in the olive oil, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk the ingredients together until they are combined and emulsified.
- Add the chicken to the bowl with marinade and mix thoroughly until it is completely coated in it.
- Cover with plastic and marinate it in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours.
Lovely flavor and this recipe was a home run for getting dinner on the table on those more challenging days. After marinating for a day or two, it’s only a matter of popping on a sheet pan baking. It came out perfect. Please give this a try if you’re busy and need a hands free recipe. Thanks Chef!
Thanks for giving it a shot!!
Yesterday I made the Italian marinated chicken and the Peruvian Chicken for a family occasion.
Two completely different flavors.
The intructions were easy to follow and the results were excellent.
Not a morsel was left.
Just writing this comment makes my mouth water.
Thanks Billy.
Thank you!
One of the best marinades for grilled chicken!
Awesome!
Excellent! Tender & Juicy !
so good!!
This was wonderful! I drained off the marinade and cooked in my air fryer. It was beautiful and tasted great!
Love all of his tips and recipes
Thanks for the helpful hints at the end.
This is a great dish, full of flavor and I grow all of the herbs and even the garlic in my yard so this recipe was very handy for me. What a lovely delicious dish….
Is it Boneless chicken or chicken breast with skin & bones. Photo looks like boneless, skinless but recipe refers to skin. Sounds wonderful and I want to make it
Yes!
Delicioso…! Jugoso y de sabor insuperable. Mil gracias…!
Delicious…! Juicy and unbeatable flavor. Thank you!
Delish!!
so good!!
As luck would have it, I grow all these herbs so I headed to the garden for FRESH taste ! Another 5 star recipe. And let me say, you keep all your recipes people friendly and super tasty !!!!! Thank you
perfect!!
Another AMAZING recipe!! Thank you!! 🙂
excellent!
So many of your recipes are useful when using the MIND diet! Even though we stray once in a while to have a welcome infusion of beef, we try to stick to it closely. Thanks so much for your recipes, Chef Billy! they make a difference in our lives.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
My husband and I loved this. Making it for company soon.
love it!
This is one of the best ones I’ve tried. But then they are all so wonderful, it’s hard to pick which ones to cook.
appreciate you trying it