Making a delicious full of flavor and tender Italian chicken is so easy to do thanks to the addition of Italian dressing. This Italian chicken marinade will give you the most flavorful and tender chicken and it only needs a few ingredients and about 30 minutes to do its magic.

Italian Chicken Marinade angle view — A simple and delicious marinade!

Making a marinade for your chicken is easier than you think thanks to this simple Italian dressing made from lemon, garlic, and olive oil. The lemon in this dressing helps tenderize the chicken (it actually cooks it a bit like ceviche) and the addition of garlic and salt gives it tons of flavor.

Because of the effect that the lemon has on the meat, this Italian marinade does not need very long with the meat, making it an ideal marinade for those who are in a rush.

I use this on my chicken kabobs and I also use this on my Mediterranean grilled tuna steak. This also makes a great Italian dressing for a salad or as a dip.

Ingredients needed

There are just a few ingredients you will need to make this easy Italian dressing chicken marinade. Although the ingredients list is simple, I promise it is really big on flavor!

Olive oil. You can use any type of olive oil for this Italian marinade.
Lemon Juice. Fresh or bottled works fine.
Garlic. Fresh garlic is important when making this Italian chicken marinade so try not to use powdered.
Kosher salt.
Pepper.

How to make

Making this Italian chicken marinade is so easy! Just mince up the garlic and add that along with all of the other ingredients to a medium bowl. Mix well and your Italian dressing is complete.

How to marinate chicken with Italian dressing

When using this Italian chicken marinade, you want to keep in mind that because it has lemon juice in it, it will cook the chicken a bit before any heat is added to the chicken.

This tenderizes the meat beautifully and gives it so much flavor.

Here is how to make chicken with this Italian dressing:

Make the Italian chicken marinade and place it in a large bowl.
Choose how you want the chicken to be served and prepare the chicken accordingly (cubed for kabobs or whole chicken breasts.)
Add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade making sure to coat all of the chicken.
Allow to sit for 30 minutes or up to one hour.
Cook either on the grill, on the stovetop, or in the oven.

Variations

Add more citrus: the juice of an orange to the marinade.
Add herbs. You can add some dried Italian seasoning, dried thyme or dried oregano to the marinade. I would suggest no more than ½ tsp.

Tips

Since this Italian marinade has an acid in it (the lemon juice), make sure you do not marinate your meat longer than 2-3 hours. If you do, you will notice the chicken turning all white and getting cooked. It is normal for the chicken to turn a little white during the marinating process!
If you prefer to use this as a topping (dressing) instead of a marinade, make sure to let the Italian marinade sit on the meat for a few minutes so it has time to pick up the flavors.

Storing

Storing this Italian chicken marinade is very easy. You can make it ahead of time and place it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

To store this Italian marinade, just make the entire recipe and place it in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Store for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Some more ideas for you

If you love the idea of adding spices and flavor to your chicken, you may like some of these easy spice blends:

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Easy Italian Dressing Chicken Marinade

A simple and really big on flavor Italian marinade (or topping) for chicken that will really elevate your chicken recipe.

Prep Time10

Marinating30

Total Time40

Servings: cup

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

4 Cloves of garlic finely minced
1 ½ Large lemons Juiced
4 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon Italian parsely finely minced. OPTIONAL
1 teaspoon kosher salt
a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl add the garlic, olive oil, lemon, parsley (optional), salt and pepper and mix well.
4 Cloves of garlic, 1 ½ Large lemons, 4 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoon Italian parsely, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper
Add your chicken (or vegetables) to the bowl and mix them all around in the marinade until everything has been coated evenly.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours if you are making it ahead of time.
After you are done marinating, you can begin cooking your meat either on the grill or on the stove.

Notes

If using this marinade as a topping:

Pour the Italian marinade over the top of the cooked meat then cover with aluminum foil and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Nutrition