Make Weeknight Chicken Easy With A Single Store-Bought Marinade

Chicken is a weeknight dinner classic for a reason — it's a good source of protein and it's easy to prep chicken for different meals throughout the week. If you're worried about the sodium content in store-bought rotisserie chicken, cooking your own is the way to go, but it can be hard to get it super flavorful when you're short on time. Unless you're using store-bought Italian dressing that is.

Using literally just Italian dressing is a great way to get tangy, savory flavors on your chicken while also making the meat tender and juicy. This vinaigrette style dressing usually includes ingredients like vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dried herbs, so your chicken will take on hints of zest from the acidic components, earthy notes from the Italian herbs, and a richness from the oil. Not only will this add flavor complexity, but the dressing's acidity will soften the meat fibers and tenderize the chicken. You only need to marinate your cut of chicken in the dressing for 15 minutes (don't leave it for longer than a few hours as the meat will start to break down), making this the perfect time saving hack. Then all that's left is baking it until golden brown. The cooked chicken will last a few days in the fridge, so it's ideal for meal prepping for the week ahead. Plus, the Italian dressing flavors go well with nearly everything.

For the best results, it's crucial to pick a high quality bottled dressing — and we've made things easier for you with a list of the best and worst Italian dressings out there. Remember to choose wisely because this is, well, the only thing in your marinade — so your chicken's flavors will only be as good as your dressing. Of course, there are also plenty of other ingredients you can add to the marinade if you want to amp things up. Freshly minced garlic or garlic powder can intensify the taste, some extra lemon juice can make things zestier, and adding honey can give the perfect hint of sweetness. You can also sprinkle on some parmesan towards the end of the baking time, or top it off with some crispy bacon or bread crumbs before serving for some extra crunch.

This Italian style chicken pairs perfectly with any carbs, from potatoes to rice to pasta. You can also plate it with your favorite grilled veggies, like asparagus or broccoli, or you can use it as the protein element in a salad. The leftover baked sauce can even be used as a dressing for your salad or veggies. So don't sleep on this one, especially since you've probably got a bottle of Italian dressing lurking in your fridge door.