A Mediterranean-inspired rub flavors these baked Italian Chicken Breasts. Roasted garlic and cherry tomatoes compliment this easy sheet pan dish.
The aroma of this dish baking in the oven will have everyone running to the table. And you will have spent maybe 15 minutes getting it ready. This Italian chicken recipe really is one of those dishes that comes together in minutes, looks impressive, and tastes fabulous!
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Seasonings Do I Use For Italian Chicken?
For the recipe below, I use dried oregano, rosemary, and thyme along with some garlic powder. And of course, salt and pepper. It’s nice to serve with fresh parsley for some freshness and color, but that’s optional.
You could alternatively use a store-bought Italian seasoning, or you can use a homemade Italian seasoning like this. Another option, if you want to really wow everyone everywhere, is to use some homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning. It has all the herbs and seasonings of a typical Italian seasoning, plus some ingredients typical of Italian sausages (like fennel seed) making everything you use it on taste a bit like sausage.
Some Italian chicken breast recipes just have you use Italian salad dressing, and you could do that, but I think the results and flavor are better with the olive oil and herb mixture that I’ve done in the recipe below.
Finally, if you love bold flavors, I suggest adding a little bit of tapenade to the chicken right before serving, or use it as a dip. Either a classic black olive tapenade or a sun-dried tomato tapenade will work here.
How To Make Italian Chicken Breasts
Just like the recipe for Pesto Chicken Breasts, I pound the chicken breasts to between 3/4-inch to 1-inch thickness so that the breasts cook evenly ensuring juicy, tender chicken. The extra effort and time are completely worth it.
I rub olive oil over the chicken breasts which keeps the seasoning in place, helps to create some color during cooking, and tastes great with the seasoning.
Make sure to save some of the oil and herb seasoning to toss with the tomatoes and garlic before you arrange them around the chicken on the baking sheet.
Allowing the chicken to sit for about 5 minutes before serving will ensure that the juices have the opportunity to settle back into the meat.
Make It A Meal
Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley over the chicken and serve with a simple green salad for a complete meal.
Serving the Italian baked chicken breast over polenta is also a delicious option. I use the How to Make Grits recipe and stir in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese right before serving. Because as you will learn from the post, polenta is a dish and not an ingredient.
More Italian-Inspired Dinners
Italian flavors are among my favorite ever. Check out some of my all time best Italian recipes linked to below. And, if you’re all about chicken like I am, then have a browse through all of my chicken recipes here (there are over 100 of them, all tested and perfected by me!).
- Chicken Pasta Bake with Alfredo
- Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Italian Fettucine Alfredo
- Italian Chicken and Cauliflower Bake
- Quick Italian Wedding Soup
- The BEST Lasagna Recipe
- Easy Minestrone Soup
- Italian Roasted Cauliflower
Podcast Episode About Making Italian Chicken Breasts
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this chicken, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
PrintItalian Chicken Breasts Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
DESCRIPTION
A Mediterranean-inspired rub flavors these baked Italian Chicken Breasts. Roasted garlic and cherry tomatoes compliment this easy sheet pan dish.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp. dried rosemary
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic, halved
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- If the thickness of the chicken breasts is very uneven, pound them a bit to even things out (see this post for how to do that), keeping the chicken ¾– to 1-inch thick.
- In a small bowl combine the rosemary, oregano, thyme, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Rub half of the olive oil on the chicken breasts and season both sides with half of the spice mixture.
- Arrange chicken on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, remaining olive oil, and the remaining spice mix. Stir to combine.
- Arrange the tomatoes and garlic around the chicken breasts.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 165˚F.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve.
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This post originally appeared in December 2019 and was revised and republished in June 2023.