Mrs. Clay’s Zesty Italian Chicken 🌸
❤️ This chicken started as one of those simple “use what you have” dinners and quietly turned into something everyone kept talking about. Marinated overnight in zesty Italian dressing, gently cooked sous vide until tender, then finished in the oven and broiler for golden caramelized edges — this is the kind of chicken that tastes comforting, flavorful, and just a little special all at once.
🍲 Step-by-Step with Mrs. Clay
Start by butterflying or filleting the chicken breasts into thinner pieces. Slice into strips if desired, then gently tenderize with a rolling pin or meat mallet until evenly flattened. This helps the chicken cook more evenly and stay tender.
Place the chicken into a vacuum-seal bag or zip-top bag and pour in enough zesty Italian dressing to coat well. Seal and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
About 2–2½ hours before serving, place the sealed chicken into a sous vide water bath heated to 145°F. Cook until tender and fully heated through.
Remove the chicken from the bag and reserve the cooking drippings. Lightly pat the chicken dry and arrange in a baking dish or on a sheet pan.
Bake at 425°F for approximately 8–10 minutes, then broil for 1–2 minutes until the edges begin to caramelize and turn golden brown.
Meanwhile, pour the reserved sous vide juices into a small saucepan and simmer until slightly reduced. Stir in a small dollop of butter for a silky finishing sauce.
Serve the chicken warm with the buttery pan sauce spooned over the top.
🌸 Mrs. Clay’s Tip
The combination of sous vide cooking and a quick high-heat finish gives you the best of both worlds — incredibly tender chicken inside with flavorful caramelized edges outside.
🥄 Optional Add-Ins
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
- Red pepper flakes
- Roasted garlic
- Extra cracked black pepper
✨ A Thought to Close the Day
Sometimes the coziest meals come from slowing down just enough to let simple ingredients shine.
From My Recipe Box to Yours
Mrs. Clay’s Zesty Italian Chicken
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts
- Zesty Italian dressing
- Butter
Instructions
- Butterfly or fillet chicken breasts into thinner pieces.
- Slice into strips if desired and gently tenderize evenly.
- Add chicken and zesty Italian dressing to a vacuum-seal bag or zip-top bag.
- Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Heat sous vide water bath to 145°F.
- Sous vide chicken for approximately 2–2½ hours.
- Remove chicken and reserve drippings.
- Pat chicken lightly dry and place into baking dish or sheet pan.
- Bake at 425°F for 8–10 minutes.
- Broil 1–2 minutes until lightly caramelized.
- Simmer reserved drippings in saucepan until reduced slightly and finish with butter.
- Spoon sauce over chicken before serving.
