3 Ingredient Brown Sugar Italian Chicken

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The sweet and savory combined flavors of this 3 Ingredient Brown Sugar Italian Chicken dinner is something unique and insanely flavorful, yet crazy easy to make.

I know that it sounds like a weird combo – brown sugar and Italian seasonings – but when you try it the first time, it will quickly go into your regular meal plan rotation.

Highlights Of This 3 Ingredient Brown Sugar Italian Chicken Recipe

• Three easy ingredients are all that you need for this super flavorful chicken dinner. The ingredients are also common at most grocery stores, so they won’t be hard to find.
• You can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.
• Just like my 3 Ingredient Crockpot Chicken and Gravy recipe, this chicken recipe takes less than 5 minutes to put together.
• Plus, this dinner is loved even by little ones which is a win-win!

Ingredients And Substitutions

• Chicken Breasts – I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Feel free to use frozen chicken breasts but they should be thawed first so that any extra liquids can be drained off before you begin the recipe.
  (Substitutes): Use chicken thighs, turkey breasts, or turkey thighs, all skinless and boneless.
• Brown Sugar – I used dark brown sugar, but whatever you have on hand will be fine.
  (Substitutes): You can use date sugar or coconut sugar. I wouldn’t use plain white granulated sugar. If you don’t have brown sugar in the cupboard, try making your own brown sugar. It’s super simple!
• Italian Seasoning – This is a collection of Italian seasonings that come in a packet form.
  (Substitutes): There really isn’t a substitute for this seasoning packet. Do not use Italian salad dressing as it won’t work properly for this recipe.

Pantry Ingredients: Salt and Pepper.

****EAZYTIP: Ingredients like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oil don’t count towards the ingredient list because most people have these basic items in the pantry.

Let’s Make Brown Sugar Italian Chicken!

First, this is an optional step, but I highly recommend it.

Let’s talk about tenderizing the chicken. Chicken breast is pretty good at picking up marinade flavors and seasoning rubs in a short amount of time, but when you use a tenderizer that can poke channels into the meat, the absorption of those flavors while marinating and cooking is outstanding.

The tenderizer I use is the Jaccard tenderizer which has 48 stainless steel pins (they call them needles) that when pressed into the chicken, (or beef, and pork) it helps break down the connective tissue and make the meat super tender while helping the seasoning penetrate much deeper into the meat for added flavor.

After the chicken has been tenderized, all the holes (or channels) are ready for the seasoning rub. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then combine the brown sugar and the Italian seasoning packet together.

Place the chicken into the baking dish and sprinkle the rub over the chicken, both front and back sides.

Covering the baking dish with foil while it roasts helps keep the chicken super moist, juicy, and flavorful. Near the end of the roasting time, you can uncover the chicken spoon more of the sauce over top, and give it a quick broil to further caramelize the sugar in the sauce! YUM!

EAZY TIP: Be sure not to broil the chicken at the end for too long as the sugar could burn super quickly!

Eazy Tips and Recipe Variations

• Be sure not to broil the chicken at the end for too long as the sugar could burn super quickly!
• It’s a great idea to line the baking pan with either parchment paper or foil for super easy cleanup.
• If you don’t have the tenderizer, using a fork can help. It’s the same idea, but a bit longer and not as efficient, but you’ll still get the inside flavor.
• Make this dish using chicken thighs instead! Depending on the size of the thighs, gauge 2-3 thighs per person.
• Try adding quick-cooking veggies along the sides of the chicken to make it a one-pot meal. Vegetables like sliced zucchini, broccoli, and /or cauliflower would be great choices.
• The chicken breasts are fully cooked when an inserted thermometer reaches 165F.

Storage Freezing and Reheating

There are a few different options available for you.

The Cooked Dish: Keep the brown sugar Italian chicken dish in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Make ahead: Make the seasoning mix ahead of time and store in a lidded container for up to a week or two. Prepare the chicken the morning of cooking, sprinkle the seasoning over both sides, in the baking dish, and cover tightly with plastic wrap until later in the day when you want to roast it.
Freezing Leftovers: A freezer-friendly container is best, and it will stay great for up to a month in the freezer.
Thawing and Reheating: Leave the frozen brown sugar chicken in the fridge overnight and reheat it in the microwave.

Have you tried this 3 Ingredient Brown Sugar Italian Chicken recipe? Please comment below and leave a star rating in the recipe card! I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by Eazy Grub today and I hope you have a fantastic day!

~Joanne