Baked Italian Chicken (Freezer Meal)

Who doesn’t love a freezer meal that includes the protein AND the veggies?! This baked Italian chicken recipe has all that and more. It is especially delicious served over pasta. Sometimes when you bake the chicken in the oven, it can dry out, but this recipe has a sauce, so the chicken stays nice and juicy. 

This dish can also be cooked in the Crock-Pot® (which I know then technically is no longer called “Baked” Italian Chicken, but it still tastes just as good. And the slow cooker option is nice for a day when you need to be out of the house and come back to dinner waiting. 

What I like best about this meal is that it includes some fresh-tasting vegetables as well as the chicken so I know my kids are getting a balanced meal and yet it’s so easy to throw together. Plus, when you serve it over pasta, it gets that homemade comfort food aspect down as well.

Baked Italian Chicken Recipe:

• 8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup zucchini with peel, cubed
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Assembly instructions:

1. Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms. 
2. Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
3. Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce. 
4. Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

1. Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
2. Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking  Instructions:

1. Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you can instead serve this over rice. You can also serve this with a side salad if you want more greens.

Variations on this recipe:

• Substitute 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs.
• Add some crushed chili flakes either before cooking or when serving if you like to spice things up a bit. 
• You can substitute a can of sliced mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, but I really suggest you use fresh. It’s hardly any extra work to slice them up and it tastes so much fresher. 
• Use whichever red pasta sauce is your favorite. By experimenting and trying different types of pasta sauce, you can change up the flavors of this meal. 

Other chicken freezer meals:

• Philly Chicken Sandwiches
• Chicken Paprikash Stew (Instant Pot)
• Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Beans
• Easy Freezer Chicken Marsala
• Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Print

Baked Italian Chicken

Prep Time

7 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked chicken, chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 428 kcal

Ingredients

• 8-12 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup zucchini cubed with peel
• 1/2 cup onion diced
• 24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
2. Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
3. Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
4. Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

1. Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
2. Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking  Instructions:

1. Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese.