Baked Venetian Chicken

Crisp and delicious, our baked Venetian chicken is as amazing as it looks. Chicken doesn’t get any better than this. Whether you are coming home from a long day or just want to relax on the evening and have zero stress in the kitchen, this freezer meal main dish is a must try. While it takes just a little longer than our typical freezer-to-table meal, it is definitely worth the wait!

Freezer-to-table meals are the mainstay of our household during the busy school season. I’ll take a weekend each month to stock the freezer with a few new recipes and we just keep rotating through what we have for a constant tasty variety of foods!

If you’re curious for more, be sure to try this Honey Chipotle Chicken or our Mini Chicken Pot Pies. If, on the other hand, you are ready to dive in, join the Freezer Meal 101 Club for instant access to all recipes and videos where you will always find the latest and greatest.

Baked Venetian Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 10-12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• salt, pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

How to Make Baked Venetian Chicken

Assembly Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in large resealable freezer bag.
2. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top.
2. Place the chicken on top, skin side up, and bake at 425°F for 35-40 minutes (until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F).
3. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 2 minutes to crisp up the skin. 

What if I can’t find bone-in thighs?

I run into this every once in a while when my store is trying to move other meat and doesn’t restock the thighs (because the thighs are *ah-mazing*). You could make this same recipe with bone-in legs, wings, quarters, or mixed pieces instead. Dark meat works better for roasting than the white meat portions. Increase or decrease the amount of seasoning needed and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Does this recipe have to be frozen?

Absolutely not. All of our recipes are thawed first anyway. So let’s say you just made four bags. You can bake one for dinner tonight and freeze the rest. Follow the cooking instructions exactly, except skip the thawing step.

We can’t get panko breadcrumbs. What should I do?

You can use any breadcrumbs you like, and even get the breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning mixed in if you need to. I prefer to make my own mix of breadcrumbs and seasoning so I can control the amount of salt. You could even use cornflake crumbs or cereal crumbs like crushed rice cereal. Parmesan also works really well.

Baked Venetian Chicken Recipe Ideas

I love the Italian seasoning on the skin of this chicken, but it is perfectly reasonable to change things up if you want variety. Try any dry rub designed for chicken!

To get the skin to crisp up more beautifully, baste it with olive oil or melted butter right before you put it under the broiler for those two minutes. You can also baste it with the juices that have cooked out of the chicken to moisten it, but the oil gives it that extra crisp.

Thighs don’t necessarily need that 35-40 minutes to get to 165ºF, but they do need that time to render all the internal fat so that the meat is tender. It’s harder to overcook bone-in thighs so you have time to let them cook to perfection!

Once you put the chicken on broil, keep a very close eye on it because it will go from not-quite-ready to flat-out-burned in twenty seconds or less. It’s worth the risk for crispy skin, just watch it close!

How do I store Baked Venetian Chicken

Leftovers need to be refrigerated in an airtight container and will keep for a few days. You could also freeze the leftovers to reheat later. Freezing works best if you remove the chicken from the bone and dice it up to use in tacos, casseroles, quesadillas and the like. Reheat whole thighs from the refrigerator in a skillet or oven to 165ºF.

What to Serve with Baked Venetian Chicken

We served our gorgeous chicken with roasted green beans and boiled new potatoes. You can serve it with almost anything for a winning combination! Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and green beans are all easy to roast for ten to fifteen minutes at 400ºF. Bagged salads are great tossed together at the last minute. Fried, baked, roasted, or mashed potatoes all complement chicken perfectly. Rice and black beans are another great option. You honestly just cannot go wrong with this chicken.