Sheet-Pan Italian Dressing Chicken Thighs
Roasted sheet-pan chicken thighs are a staple for easy weeknight dinners year-round. This version features flavor powerhouse Ken’s Northern Italian Dressing two ways: as a marinade and as a luscious pan sauce (once it’s combined with the chicken drippings). The red bell pepper, sweet basil, and Romano cheese in the dressing add so much flavor to the dish, and the marinade really tenderizes the meat. To serve, I like to make a refreshing yet comforting pea and basil panzanella salad. The peas are roasted in the same sheet pan as the chicken, then tossed with basil and toasted torn bread so everything soaks up that pan sauce goodness. If you’ve got any leftover chicken thighs and peas, they taste great thrown together with pasta or mixed greens the next day.
Yield
2
Ingredients
2 1/2 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 cup Ken’s Northern Italian Dressing, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
5 ounce ciabatta or sourdough, torn into 1-inch pieces
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
16 ounce frozen peas
1 small shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn or chopped
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 450°F.
Step 2
To a medium bowl, add chicken thighs, ½ cup Ken's Northern Italian Dressing, and kosher salt. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
Step 3
Place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack for about 10 minutes to warm it up before adding chicken.
Step 4
Remove the preheated sheet pan from the oven and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, being careful while handling the hot pan. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Place chicken thighs skin-side down on the hot sheet pan and discard any leftover marinade. Place sheet pan in oven and roast until chicken is dark golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, on a second rimmed baking sheet, toss torn bread with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Toast on the bottom oven rack until crisp and firm, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
Step 6
Remove the sheet pan with chicken thighs from the oven and flip each thigh. Add remaining ½ cup Ken’s Northern Italian Dressing and ½ cup water to the sheet pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any fond or browned bits from the chicken skin. Return to the oven and roast 5 minutes more.
Step 7
Remove sheet pan from oven and transfer chicken thighs to a serving platter. Add butter to the sheet pan and stir to combine with Ken’s Northern Italian Dressing and chicken dripping pan sauce. Pour ¾ of the pan sauce into a measuring cup or gravy boat, set aside.
Step 8
Add peas and shallot to the sheet pan with the remaining pan sauce and bake until tender and cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 9
Toss the peas with the bread and basil. Serve chicken thighs over the pea salad and drizzle with Ken’s Northern Italian Dressing pan sauce.
