This 30-Minute Italian Chicken Skillet is a delicious and low-calorie meal that’s great for meal prep – all you need is one pan!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any neutral oil such as avocado oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil for this recipe.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic can be used for this recipe.
- Button mushrooms – use cremini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms if you don’t have button mushrooms available.
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts.
- Red pepper – use another variety of bell pepper if you don’t have red bell peppers on hand.
- Red onion – white onion, sweet onion or yellow onion are other great options for this dish.
- Asparagus – broccoli, green beans, and snow peas are all great alternatives to asparagus.
- Zucchini – eggplant or another summer squash can be used in place of zucchini.
- Italian seasoning – basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme mixed together can be used in place of Italian seasoning.
- Balsamic vinegar – mix cider vinegar or red wine vinegar with sugar to create a similar blend.
- Basil – fresh mint, parsley, thyme or oregano are great alternatives or you can leave it out altogether if you’re in a pinch.
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grated Parmesan cheese is preferred for this recipe. If you don't have any, shredded Parmesan cheese will also work.
- Quinoa – use couscous or your choice of rice (ex: basmati, long grain, etc.)
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How to make this recipe
- Cook the quinoa.
- Sauté the mushrooms and garlic.
- Add the chicken and cook until browned.
- Add the Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar and basil.
- Mix in the veggies and cook until tender.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Serve over quinoa.
How to make Italian seasoning
If you don’t have any Italian seasoning on hand, you can make your own using:
- Basil
- Marjoram
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Mix up a big batch and store it in an airtight container or plastic bag to use later.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are only 332 calories in this Italian chicken skillet, which makes it a healthy and low-calorie dinner option.
You could marinate the chicken in the Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar and basil ahead of time, but it’s not necessary. That being said, marinating the chicken will definitely help bring out the flavours!
The chicken will take about five minutes to brown on all sides. If you’re not sure whether your chicken is cooked, you can always cut into the middle of one piece to see whether or not it’s done – if the juices are clear, it’s ready!
Storing and reheating
If you have leftover chicken and quinoa, prepare them into individual servings in air tight glass containers and then refrigerate them. Once the dish is in the refrigerator, this dish will last 4-5 days, aka your whole work week! That's what makes this dish one of the best meal prep recipes!
When you're ready to enjoy the dish, take the serving out of the fridge and warm it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and enjoy!
Freezing this recipe
Like many of my other skillet meals, this Italian chicken dish freezes very well. You can even freeze the cooked quinoa with the chicken! This makes the meal a great choice for a make-ahead meal.
To freeze, transfer the dish out of the skillet and into a freezer-safe container once the dish has cooled entirely. Freeze in individual servings for easy last-minute dinners. Once it is frozen, it will keep well for 2 to 3 months.
When you're ready to enjoy the dish, move it to the fridge the night before to defrost then microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed.
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More one pan skillet recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
30-Minute Italian Chicken Skillet {One Pan}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 package Button mushrooms
- 3 chicken breasts, diced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions and chop veggies.
- Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic, sauteeing for 5 minutes until liquid starts to release. Add chicken and cook another 5 minutes until browned. Add Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar and basil.
- Add veggies, cooking another 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender and everything is cooked. Stir in parmesan cheese, then serve with quinoa in four large bowls and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Melissa Porter Slater says
Do you cover to cook the chicken and veggies for the last ten minutes
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Melissa – no need to cover!
Andrea says
I was looking to make a mea on sunday to eat later in the week, Does this recipe -Italian chicken skillet work? Would you make the quinoa or couscous at the same time and refrigerate together? and just heat later in the week?
How do you reheat ?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Andrea – yes you can make the quinoa at the same time, refrigerate in the same container and then reheat in the microwave for a couple minutes when ready to eat!
Amelie says
I’d love to make this but we HATE quinoa. What can I use instead?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Amelie! The quinoa is just served on the side; you can serve anything else with it, from pasta to rice to roasted potatoes, to frozen fries, to just on its own without any sides!
Melanie Wiggins says
Thank you! This recipe was incredible!!! My Italian husband LOVED it, and he’s not a fan of mushrooms or quinoa. My 1-year old loved all of the veggies! Definitely adding this to my regular rotation of weeknight dinners.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed Melanie 🙂
TheGreatOutDork says
Hi,
I’m making this recipe as I type this lol. Looks so good. My only issue is that I don’t know how much chicken three breasts is…I got these gargantuan ones from the store and chopped them all up, but it looks like waaaaaay too much chicken. In hindsight I should have left one out but could you provide a weight?
Taylor Stinson says
So sorry! It’s about 1 lb of chicken that you should use.
Steph says
My only issue is that there’s no mention of the Parmesan in the directions. Add at the end?
Taylor Stinson says
Sorry about that Steph! Yes you just stir it in at the end – I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this 🙂
S says
Great meal! Tasty, easy and flavourful!
Resa Glennon says
HI Taylor!
It’s me again..trying another one of your dishes but this time not an Instant Pot! This One Pan Italian Chicken Skillet is sensational! I did not have the asparagus on hand so I had t leave that out but OMG is was delicious! Waaaay to easy and fast! This is another one of your “gonna make it again” dishes! I placed mine over ziti and it was so good. Hubby not a fan of quinoa and we had rice the night before so I decided on pasta! What’s not to like about an Italian dish served over pasta! Excellent! Keep up the great work and keep those recipes coming! (By the way….people are still replying to my FaceBook entry about your Pepper Steak! What a hit!)
Taylor Stinson says
Oh I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe too Resa, so glad to hear it was such a big hit with your husband as well 🙂 And the pasta is an amazing choice!!! Thanks so much for sharing with me <3