15 Italian Chicken Recipes You're Sure To Love

Italian food calls to the culinary core of countless dining devotees. It's one of the most adored international cuisines, falling naturally within the much-touted category of healthy Mediterranean eating. There's typically a lot of fresh herbs, veggies, and pure olive oil involved in the Italian version of this dining lifestyle, along with luscious soft and hard Italian cheeses, nuts, and fruits. 

Then there's the pastas, proteins, and rich tomato or creamy white sauces, all accompanied by bottles of Chianti and baskets of ciabatta, Pugliese, pane Toscano, or any number of crusty Italian loaves. To celebrate Italy's culinary contribution to the world, we're taking you on a journey through some of the most divine Italian chicken recipes, each capturing the essence of Italy's creative gastronomy. These 15 curated dishes come from Tasting Table's accomplished recipe developers, with details on how to whip them up in your own home kitchen. 

Most are simple and straightforward, ranging from warm one-pot wonders and sheet pan sizzlers to saucy chicken cacciatore, layered lasagna, creamy Alfredos and gnocchi, Florentine meatballs, a stuffed chicken Valentino, and ones featuring the three perky p's of Italian deliciousness: Parmesan, pesto, and piccata. These innovative interpretations of classic recipes will having you cooking like an Italian mammina in no time. All that's left then is to gather your clan with a heartfelt "Mangia! Mangia! ... Eat! Eat!" 

This chicken Parmesan dish may be unlike any you've had before, mostly because Tasting Table recipe creator Jennine Bryant made this a genuine from-scratch recipe with high-quality ingredients. There are no shortcuts here, but it's still very simple, utilizing plenty of herbs, spices, and an entire ball of mozzarella. The tomato sauce is thick and rich, counterbalanced by a crispy surprise from the chicken. It's clad in toasted bread crumbs, finely ground pine nuts, and Parmesan. 

Recipe: Crispy And Saucy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

One-pan cooking steals the gastronomic show here, but you'll be using a sturdy, deep skillet instead of a Dutch oven or saucepan. In this northern Italian dish from recipe developer Michelle McGlinn, the chicken gets a sizzle in olive oil and flour for crispy texture and is joined by a party of rustic sautéed veggies, white wine, crushed tomatoes, and tasty black olives. It all stews together for rich complexity, then gets perked up with some fresh chopped parsley and basil.

Recipe: One-Skillet Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Tasting Table recipe creator Jessica Morone of Jess Loves Baking knows her way around a Crock-Pot, even when rustling up dishes ordinarily made on stovetop burners. In this case, it's her hearty Italian chicken Alfredo recipe, which comes together in as little as two and a half slow cooker hours on a high setting. In the first step, a creamy Alfredo sauce evolves from heavy cream, chicken broth, and Italian seasonings, followed by the chicken, and eventually 30 minutes with some penne pasta and Parmesan. Molto delizioso, by most anyone's standards. 

Recipe: Crock-Pot Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Our second Crock-Pot creation in this Italian recipe collection is the brainchild of developer Julianne De Witt of Julianne's Kitchen. In this Crock-Pot chicken cacciatore, chicken stands in for what was historically gamier proteins in earlier centuries. Even the name "cacciatore" translates to "hunter" in Italian. Poultry may be tamer, but this version of cacciatore still embodies the essence of robust, deeply flavorful Italian farmhouse fare. From crushed red chiles to crushed tomatoes, red bell peppers, and dry red wine, this dish makes a statement on your table and in your belly. 

Recipe: Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Three gnocchi dishes reside within our 15 favorite Italian chicken recipes, and this is one of them. The Caprese chicken gnocchi from recipe developer Taylor Murray is somewhat of an anomaly, mainly because it comes together on a single sheet pan and bakes in an oven. In keeping with traditional Caprese salads, you'll be bringing cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella pearls to the pan, perfectly complemented by pan-browned chicken and gnocchi. There's no need to make the perfect potato gnocchi yourself, since this recipe graciously calls for pre-made ones. 

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Caprese Chicken Gnocchi

Next up is our creamy chicken gnocchi from nutritionist and recipe developer Hayley MacLean. Per the name, it's a dreamy, creamy iteration of Italian gnocchi, coming to life with a base of heavy cream and grated Parmesan. Dry white wine, baby kale, and shredded chicken breast meet their match with the tantalizing trio of fresh Italian herbs: dried oregano, fresh thyme, and fresh parsley. This recipe suggests using a package of store-bought gnocchi that's ready and waiting for some saucy kitchen love.  

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Gnocchi

If you're a fan of all things Olive Garden, this copycat version of the Italian restaurant's velvety chicken gnocchi soup will definitely warm your heart. Created by recipe developer Alexander Roberts of Alexander Bakes, it's a streamlined soup-making process requiring only 15 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of cooking. That's if you're using the suggested shelf-stable gnocchi from the pasta aisle. Otherwise, reconfigure the time estimate if you're venturing to make your own perky potato gnocchi at home. Fresh spinach and diced celery make this recipe soar.

Recipe: Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Something about making scallopini at home feels so chef-level exclusive, especially when it comes to the sauce. Fortunately, you can put your scallopini trepidation to rest, thanks to this simple classic chicken scallopini from Tasting Table recipe developer Julianne De Witt of Julianne's Kitchen. It goes from countertop to tabletop within a mere 25 minutes, using core Italian sauce ingredients such as olive oil, lemon juice, melted butter, and dry white wine. The kicker in this scallopini rendition stays true to the classic Italian custom of tossing in a handful of cute little briny capers.  

Recipe: Simple Classic Chicken Scallopini

Taking things up a notch is our upscale Italian chicken piccata recipe, likened to the now-famous piccata featured on the multiple-award-winning series, "The Bear." Recipe developer Michelle McGlinn has her own rendition, and we're betting it's Michelin-star level without the pretension. You'll need cutlets for the chicken, which gets fried and doused in lemon zest and flaky sea salt. A separate lemon piccata sauce bubbles up the magic with capers, a shallot, garlic, and a white wine reduction, before getting emulsified with some hot chicken broth and cold butter.

Recipe: Upscale Chicken Piccata

Chicken Parmesan is one of the most well-known Italian chicken dishes outside the country's borders, and for good reason. It's easy to make and hits the classic comfort food spot for many people. This classic Parm recipe from Tasting Table doesn't disappoint in that regard. However, there are a couple of insider tricks revealed in this recipe, most notably one having to do with Parmesan rind. You may never toss that cheese rind again after learning how to infuse your tomato sauce with extra cheesy goodness. 

Recipe: Chicken Parmesan 

If chicken Genovese sounds less familiar than other Italian dishes, perhaps you've known it as pesto-roasted chicken. That's understandable, since it's a perfectly apt name for an Italian chicken dish that's roasted in the oven. The pesto part describes the defining ingredient, which uniquely gets tucked under the chicken skin in this recipe from Tasting Table staff. You'll learn how to make homemade pesto sauce, which brings bright green pizazz to your table, along with the crispy chicken that's both baked and broiled. 

Recipe: Chicken Genovese (Pesto-Roasted Chicken)

We all love slipping creamy deliciousness into otherwise standard pastas and proteins. In this case, recipe developer Jessica Case of Case Bakehouse raises the bar with her stuffed chicken Valentino, describing it as "cheesy," "garlicky," and "super tasty." Taking a cue from New York's famed Valentino's on the Green restaurant, Case adds her own special touch to this dish, putting seasoned cream cheese to work rather than fontina, accompanied by sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, prosciutto, and a posse of iconic Italian herbs.  

Recipe: Stuffed Chicken Valentino

This standout dish from recipe developer Leah Maroney of Mini Pie Kitchen does one thing that few others attempt. It makes a rich and hearty lasagna without spending hours in the kitchen and is very appropriately called the shortcut chicken and spinach lasagna. Just about every step in this cooking experience takes far less time than other lasagna recipes, starting with the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. Then there's the no-boil lasagna and the easy cheese sauce, which bypasses the time-intense layering of red sauce and ricotta. Prep time is a miraculous 20 minutes. 

Recipe: Shortcut Chicken And Spinach Lasagna

The lavishly artistic city of Florence gets name recognition in this recipe, but French chefs may rightfully take offense. Many versions of Florentine meatballs center on a luscious (and very French) mornay sauce, and this recipe for chicken Florentine meatballs follows suit. However, Tasting Table recipe creator Michelle McGlinn takes the tasty tango of spinach and mornay sauce in a direction of its own, led by the creamy cheese sauce kings themselves: Parmesan and Gruyère.  

Recipe: Chicken Florentine Meatballs

A single cooking vessel harbors a whole lot of love in this Italian dish from recipe developer Michelle McGlinn. It's a one-pan lemon basil chicken medley featuring fresh basil leaves and the zest and juice of a lemon. The chicken browns in a flour coating with the zest, oregano, and thyme, followed by an unfurling parade of classic Italian sauce ingredients, including garlic, butter, broth, and lemon juice. Fresh basil and sliced lemons crown the grand finale, which begs for a side of pasta or roasted potatoes.
 

Recipe: One-Pan Lemon Basil Chicken