I don’t recall if I first saw my mother or a relative use salad dressing while cooking meat as a child but I do know that I took that cooking tip / trick with me well into my adulthood. Cooking with oil based salad dressing is a game changer. It acts as a quick , no fuss marinade and really takes the flavor up on your meats.
This recipe is for my Italian dressing whole chicken and it is absolutely delicious. Serve this with mashed potatoes and a green veggie and you will have a top tier dinner.
My favorite Italian dressings come from Ken’s Steakhouse and Wish Bone, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
As always if you make this let me know what you think!





Serves 4
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds), cut spatchcock style
2 teaspoon adobo all purpose
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup Italian dressing ( I used the Ken’s Steakhouse brand )
1/2 large red onion , cut into chunks (optional)
1 medium red bell pepper , cut into chunks (optional)
1 medium orange red bell pepper , cut into chunks (optional)
Fresh parsley (optional garnish )
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Season side 1 (bottom of the spatchcock / butterflied chicken ) with 1 teaspoon all purpose, 1 teaspoon garlic powder , 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon cayenne
3. Season side 2 of the Chicken (top of the spatchcock / butterflied chicken ) with with 1 teaspoon all purpose, 1 teaspoon garlic powder , 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon cayenne
4. Arrange chopped red bell pepper , orange bell pepper , and red onion around the chicken
5. Pour Italian dressing over the chicken
6. Bake chicken for 1 hour and 10-20minutes (adjust accordingly to size of your chicken ) until fully cooked – make sure you baste the chicken every 20 minutes with the pan juices to keep it juicy
7. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5-8 minutes
8. Garnish with fresh parsley , serve, and enjoy !

Baked Italian Dressing Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken (3-4 pounds), cut spatchcock style
- 2 teaspoon Adobo all purpose
- 2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Italian dressing ( I used the Ken’s Steakhouse brand )
- ½ Large red onion , cut into chunks
- 1 Medium red bell pepper , cut into chunks
- 1 Medium orange red bell pepper , cut into chunks
- Fresh parsley (optional garnish )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Season side 1 (bottom of the spatchcock / butterflied chicken ) with 1 teaspoon all purpose, 1 teaspoon garlic powder , 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon cayenne
- Season side 2 of the Chicken (top of the spatchcock / butterflied chicken ) with with 1 teaspoon all purpose, 1 teaspoon garlic powder , 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon cayenne
- Arrange chopped red bell pepper , orange bell pepper , and red onion around the chicken
- Pour Italian dressing over the chicken
- Bake chicken for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes (adjust accordingly to size of your chicken ) until fully cooked – make sure you baste the chicken every 20 minutes with the pan juices to keep it juicy
- Remove from oven and let it rest for 5-8 minutes
- Garnish with fresh parsley , serve, and enjoy !
I make this now at least once a month. It’s juicy, tender and flavorful. You will not be disappointed. My family loves it.
Thank you so much for the love – glad you enjoyed it 🤗❤️
Just put it in the oven. Hope the family likes it.
Yasssss❤️