With the exception of lasagna, there are few recipes that produce the “WOW” factor on your senses more than CHICKEN BIG TIME. Even before your first bite, one whiff of the tantalizing smell of garlic and Italian spices will make your taste buds dance. This was one of my dad’s specialties.

He got this recipe from a good friend in his poker club who first described it as “chicken…Big Time!”  You’ve got chicken with big time flavor and big time aroma-that’s Chicken Big Time!

CHICKEN BIG TIME is the perfect dish to make for times when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen but you want a big impact.  This delicious, healthy meal is great to make when you are entertaining guests or on a busy day during the week. While you can certainly prepare and cook this dish the night you want to eat it, I have found that it is even better if the chicken has time to marinate. This fact is actually a bonus.  This allows me to break up the steps which makes cooking this dinner even easier. 

In the morning, I simply prepare the marinade in a large mixing bowl and pour over the chicken and vegetables in a large, deep  casserole dish or dutch oven.  This step takes LESS than 10 minutes. Then, cover the chicken mixture and refrigerate all day. 

Where most marinades are discarded, this marinade works its magic in the oven and becomes the sauce.

The sauce soaks in the chicken, and still there is enough sauce to serve over rice and “sop up” extra with a piece of French bread. 

 

About 2 hours before dinner,  I place it in the oven and bake—slow and low.  It looks, tastes and smells like you have been toiling in the kitchen cooking all day.  The fact that I am not scurrying around to prepare the main course,  I have time to visit with my friends or family. (If you chose to add the wine, this would be a good time to finish off the bottle or chill and save for dinner.) 

The only downside to slow and low method of cooking this dish is that you have to endure the amazing aroma of the garlic and Italian spices cooking for that extended time.

I have made this dish off and on for 20 plus years.  During that time I have learned 2 important lessons.  First, use BONE IN split chicken breasts.  While I love the ease of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, this is one dish that you really need to use BONE IN split chicken breasts.  You will need to cut or pull the skin off yourself but it will be worth the extra step.  The bone helps to make the broth richer and helps the chicken stay tender and hold its shape.  Second, bake this recipe in the oven, not slow cooker. In the oven, the tomatoes and onions caramelize and get sweeter and the mushrooms tend to brown a bit from the heat of the oven.

About 20 minutes before serving, make a big pot of white rice and a large green salad.  You will want the bread to “sop up” the sauce. These simple additions will complete the meal.

As amazing as Chicken Big Time is the night it is cooked, it is equally, if not better, the next day.     ENJOY!

Print

Chicken Big Time

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 40 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 8

Author: Kimberly, Magnolias & Meltdowns

Ingredients

• 4-5 lb package split chicken breasts bone-in, skinless
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 16oz bottle Italian dressing
• 1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix dry
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 5-6 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 2 onions quartered
• 1 8oz package fresh white mushrooms whole
• 1 8oz jar artichokes marinated and drained
• 1/2 c white wine optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350'

2. Skin Chicken and place in a deep casserole dish (you may need 2 casserole dishes)

3. Randomly place mushrooms, onions and artichokes on and around the chicken

4. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken and vegetables

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine diced tomatoes (with juice), minced garlic, onion soup mix, Italian dressing and oregano

6. Mix well and carefully pour over chicken and vegetables

7. Bake at 350' (uncovered) for 1 hour and 30 minutes

8. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes

9. Serve over white rice and ENJOY!

Recipe Notes

• The star of the recipe seems to be the mushrooms.  While the recipe calls for 1 package fresh mushrooms, you may want to increase that amount to 2 packages.