10 Minute Skillet Italian Chicken

Skillet Italian chicken is the perfect addition to your quick and easy weeknight dinners. This cubed chicken recipe is ready in just 10 minutes and is packed with flavor from simple pantry ingredients.

If you love 10 minute cubed chicken breast recipes, you should try skillet Asian chicken, Greek chicken bites, or ranch chicken bites.

Cast iron skillet with Italian Chicken and a silver spatula

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Why this recipe works

  • This recipe is fast, flavorful and so easy to make! It requires minimal prep work and is bursting with flavor!
  • Cooks in just 10 minutes, with no need to marinate the chicken.
  • Great for weekend meal prep!
  • Use the skillet chicken bites on salads, pizzas, in pasta or wraps!
  • This recipe is Whole30, paleo, low carb and keto friendly!

Ingredients

  • Boneless, skinless chicken – you can use boneless, skinless chicken breast, thighs or chicken tenders to make chicken cubes to cook in the skillet. Chicken tenders are great because they are already thin, so the prep will take even less time.
  • Spices: Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder – these simple seasonings help to give the chicken cubes so much flavor after cooking on the stove.

How to cook chicken cubes

Step 1: Start by combining the Italian seasoning, lemon juice and garlic olive oil (see substations below) in a large bowl, stirring well.

Glass bowl filled with Italian seasoning marinade for Italian chicken

Step 2: Trim the chicken breast (or thighs) into 1 inch cubes, using kitchen shears.

Large bowl filled with cubed chicken.

Step 3: Add the cubes of chicken to the Italian seasoning and stir well.

Large bowl filled with cubed chicken coated in Italian seasoning.

Step 4: Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian chicken to the skillet and let cook 4-5 minutes, don’t touch the chicken.

Cast Iron skillet filled with raw Italian Chicken before cooking.

Step 5: After 4-5 minutes, move the chicken around frequently with a spatula until all sides are browned and chicken is cooked to 165F internally.

Cast iron filled with Italian chicken after cooking.

What to serve with diced chicken

Common questions

What is Italian Seasoning

Italian seasoning is usually a blend of these dried herbs:

  • Basil
  • Parsley
  • Oregano
  • Garlic
  • Rosemary
  • Sage

Most brands have a different combination of dried herbs. This seasoning is very easy to find in the grocery store. Check out my go to recipe for homemade italian seasoning.

Can you make chicken cubes in a pan in advance

Prep the chicken ahead of time by cubing the chicken with kitchen shears and adding the Italian marinade up to 8 hours ahead of time. Any longer than 8 hours, don’t add the lemon juice or it will change the texture of the chicken.

You can always cook these up and store them in the fridge. These Italian chicken cubes reheat well in a skillet over medium low heat or in the microwave.

White plate filled with Italian Chicken surrounded by sliced lemons

How to double or triple this recipe

Making cubed chicken in the skillet requires a large skillet and that the skillet not be overcrowded. Each piece of chicken should be touching the bottom of the skillet.

Because of this, you will likely need to cook the Italian chicken in batches if you want to make more than 1.5-2 pounds of chicken at once, since you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. This will allow all sides to get browned without overcooking the meat.

Silver spatula picking up Italian Chicken from the skillet.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Skillet filled with Italian Chicken and a silver spatula

10 Minute Skillet Italian Chicken

$8.03 Recipe/$2.01 Serving
10 Minute Skillet Italian Chicken is the perfect quick and easy dinner idea! This skillet chicken dish is seasoned with italian seasoning and is perfect for adding to pasta, zoodles, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas and more! Great for quick and simple weeknight dinners or meal prep! Gluten free, low carb, paleo, Whole30 and keto friendly!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: italian chicken, skillet chicken, skillet italian chicken
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Guided Recipe Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the Italian seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Stir well.
  • Cut up the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes using kitchen shears. Add directly to the Italian seasoning marinade.
  • Stir the chicken well, making sure it's coated on all sides.
  • Preheat a cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes without touching the meat, allowing it to sear well.
  • For the next 4-5 minutes, stir the chicken occasionally, making sure all sides get browned.

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Skillet

Notes

Top tips
  • Use chicken tenders to make this very quick and simple
  • If you are short on time, cube the chicken in advance and store in an airtight bag or container (you can do this up to 2 days in advance).
  • Use kitchen shears to make this quick and easy. If you don’t have kitchen shears, use a knife and a plastic cutting board that can be put in the dishwasher after using. I don’t recommend cutting chicken on a wood cutting board.
  • Use other spices (like za’atar or Mediterranean seasoning in place of the italian seasoning to change up the flavors.
  • Budget tip: To make this meal more budget friendly, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
  • Low FODMAP: To make low fodmap, substitute the 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tsp. garlic powder with 1 tbsp. garlic olive oil.
Storage: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container! Or in the freezer in individual portions in the freezer for up to a month in a freezer safe bag.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
174
Fat
 
7
g
Carbohydrates
 
4
g
Fiber
 
1
g
Sugar
 
1
g
Protein
 
25
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I used frozen chicken breasts so this came out a bit too salty, but the other flavors were great! Will definitely make again, with adjustments to the salt

    1. June thank you so much for combing back to leave a comment – it really is so helpful to hear these tips from others. Glad you found a recipe that you will enjoy over and over again! Happy cooking!

  2. 5 stars
    I had been looking for a simple, delicious “grilled” chicken recipe and I kept finding, “easy” recipes pounding the chicken, etc., and Iooked at several different ones. Not that pounding chicken is that hard, I just wanted to cut it up, put some tasty seasoning on it and call it good. Well … this was BEYOND good, absolutely delicious, and exactly what my taste buds were searching for. AND simple and efficient! THANK YOU!

  3. 5 stars
    I rarely leave review, but this is a delicious and easy dish! Made it numerous times with breast and thighs. It’s my go to lunch prep protein. Thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    Excellent and sooo quick! I did add white wine and butter to the chicken after it was browned and let it simmer so that there was a nice juice to add when I served it over rice.

  5. 5 stars
    Oh my, goodness! And GOODNESS it was! Excellent recipe, the entire family loved it. I served the chicken atop bowtie pasta to which I had added a small amount of pesto alla Genovese (to keep the pasta from sticking together) and strips of roasted red pepper. The entire presentation was lovely and so tasty. Definitely will be a part of my recipe box. Thank you!

  6. Thank you for a quick, easy, and delicious skillet chicken dish! Even my SUPER picky husband and 4 year old liked it! I didn’t have a lemon on hand, only lemon juice, so added 5 TBL, which made it a bit too lemony. When I make again I think Ill add 3-4 TBL of lemon juice. I’m sure if you follow the recipe as written, the amount one lemon produces is perfect, but wanted to provide my feedback in case anyone can find it helpful.

  7. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe. I also added some fresh garlic, parsley and oregano. Very yummy. My 12 year old couldn’t eat it fast enough!

  8. 5 stars
    This was a simple recipe but full of deliciousness. I thank you for putting DO NOT TOUCH THE CHICKEN. I think this is where I was failing with all recipes using the cast iron. Now I know when I cook chicken… not to turn it until 4-5 minutes. Thank you!

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