Pizza Chicken

This Pizza Chicken recipe is a quick yet healthy way to enjoy your favorite pizza flavors, requiring only 15 minutes of hands-on prep time! An instant family favorite meal that everyone will love!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked pizza chicken

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1

Servings: people

Calories: 689kcal

EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts About 2 lbs
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
6 ounces pepperoni slices
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
2 (14 oz) jar pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray, set aside.
Use a sharp knife to butterfly the chicken breasts.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Stuff each chicken breast with a bit of the cheese and a few pepperoni slices, then close to keep in place.
6 ounces pepperoni slices, 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Brush olive oil on the top of each chicken breast and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Place the chicken in the prepared baking pan and surround with the petite diced tomatoes.
1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
Carefully spoon the pizza sauce over the chicken breasts, and tomatoes.
2 (14 oz) jar pizza sauce
Top the chicken breasts with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices and fresh basil.
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 6 ounces pepperoni slices, 2 Tablespoons fresh basil
Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of chicken reads 165°F.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

NOTES

Storage Instructions: Place any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge. Enjoy leftover pizza chicken for up to 3 days.
Is This A Dish That I Can Make A Head Of Time? This dish can absolutely be made ahead of time, and I do it often! To make this dish ahead of time, simply assemble it and follow instructions right up until baking it. Then cover it tightly with tin foil or plastic wrap and slide it into the fridge. Then simply go back to it when you're ready to bake up dinner!
Can I Use Turkey Pepperoni In This Recipe? Of course, feel free to use your favorite pepperoni when making this Pizza Chicken!
Could The Chicken Breasts Be Topped With Fresh Mozzarella Instead Of Shredded? Yes, fresh mozzarella would be a wonderful addition to this recipe if you have any you'd like to use up. To do so, I'd cut the mozzarella into thinner slices so that the toppings can lay nicely on top. This way, when the cheese melts, the toppings can stick to it!
Meat Size - Chicken breasts come in all different sizes. When choosing your meat for this recipe, try to get chicken breasts that are similarly sized. This way, all of the chicken will be done cooking around the same time.
Butterflying - Use an extra sharp knife when butterflying the chicken to make the process as easy as possible. For a nicer presentation, I prefer to cut a little more toward the top of the breast when stuffing. Once sliced, you can season the inside of the butterflied breasts if you'd like. However, I do find that the pepperoni flavor seasons it plenty!
Sauce - As with all pizza chicken recipes, this one calls for pizza sauce. For best results, choose your favorite pizza sauce! Though this recipe does call for 2 14oz jars, I usually only use about 1 1/2. I just wanted to allow for flexibility for varying chicken breast sizes and saucy (or not!) preferences!
Doneness - With all chicken dishes, you want to ensure it's safe to eat before pulling it from the oven! To check for doneness, insert a kitchen thermometer into the thickest part of a breast. Once the thermometer reads 165 degrees F, the meat is safe to eat!

NUTRITION