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If you’re running out of dinner ideas, this pepperoni chicken is the answer. Juicy chicken covered with tomato, melted cheese, and pizza toppings: too good to wait to try it!
Kid-Approved Pepperoni Pizza Chicken
To all my fellow moms, this Pizza Chicken is everything you’ve been waiting for. It has all the goodness of cheesy pizza without the carbs!
After many years of cooking for kids, I’ve learned that nearly every kid will eat two things: pizza and chicken. This recipe combines both and is made in one skillet. It’s a dream come true!
This recipe also proves you can make healthy meals that kids will love by recreating their favorite foods. In this case, it’s pizza. We’ve already done it with egg roll in a bowl, cauliflower shrimp fried rice, and healthy nachos!
Ingredients
This recipe replaces pizza crust with baked chicken breasts to make it low on the carbs and keto friendly but still packed with cheesy pizza flavor! The kids love it and us adults can enjoy it guilt-free, everybody wins here! Here’s what you need:
- Olive oil: to brown the chicken.
- Chicken: use boneless skinless chicken breasts as pizza base.
- Marinara sauce: jarred tomato sauce may have more sugar than you think. That’s why I like to make my own or purchase one that has no added sugar. See how to make your own tomato sauce here.
- Shredded cheese: Mozzarella or Provolone are great options!
- Pepperoni: I use a nitrate free pepperoni. We like this one best because they offer regular and turkey pepperoni options made with no antibiotics or fake stuff.
- Toppings: black olives and chopped parsley or oregano, optional.
Remember to grab the ingredient measurements in the printable recipe card below.
More Toppings for Pepperoni Pizza Chicken
Just like traditional pizza, dress this pepperoni chicken with your favorite toppings and make everyone drool! You can swap pepperoni for salami, bacon, or ham.
Extra veggies are always welcome! Add spinach, chopped broccoli, corn, mushrooms, peppers, onion, or even jalapeños for a little heat. Want to add some tasty pesto? Go ahead!
How to Make Pizza Chicken
This Pizza Chicken recipe is more than guilt-free, it’s hands-free too! You just need to brown the chicken, add the sauce, cheese and toppings, and let the oven turn them into the most epic family dinner!
- Prep
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large, oven-safe skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. - Brown the chicken
Add the chicken breast and sear for 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to a plate. - Add marinara sauce
Remove the pan from heat and add 1 cup marinara sauce. Spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. - Bake
Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. - Add toppings
Remove the chicken from the oven, top with reaming sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and black olives, if using. - Melt it!
Place back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and pepperoni slightly browned.
Watch the Recipe Video
Writing about this Pizza Chicken wasn’t enough, I HAD to make a video and it’s totally worth watching:
If you’re looking for more healthy family meal ideas I’ve got a complete list here. You’ll also find those and much more in the Family Kickstart. It’s a 4-week guide with recipes, completed shopping lists, and prep guide to help families replace the processed junk with real food meals. It makes eating healthy with the family a lot easier.
If you want to learn more about the Family Kickstart program, click here.
What to Serve with Pizza Chicken
This Pizza Chicken is a satisfying meal all by itself, but when this mom finds an opportunity to add veggies to the dish, I don’t miss it! Some of my favorite sides to serve with pepperoni chicken are Roasted Broccolini, Roasted Asparagus, Bruschetta Salad, and this Corn and Tomato Salad.
Other great side dishes I enjoy while keeping this meal nutritious and low-carb are Cheesy Cauliflower Rice, Spiralized Zucchini and Tomatoes, and Spaghetti Squash. You can serve the pizza chicken over them and it will taste simply amazing!
Storing Leftovers
Same as other cooked chicken recipes, Pizza Chicken will last up to three days in the fridge after being cooked. Any longer than that and you’ll need to freeze it. Which is a really great idea because this would make an awesome lunch or leftover dinner.
Need more chicken dinner ideas to keep the kids happy? I’ve got you covered.
Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Recipe
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella or Provolone cheese*
- ½ cup pepperoni
- 4 ounce can black olives, optional
- Chopped parsley/oregano, for topping, optional
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large, oven-safe skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Cook the chicken:
- Add the chicken breast and sear for 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to a plate.
- Remove the pan from heat and add 1 cup marinara sauce. Spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce.
- Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Add toppings:
- Remove the chicken from the oven, top with reaming sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and black olives, if using.
- Place back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and pepperoni slightly browned.
Jill Leatherman says
I’ve been making pepperoni chicken, for over thirty five years. Absolutely yummy
Laura Fuentes says
Then for you, it’s a classic dish!