This Pepperoni Pizza Chicken is perfect for a lighting fast weeknight dinner. Ready in 30 minutes and made in one skillet for easy cleanup!
Get ready for you new favorite quick and easy chicken dinner that IS NOT BORING! This Skillet Pepperoni Pizza Chicken recipe comes together in about 30 minutes, and goes great with pasta or a side or garlic bread.
This pizza chicken is great for picky eaters and way more fun that your typical pizza night. Easily customize this recipe with different toppings like bacon, mushrooms or a bit of spice to fit your family perfectly. In a real hurry? This chicken skillet can be prepped ahead of time or main with a standard store bought sauce for even faster prep.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts because I can easily cut them in half for a quicker cook time. Alternatively, you could use chicken thighs. If using chicken thighs you will need four an do not slice them in half. The cook time will alter slightly to, so monitor with a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
- Pepperoni: I used your standard run-of-the-mill pepperoni you can find at any grocery store. If you prefer a more spicy kick to you pizza chicken skillet you could use spicy pepperoni. And for all my pepperoni lovers out there you could use a thick cut pepperoni.
- Shredded Cheese: I used a white cheese combination of mozzarella and provolone cheese. I think this gives the chicken a classic pizza flavor, but other shredded cheeses could be substituted in. Some other cheese ideas include cheddar cheese, Provel cheese (for all my St. Louis people lol), parmesan cheese, or Gorgonzola.
Why You'll Love It
Ready FAST in Jut 30 Minutes
A Fun Twist that Kids and Adults with Love
Easily Customizable for Different Taste Preferences and Picky Eaters
Can be Prepped Ahead of Time
Step by Step
Chicken Prep & Cook
- Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise and remove and excess fat with a sharp knife. Try your best to slice them evenly. I like to hold the chicken down with one hand and slice with the other.
- Once your chicken is sliced, coat both sides evenly with spices.
- Heat a large 12 inch cast iron skillet (or similar oven safe skillet) over medium heat, then add in olive oil.
- Place the chicken in the skillet and cook 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Check the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (it will reach 165 in the oven) remove from the pan and set aside.
Sauce Prep and Cook
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half then add to the same skillet the chicken was cooked in. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then add in minced garlic and cook an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add in all the remaining sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Let simmer for at least 5 minutes (or longer to develop more flavor).
Bring it Together
- Once the sauce is finished, add the chicken breasts back into the pan into the sauce.
- Sprinkle over cheese, then the pepperoni and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
- Once finished, top with fresh basil and additional cherry tomatoes and serve warm with garlic bread or pasta.
Pro Tips
Slice the Chicken: The secret to how quickly this chicken comes together is by slicing the chicken in half. This thins the chicken and makes it cook faster. I like to use a sharp chefs knife and hold the chicken down flat with my palm and use the other hand to slice the chicken across evenly.
If you do not slice the chicken the recipe will still work great, but the cook time will be extended about 15 minutes.
Pair with Pasta: I really like to sauce this skillet pepperoni pizza chicken up. If you want no sauce to go to waste you could add in some cooked pasta to really take this chicken up a notch. Another option would be to dip some garlic bread or bread sticks into the sauce.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover pizza chicken bake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like to rewarm leftovers in a large skillet in the oven, but you could warm in the microwave as well.
FAQS
Yes, you can make the chicken, sauce then top the cheese and pepperoni over top and store in the fridge covered for up to 24 hours. When ready to eat pop the pizza chicken into the oven and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until sauce and chicken are warm and bubbling.
Yes, partially is can. I like to prep the chicken and sauce then store them together in a freezer container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, let thaw and add to a skillet or baking dish the top with cheese and pepperoni and continue to baking instructions.
Lots of additions can be added to make this pizza chicken your own. If you want to meat it up you could add in some cooked bacon or sausage. If veggies are your thing mushrooms, peppers and jalapenos work great as well. For finishing touches fresh pesto goes great over top, red pepper flakes, grated parmesan cheese or a garlic infused olive oil.
Yes, for an even easier take on this recipe you could use a store-bought marinara sauce. I highly recommend you go by the recipe, because the sauce is so tasty, but I get those busy weeknights, so do you!
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Happy Eating!
Skillet Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
For the Sauce
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes Sliced in Half
- 2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 6 Oz Tomato Paste
- 3 Oz Tomato Sauce
- ¼ Cup Water or Red Wine for More Bold Flavor
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes Optional
For the Pizza Bake
- 3 Oz Pepperoni
- ¾ Cup Mozzarella Cheese
- ½ Cup Provolone Cheese
- ½ Cup Cherry Tomatoes Sliced in Half
- 10 Fresh Basil Leaves Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Next, slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise and remove and excess fat with a sharp knife. Coat both sides evenly with all the chicken spices.
- Heat a large 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium- high heat, then add in olive oil. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook 3 minutes per side. Once cooked through, remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add sliced cherry tomatoes to the same skillet the chicken was cooked in. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then add in minced garlic and cook an additional 1 minute until fragrant. Add in all the remaining sauce ingredients to the skillet and stir to combine. Let simmer for at least 5 minutes (or longer to develop more flavor).
- Once the sauce is finished, add the chicken breasts back into the pan into the sauce. Sprinkle over cheese, then the pepperoni and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
- Once finished, remove from oven and top with fresh basil, additional cherry tomatoes or extras of your choice. Enjoy warm with pasta or garlic bread.
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