From marinara sauce to mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, if your family loves the flavors found in most pizza pies, then baked pizza chicken is a must-try!
Raise your hand if you almost always have chicken breasts, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese on hand?! Ok, now I give you permission to do a fist bump if you almost always have pepperoni, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese on hand. As you can tell I’m in a pretty good mood when it comes to this baked pizza chicken. Not only is it SO simple to make, if your family is into making pizza at home, chances are you have some if not all of the ingredients to make this delicious chicken!
Baked pizza chicken is a recipe I grew up eating, but of course, I adapted my Mom’s version to fit the tummies of my toddlers. I.e. I didn’t add peppers or onions and opted for a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Honestly, this baked pizza chicken tastes like a protein-packed pizza dish, with lean protein as the substitute for the crust. Now I’m not suggesting you skip out on eating pizza. I’m only saying if your family loves all the flavors found in a traditional round pie, change it up! And if your crew is more into a veggie pizza, then forget the pepperoni and stuff the chicken breasts with sliced mushrooms peppers, or onions. You know my only rule: DO NOT FORGET THE CHEESE. Someone is bound to notice!
- 3-4 large chicken breasts, butterflied
- 1 cup pepperoni slices
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- ¾ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Add half of the marinara sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish. Take each chicken breast and stuff evenly with pepperoni slices and mozzarella cheese. Place on top of the marinara sauce in baking dish.
- Top each chicken breast with remaining sauce, and a tablespoon or two each of the breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Looking for more pizza-twists when it comes to weeknight cooking? Then you might just like these recipes:
Roasted Veggie English Muffin Pizzas
Slow Cooker Pizza Chicken with Orzo
Hi, where does the mozzarella cheese go?
Oops! Just updated the recipe. It should go inside the chicken breast along with the pepperoni slices!