Baked Pizza Chicken

Just 4 ingredients and a few minutes of hands-on kitchen time is all you’ll need to make this Pizza Chicken. The no-fail combination of tomato sauce, chicken, and mozzarella in this dish is what makes it such a hit!  It’s the perfect weeknight meal that the entire family will enjoy!

When it comes to cooking simple meals for my family, I love experimenting and trying out unique ways to put the same pantry staples together. 

I’ve tried everything from a hearty cheeseburger pasta to a comforting chicken tortilla soup, and this time, I put my favorite pizza sauce and chicken together, but minus the crust!  And oh boy- it turned out so insanely delicious! 

 Why You’ll Love This Pizza Chicken Recipe

• Quick and easy: The dish comes together with just under 10 minutes of prep time, making it a great quick and easy family weeknight dinner option.
• Low carb: It is a great low-carb, protein-rich dish that you can enjoy on its own, or pair with any side of your choice.
• Perfect for families: The flavors are super delicious and perfect for kids too! You’re going to make this on repeat!
• Customizable: You can play around with the ingredients and try different variations of the recipe, based on what you have at hand. 

Ingredients

• Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They’re quite affordable and have the perfect texture and structure that you’ll need for this recipe. 
• Pepperoni: For its smoky, salty flavor. And also because I had some leftovers that I wanted to use up. 
• Mozzarella: For that melty, gooey deliciousness. 
• Pasta sauce: Use your favorite tomato-based pasta or pizza sauce. If you have homemade pizza sauce, you could use that too! 

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Top it up: Experiment with toppings like Italian seasoning, fresh basil, and grated parmesan cheese to lend the pizza chicken a nice finishing touch. 
• Mix it up: Use a mix of two or more of your favorite cheeses if you don’t want to use just mozzarella. Mexican blend, Cheddar, and Monterey Jack are some good choices.
• Swap the sauce: Lend a bit of flavor variation to the mozzarella stuffed chicken breast by layering it with another sauce like alfredo sauce, ranch sauce, BBQ sauce, or even some buffalo sauce if you want to. 
• Stuff it up: Try the chicken with some more pizza toppings like olives, sliced jalapenos, onions, bell peppers, and capers.

How to Make Pizza Chicken

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you get the chicken ready. 

Step 1: Cut and stuff. Slice to make a sort of pocket inside the chicken. Stuff at least 5 pepperoni slices inside the pocket, and top it with lots of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Step 2: Bake. Transfer the pepperoni stuffed chicken breasts to a greased oven-safe pan and bake them for around 25 minutes.

Step 3: Add Toppings. Remove the dish from the oven, top the chicken with the sauce, and some more cheese, followed by a few extra pepperoni slices, and pop it in again. 

Step 4: Bake and top. Bake the chicken again for 15 minutes, and then turn the oven to broil. Let this broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

⭐ Hint: Use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to get the chicken breast to have an even thickness before you slice it.

If you love the flavors in this dish, try our Chicken Parmesan Pasta next.

Storage Directions 

• Storing: Store your leftover pizza chicken in an airtight box in the refrigerator. It should stay good for 2-3 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to two months. Thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
• Reheating: Transfer the chicken to a microwave-safe container and reheat it in the microwave, pausing every 30 seconds, until it has warmed all the way through. You can also reheat the chicken in a pan or in the oven, but make sure the heat isn’t too high, or it can dry up the chicken and even end up burning it. 

Serving Suggestions

This pepperoni and cheese stuffed chicken makes for a hearty meal when combined with some tasty sides.

You can pair it with a fresh arugula salad if you want to keep it light, or with a bulkier salad like tortellini pesto salad. 

Need something to mop up all that delicious saucy, cheesy goodness? Make some easy air fryer garlic bread or some air-fried pepperoni rolls to go with it. 

And if you want to keep it healthier, serve the pizza stuffed chicken with a veggie side dish like balsamic roasted carrots. 

Expert Tips

• Season it right: Season the chicken breasts with a bit of salt and pepper, or even some garlic powder if you want to, to lend them some extra flavor.
• Get the time right: Remember that the cooking time can depend on the size of the chicken breasts. Make sure you check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer, just to be sure.
• Close it up: If you’re worried about the cheese and pepperoni sliding out of the chicken while it is being cooked, secure the open ends with toothpicks.

Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Chicken Recipes

Do you like chicken for dinner? Here are some of my favorite chicken recipes you may also like to try.

Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.

Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Chicken

Karin and Ken

This pizza chicken is saucy, cheesy, meaty, and oh-so-delicious! It has the perfect balance of Italian flavors and is a great weeknight meal for the family.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time, divided 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 541 kcal

Equipment

• rimmed baking sheet
• Measuring cups and spoons
• cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Cheese grater

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 chicken breast boneless, skinless
• 40 slices pepperoni sliced - (at least 10per breast)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded - (to taste)
• 1-2 cups pasta sauce tomato based - (any store bought variety or homemade)

Instructions

 

• Place chicken breasts flat on your cutting board. With your knife angled downward toward the cutting board, cut a lengthwise slit in each chicken breast, creating a sort of pocket. Stuff each piece of chicken with at least 5 slices of pepperoni. Put the pepperoni slices on the bottom part of the pocket and mozzarella cheese on top. The idea is to position the chicken breast so the opening and the cheese are facing upward otherwise the cheese will likely melt away from the chicken.
• Bake chicken breasts for 25 minutes at 350°.
• Remove chicken from oven. Brush or spoon sauce to cover each breast, then top with cheese and lastly the pepperoni slices. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes. Next, leave the chicken in the oven and turn your oven up to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese and pepperoni start to turn brown. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Get the time right: Remember that the cooking time can depend on the size of the chicken breasts. Make sure you check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer, just to be sure.

• Close it up: If you’re worried about the cheese and pepperoni sliding out of the chicken while it is being cooked, secure the open ends with toothpicks.

• Season it right: Season the chicken breasts with a bit of salt and pepper, or even some garlic powder if you want to, to lend them some extra flavor.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 541kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 65gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 208mgSodium: 1220mgPotassium: 1115mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 712IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 306mgIron: 2mg

Keyword mozzarella stuffed chicken breast, pepperoni chicken, pizza chicken

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This post was originally posted in June 2017. It's been updated with new content and images.