Pizza chicken is a twist on a classic stuffed chicken breast. Full of cheese, pepperoni and tomato flavor, you’ll love this delicious stuffed chicken breast that tastes like pizza!
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Table of Contents
Why We Love Stuffed Pizza Chicken
- Easy Delicious Family Meal– Use the word pizza around the home and my whole family run to the table. Your family will love all the flavors of homemade pizza in this dish without the pizza dough. You can customize with their favorite toppings for an easy weeknight dinner.
- Prep Ahead- This dish can be prepped ahead the night before and then stored covered in the refrigerator until it’s time to bake for dinner. Prep is quick and easy with simple ingredients, and this is a great recipe to use for meal prep.
- Leftovers Just As Delicious– We love this dish the first night, but also love turning leftovers into sandwiches the second day!
Try the creamy cheesy chicken calzone for another delicious twist on pizza and chicken together.
Ingredients For Stuffed Pizza Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts – About 2 pounds, boneless skinless chicken breasts work best
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes diced, 2 cups if fresh
- 24 ounces pizza sauce or marinara sauce, about 3 cups
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- 3 ounces pepperoni slices
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
How To Make Pizza Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray, set aside.
- With a sharp knife, butterfly each chicken breast. (see notes) This means cutting the chicken breast horizontally while still leaving the two pieces of the chicken attached so it opens like a book. Pounding the chicken breast (see notes) can also help if your chicken breasts are not close in size.
- Stuff each chicken breast with a handful of cheese (about 1 cup) and a few pieces of pepperoni, then close the chicken.
- Brush olive oil on the top of each chicken breast. Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Place the chicken in the prepared baking pan and surround with the diced tomatoes.
- Carefully spread the pizza sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and tomatoes.
- Top the chicken breasts with the remaining mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices and fresh basil.
- Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of chicken reads 165 degrees with a meat thermometer. Then enjoy!
This recipe is similar to how I make my pepperoni dip, which is a great warm appetizer. It’s cheesy just like this chicken, and still packs plenty of flavor.
Variation Ideas
- Add Other Pizza Toppings- Try olives, bell pepper, red onion or even pineapple! Try your favorite pizza toppings to make different pizza flavors.
- Try Adding Other Types Of Pork- Precooked sausage, bacon, salami or ham also works diced up instead of pepperoni. You could also use chicken or turkey versions of any of these meats.
- Drizzle Pesto– A drizzle of basil pesto would add a lot of flavor to this dish.
- Try Different Cheeses– Mozzarella is classic for pizza, but other mild cheese like provolone, monterey jack or even gouda would be delicious. Add parmesan cheese if you like, or experiment with your favorite cheeses on this chicken pizza recipe.
- Sprinkle Red Pepper Flakes– A sprinkle of red pepper flakes at the table give this chicken bake a little extra kick.
My baked salsa chicken and baked bruschetta chicken are both delicious flavor variations on this baked pizza chicken.
What To Serve Stuffed Pizza Chicken With?
We serve baked pizza chicken with all kinds of sides in our house.
A delicious veggie can help round out the meal whether it’s a fresh side salad like my apple cranberry salad or a fresh Mediterranean cucumber and tomato salad.
For a more filling side try a loaded potato salad, or creamy ranch bacon pasta salad. The kids also love when I make garlic zucchini fries, roasted honey baby carrots. or roasted potato wedges.
Add some homemade garlic knots with a little marinara, or this delicious semi-homemade pull-part garlic bread made with biscuit dough.
How Long Will Leftover Pizza Chicken Last?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Leftovers also make delicious warm or grilled sandwiches if sliced.
Pizza Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts About 2 lbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes diced, 2 cups if fresh
- 24 ounces pizza sauce or marinara, about 3 cups
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- 3 ounces pepperoni slices
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray, set aside.
- With a sharp knife, butterfly each chicken breast. (see notes) This means cutting the chicken breast horizontally while still leaving the two pieces of the chicken attached so it opens like a book. Pounding the chicken breast (see notes) can also help if your chicken breasts are not close in size.
- Stuff each chicken breast with a handful of cheese (about 1 cup) and a few pepperoni slices, then close the chicken.
- Brush olive oil on the top of each chicken breast. Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Place the chicken in the prepared baking pan and surround with the diced tomatoes.
- Carefully spread the pizza sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and tomatoes.
- Top the chicken breasts with the remaining mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices and fresh basil.
- Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of chicken reads 165 degrees with a meat thermometer. Then enjoy!
Notes
Butterflying Chicken And Pounding Chicken
If you have never tried butterflying chicken before, these instructions will show you how to slice the chicken breast. If the chicken breast is not all the same size, you can also use the same directions to show you how to pound the chicken breast so they are all about the same thickness and will cook more evenly.Prepping The Chicken Ahead Of Time
You can prep this dish easily ahead of time into the casserole dish up to 24 hours in advance as long as you cover and refrigerate it. Then when it’s time for dinner you only have to bake. Leftovers also heat up deliciously.Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
