Pizza Chicken – One pan, 5 ingredients!
Posted: 01/09/2019
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This easy five ingredient, one-pan pizza chicken is a weeknight lifesaver. It’s a crowd-pleaser of a dinner!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Easy, easy, easy!
How long it takes: 5 minutes to prep, just over an hour in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: large baking dish, oven
Servings: 6
Table of Contents
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I know pizza and healthy eating aren’t exactly synonymous but I’ve never been one to follow the trends. Well, sometimes I follow trends but I’m usually at least six months behind the curve.
I do, however, believe in balance and today that balance appears in the form of dressing up a chicken breast and making it taste like pizza.
I also believe in easy recipes and eating them in January. And February…and March…and April…you get the point. Not only is this pizza baked chicken a five ingredient recipe but it’s also made in one pan. Only one pan to wash!
It’s ridiculously easy and it has become a quick go-to recipe in my home, and I know you’re going to feel the same way about it.
About this Pizza Chicken
It’s a really simple hot dish that takes about five minutes to prep. It requires about an hour in the oven but that’s all hands-off time. See why I like it? It’s as easy to make as tuna noodle casserole, another crowd pleaser.
The sauce that the chicken bakes in is a mixture of pizza sauce and diced tomatoes. You’ll mix those together right in the baking dish, add the chicken and bake. Right before it’s finished, the cheese and pepperoni go on.
The sauce keeps the chicken juicy and flavorful. The cheese and pepperoni make this hot dish feel like a serious treat, but in reality it’s still pretty balanced, healthy eating.
I’ll get you started on the recipe here with lots of added tips. You’ll find the printable recipe card with complete directions and nutrition information near the end of the post.
What You’ll Need
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: If you prefer dark meat, substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs. The chicken is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Look for low/no sodium tomatoes to reduce the amount of added salt.
- Pizza Sauce: You’ll need a 14 ounce jar of sauce. If you’d rather make your own, try this homemade pizza sauce recipe. Marinara or spaghetti sauce is fine, too.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: Fresh mozzarella is really great, too!
- Sliced Pepperoni: For authentic pizza flavor.
How To Make This Recipe
It’s really almost embarrassingly easy. Find a nice big glass baking dish.
Combine the pizza sauce and tomatoes in the pan. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Bake for about an hour or until the chicken reaches at least 165°F when you insert an instant read thermometer near the center.
You’re almost done now! Sprinkle on the cheese and arrange the pepperoni on top. Broil for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni does that lovely curling thing.
We like to eat this dish with cooked pasta but if you have a more healthy eating mindset (go you!), it’s amazing with zucchini noodles.
Serve with a side salad dressed with Italian dressing and warm Italian bread with dipping oil. I recommend tasty roasted broccoli to serve as a side dish.
Make It Your Own
- Make it dairy-free: Umm…just leave the cheese off, k?
- Make it low-carb or keto: You’re in luck, if you pick a low-carb pizza sauce, it already is.
- Make it Whole30: Omit the cheese and choose compliant pizza sauce and pepperoni.
- Add more vegetables: ALWAYS! Chop some spinach and stir it into the sauce. Or you could top the chicken breasts with a vegetable instead of pepperoni. Try sautéing mushrooms, bell peppers, or onions and adding those! There are always good ways to add vegetables. I also love this served with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
- Make it faster: I haven’t tested it, but if you used chicken tenders or butterflied your chicken and put it in a slightly larger pan, you could cut down on the cooking time.
Can’t wait to hear what you guys think of this one! I might just make it again tonight…
Storage & Reheating Tips
Leftover pizza chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat on the stove in a skillet, in the microwave, or in the oven.
Leftover Love
Make a pizza chicken sub sandwich. Butter and toast sub sandwich buns until lightly browned. Add chicken (sliced, chopped, or shredded) and leftover sauce. Sprinkle on additional cheese and pepperoni or any other toppings you like. Broil until cheese is melted and chicken is heated through.
More One Pan Meals
Need some more one pan meals in your life? Don’t we all! Here are some I recommend:
- One Pan Sausage Dinner with Fall Vegetables
- One Pan Sausage and Rice with Sweet Peppers
- Chicken Marsala Pasta
- Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 6 ingredients, 20 minutes
- Pizza Baked Pasta – so easy if you happen to have some leftover plain pasta!
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- One Pan Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Veggies from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
This easy five ingredient, one-pan pizza chicken is a weeknight lifesaver. It's a crowd-pleaser of a dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
- 1 jar (14 oz.) pizza sauce
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese, or more to taste
- 9-12 slices pepperoni
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a baking dish (I use a rectangle one slightly smaller than a 9×13) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Stir together pizza sauce and tomatoes in prepared pan.
- Place chicken on top of sauce and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken down into sauce.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until chicken registers to 165°F when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Sprinkle with cheese and place pepperoni on top. Bake for 3-5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Broil if desired to brown cheese and pepperoni.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley or basil.
Notes
- If you prefer dark meat, substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Use homemade pizza sauce to reduce sodium, if desired.
- For a low-carb or keto diet, serve with zucchini noodles.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 378kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 61g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 178mg, Sodium: 1104mg, Potassium: 1499mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 701IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 88mg, Iron: 3mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Traci Gertz says
I made the Pizza Chicken Bake last night and it was delicious! I added a can of mushroom stems and a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper because my husband loves a little kick to all of his food. I will definitely be making this dish again! Thank you Rachel!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a comment! :)
denise says
wowza!
Rachel Gurk says
:) Thanks!
Sabrina says
nice recipe, pepperoni might be everything that chicken is missing! Love the give ingredients too, thank you!
The Novice says
This looks so simple, so tasty, and so cheesy! I would devour this over a bowl of spaghetti, or even some mashed potato with a side of veg – yum!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you like this one!