one-skillet pizza chicken
this is a fun one :)
Melissa Clark shared a recipe called “Pizza Chicken with Pancetta, Mozzarella, and Spicy Tomatoes” in her 2017 cookbook Dinner: Changing the Game, and I made it on a near-weekly basis for about two years back before my oldest son, Mattis, was born. It includes crisping pancetta, searing bone-in chicken thighs and breasts, and making a tomato pan sauce complete with fresh garlic and anchovies. It has margherita-pizza-meets-chicken-Parm vibes and is a truly exceptional meal.
It fell off my radar for years once our kids came along because it is a pretty lengthy recipe, but I spotted Dinner during the moving shuffle a few months ago, and I haven’t been able to get that meal off my mind since!
Today’s recipe is my take on Melissa’s iconic “pizza chicken,” but with lots of tweaks and shortcuts to make it more tired-on-a-Tuesday-night friendly, while still being iconic enough for a dinner party.
We’re cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts in jarred marinara — I use Rao’s! — getting some cherry tomatoes in there to bring depth and freshness to the sauce, and topping it off with pepperonis, melty mozzarella, and fresh basil.
I like to serve this along with a loaf of delicious bread for dunking, but cooked noodles (regular or gluten-free), rice, roasted potatoes (see the notes section for a how-to), or a bed of fresh spinach are all great with it, too.
Feel free to switch up or add more toppings for a make-your-own-“pizza” night. When you add the chicken back to the sauce, scatter your favorite pizza toppings over top, with or without the pepperonis! Thinly sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, or onions, sliced olives, chopped pineapple (pineapple pizza lovers, reveal yourselves!) different cheeses… or just omit the pepperoni for a cheese “pizza.” You can go half and half with the toppings, or switch them up from quarter to quarter. Another way to experiment: Instead of marinara, use an arrabbiata or vodka sauce.
If all this talk about pizza makes you want an actual pizza, make my bee-sting pizza ensalata. Or — especially later this month when fresh seasonal asparagus hits the scene — make my asparagus grandma pizza. And for another saucy chicken skillet, try these 30-minute chicken Parm meatballs.
Serves 4
Cook time: 45 minutes
Tools:
12-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) or Dutch oven
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, divided
20 pepperoni slices (about 2 ounces)
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn
For garnish: fresh basil leaves, freshly grated Parmesan, and/or red pepper flakes
For serving (choose one): a loaf of the most delicious bread you can find (this is my preference!), cooked rice, roasted potatoes, cooked spaghetti (or any noodle), a bed of spinach
Season 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
Preheat a 12-inch ovenproof (preferably cast iron) skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, then warm 1 tablespoon olive oil for 30 seconds. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate. The chicken won’t be cooked through yet, that’s OK.
Lower the heat to medium-low. Carefully pour 24 ounces of marinara sauce into the skillet (it may splatter, beware!). Stir in half of the halved cherry tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
While the oven is preheating, cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the tomatoes have softened.
Nestle the chicken breasts down into the tomato sauce and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken temperature at the 15-minute mark. Pull the skillet out when the chicken reaches 160°F (it will go back in the oven and finish cooking soon).
Bump the oven temperature up to 450°F.
Evenly distribute 20 pepperoni slices over the chicken and sauce. Tear apart 6 ounces fresh mozzarella and distribute it over top, too. Return the skillet to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pepperonis are lightly crispy and the cheese is melted, but not too brown.
Remove the skillet from the oven and scatter the remaining halved cherry tomatoes over top, along with fresh basil leaves (thinly slice them if the leaves are big), freshly grated Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Serve with your desired side — see options in the ingredients list.
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Which side should I serve this with? Choose your own adventure (rice, cooked noodles, roasted potatoes — all would be great!), but I always serve this with really good bread for dipping. If you want something lighter, I also love this over a bed of fresh spinach. The heat from the chicken and sauce lightly wilts the spinach — it’s great!
How to roast potatoes: If you’re interested in the roasted potatoes side option, here’s what you’ll do: Cut 1 1/2 pounds of baby potatoes in half and toss on a sheet pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, a little garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and tender inside.
What kind of mozzarella? You can use one big ball of fresh mozzarella or use mini “pearls” or bocconcini balls. These are often kept in the deli section of the store. If all you can find is pre-shredded mozzarella, that will be fine!
Note about pepperoni size: I used 20 standard 1 1/2-inch-wide pepperoni slices. If you came home with jumbo pepperoni slices, just use fewer of them!
Feeding kids/picky eaters: Wipe the tomato sauce off, cut the chicken up, and serve it however they’ll eat it (with ketchup?). Reserve some tomatoes, mozzarella, and pepperonis to serve all separately, if your kids don’t like things to be touching.
Love your leftovers: Leftovers will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container. Eat them for lunches with a different side to mix things up.
Prep ahead: You can prep the skillet up to the point when you nestle the seared chicken into the sauce. Let the skillet cool then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up 24 hours. Uncover it and pick up where you left off.
Vegetarian: If you’re vegetarian, you can sauté a pound or two of chopped mushrooms, onion, and/or bell pepper in the skillet in lieu of chicken to bulk up the base. Add the sauce and keep the veg in there while it thickens on the stove. Bypass the portion of the recipe where you bake the chicken — skip right to when you add the cheese and desired toppings.
Another option would be to use eggplant steaks. Cut the top off of the eggplant. Place eggplant on the cutting board so that the flat, cut side is down. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch thick planks (it should make 5 to 7 ovals). Lay the planks on a dish towel and coat both sides with kosher salt. Let the eggplant hang out there for 15 to 20 minutes (or longer if need be; we’re drawing the moisture out). It might turn a bit brown but it doesn’t matter. Use another towel to wipe away all excess moisture and salt. Transfer the eggplant to the parchment-lined baking sheet and coat all sides with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil (2 to 3 tablespoons worth). Lay the eggplant planks flat, so that they’re not overlapping. Roast for 20 minutes. At this point, you can add them to the thickened sauce in the skillet, top with desired toppings, and bake at 450.
Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free mozzarella and dairy-free Parm.
Gluten-free: Already is, but double check the labels on your marinara sauce and pepperoni just to be sure. Serve with a gluten-free side like rice, gluten-free noodles, spinach, or roasted potatoes.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or a bone-in, skin-on cut of chicken (bone-in will take longer to reach 165°F internally — closer to 30 minutes). Turkey cutlets or boneless pork chops (pork needs to hit 145°F internally) would also work. See the “vegetarian” note above for more ideas.
Italian seasoning: Dried oregano or dried basil or a combo of both.
Olive oil: EVOO, avocado oil, or another neutral cooking oil
Marinara sauce: If you can’t eat tomatoes, use a roasted red pepper spaghetti sauce like this. Or you could make pesto “pizza” chicken. Replace the marinara and tomatoes with 3/4 cup basil pesto + 1/2 cup chicken or veggie broth + 1/4 cup heavy cream. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until thick and combined, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Cherry tomatoes: Another small tomato, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped roasted red bell peppers, or omit.
Mozzarella: Dairy-free mozzarella, fontina, or provolone. Or burrata, but add it after baking along with the basil and other garnishes.
Pepperoni: Salami, turkey pepperoni, prosciutto (but add it after baking), or pancetta but cook it in the skillet before you sear the chicken. Reserve the pancetta once crispy, and add it back as a topping. Or omit and see the “do your thing” section above the recipe for more “pizza” topping ideas.
Fresh basil, Parm, and red pepper flakes: These are optional, but delicious.
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Photographs: Erin Scott
Food styling: Lillian Kang
Editor: Molly Ramsey
Won’t lie I don’t usually feel excited about baked chicken breast but made this tonight and it was SO good. Made with thinner cut chicken and garlic bread on the side!
Melissa Clark’s Dinner and your book are what I cook from the most. This is a fun mash-up I know we’ll love!