Skillet with pizza chicken inside

A treasured IGE team member, Meagan, was in town from Florida last week and as a life long southerner she had a very specific goal for the trip: to see falling snow for the first time ever…and Iowa delivered! It’s funny, she arrived on a record-breaking day for warmth, then the next day we had a snow storm.

Stay weird, Iowa.

Anyway, she and I went outside to let the big, fat, flakes fall on us and pretend we were in a snow globe for a bit.  She couldn’t have been more thrilled – it was so sweet!

While my heart eyes weren’t bursting quite as hard as Meagan’s were for the snow last week, they are exploding for this easy, one pan dish that takes just 15 minutes (if that) to make: Pizza Chicken!

cheesy pizza chicken on a plate

This is the latest dish in my series of easy, one pan smothered chicken breast recipes and I am in LOVE. In love with how fast this recipe comes together, in love with the fact that its customizable and low carb, and in love with how you can make chicken taste like pizza for Heaven’s sake.

Amen!

Chicken with Pizza Toppings = Pizza Chicken!

Pizza chicken is chicken that taste like pizza. Again: AMEN! Boneless skinless chicken breasts are sliced in half widthwise to create quick-cooking cutlets, which are seared on one side in a hot skillet. Flip the chicken cutlets then top with pizza sauce, parmesan cheese, your favorite pizza toppings, and shredded mozzarella cheese, then place a lid on top to melt the cheese. Boom – dinner’s done!

We’re talking 10 minutes of prep time to slice the chicken and gather your pizza toppings, then another 8-10 minutes to cook the chicken and melt the cheese. Pizza Chicken cutlets are a a fabulous, kid friendly weeknight dinner recipe – prepare to promote this dish to the top of your favorite chicken recipes list!

Tips for Success

  1. Use Your Favorite Toppings: Pizza Chicken is more of a concept vs a must-follow recipe. That said, top the cutlets with your favorite pizza toppings. I love pepperoni and black olives on my pizza, so that’s what I’ve shown here.
  2. Chicken Cutlets vs Chicken Breasts. Again, I like using chicken cutlets for this dish because it’s a great way to stretch chicken, plus they cook quickly. If you prefer to use whole chicken breasts, be sure to pound them out to an even thickness before adding to the skillet to ensure they cook quickly and evenly.
  3. Pizza Sauce vs Marinara Sauce. The main difference between pizza sauce and marinara sauce is the oregano-forward flavor most pizza sauces have. That said, if you’ve only got marinara sauce in the house, that’s totally fine to use.

Who’s ready to get this low carb comfort food on the table?

Overhead photo of a piece of Pizza Chicken on a plate with a salad

Craving More? Try Pizza Fries!

How to Make This Recipe

Start by seasoning chicken cutlets with homemade seasoned salt, pepper, and a pinch of dried oregano on each side. Again, cutlets are chicken breasts that have been sliced in half widthwise. Spray a large skillet over medium-high heat with nonstick spray then add the chicken and saute until golden brown on the bottom – 1-2 minutes. Flip the chicken cutlets then turn the heat down to medium.

chicken cutlets cooking in a skillet

Spoon a couple Tablespoons pizza sauce on top of each cutlet, followed by a generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese. The parmesan cheese really takes this dish up a notch – it smells SO fantastic!!

chicken cutlets topped with pizza sauce

Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella cheese, or a pizza cheese blend, followed by your favorite pizza toppings then place a lid on top to melt the cheese and let the chicken finish cooking through.

chicken cutlets in a skillet topped with pizza toppings

That’s all she wrote! Scoop the Pizza Chicken onto plates then serve with a salad or swirl of pasta with extra warmed pizza sauce. YUM. However you serve it, and whatever you top it with, I hope you love this easy, tasty pizza topped chicken – enjoy!

Pizza Chicken cooking in a skillet

More Recipes for a Pizza Craving

Pizza Chicken

5/5 (4 REVIEWS)

Description

Pizza Chicken will be on your table in less than 15 minutes! This low carb, gluten free chicken recipe is full of mouthwatering pizza flavor.

Ingredients

serves 4

  • 4 chicken cutlets or chicken breasts (see notes)
  • homemade seasoned salt and pepper
  • dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 4oz shredded mozzarella cheese or shredded pizza blend cheese
  • Pizza toppings: pepperoni, sliced black olives, mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Directions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken on both sides with homemade seasoned salt, pepper, and a pinch of dried oregano. Spray skillet with nonstick spray then place the chicken pieces inside and saute until golden brown on the bottom side (1-2 minutes for chicken cutlets, 3-4 minutes for chicken breasts). Flip then turn heat down to medium.
  2. On top of each piece of chicken layer ~2 Tablespoons pizza sauce, ~1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese, ~1 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, and the pizza toppings of your choice. Place a lid on top to let the cheese melt then serve.

Notes

  • Click here for my Homemade Seasoned Salt >
  • To make chicken cutlets: Use a sharp knife to slice large chicken breasts in half widthwise.
  • If using chicken breasts: Place chicken breasts on a cutting board then cover with saran wrap and pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet before cooking. The thinner you pound them the faster they will cook.

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

 

photo collage of pizza chicken