This Easy Pizza Chicken is like your favorite pizza without all the carbs. It’s a keto dinner recipe made in one pan for easy clean up, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights. A low carb chicken recipe that is totally kid approved!
And this pizza chicken only takes 35 minutes, start to finish. You can’t beat that.
Riddle me this, friends:
Why do chicken thighs always come in packs of 5? Isn’t that a strange number, relative to how other things come? Chicken breasts tend to come in fours, chicken legs in twos. But a package of chicken thighs always seem to contain five. Which, being a family of 5, is very convenient for me.
And absolutely perfect for making One Pan Pizza Chicken.
I love chicken thighs for so many reasons. They are juicier, more flavorful, and less expensive than chicken breasts. And they are perfectly portioned for a keto meal. They also cook quickly, so you can get dinner on the table in less time and less effort. So I usually have several packages of chicken thighs somewhere in my fridge or freezer for easy weeknight meals just like this one.
And I am all about less effort for dinner these days! There is nothing worse than working your hiney off to make a fabulous meal and then have your kids roll their eyes and tell you they don’t like it.
I promise you that won’t happen with this skillet pizza chicken. This was a hit from the moment I whipped it up for my kids and it went into regular dinner rotation almost immediately. If your kiddos cheer when you tell them what’s for dinner, you know you’ve got a good thing going.
How to make Keto Pizza Chicken
It’s really ridiculously simple. At first, I was browning the thighs in a pan and then transferring them to a baking dish. Silly me, it was clearly an extra step that I did not need. And so was born the One Pan Pizza Chicken recipe
.
Be sure to choose an ovenproof pan of a good size, because this recipe finishes in the oven. I usually make a big batch with 10 chicken thighs, but you can easily scale this up and down easily to suit your family.
Preheat your oven and then heat oil in the pan and brown the thighs on both sides. Then simply pour your tomato sauce over and top with cheese and pepperoni. Pop it into the oven for 25 minutes and there you go. Pizza chicken is done!
Prefer a less saucy chicken recipe? Check out this Dry Rub Chicken from Lemons for Lulu!
More ideas for Easy Pizza Chicken
- Don’t feel you need to be limited to just cheese and pepperoni. Any of your favorite pizza toppings would be delicious. Sautéed mushrooms, olives, green peppers, basil, artichokes, spinach to name a few!
- Feel free to add some garlic or onion into the pan for a little extra flavor.
- Wondering what pizza sauce is low carb? Rao’s marinara is a popular store bought one. But when I need pizza sauce, I simply whisk some tomato paste and water, and then add in garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Works like a charm.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or with a nice garden salad for a well rounded low carb meal.
That’s really it. You can’t beat the convenience and flavor of this keto pizza chicken recipe. Hope your family loves it as much as mine does!
Looking for more low carb easy chicken skillet dinners?
Creamy Bacon Spinach Feta Chicken
Brown Butter Chicken with Sage and Prosciutto
Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon Chicken Thighs
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Skillet Chicken
Skillet Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms, White Wine, Bacon and Leeks
Skillet Balsamic Chicken with Sweet Peppers and Zucchini
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce (make sure it has no added sugar)
- 2 ounces sliced pepperoni (I like this one from Applegate)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella
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Preheat oven to 350F.
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Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat (if it's a cast-iron skillet, be generous with your oil to avoid sticking). Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper and to pan. Cook until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
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Pour pizza sauce over chicken thighs, spreading to coat. Arrange pepperoni over chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella.
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Bake 25 minutes, then turn on broiler for a minute or two until cheese is bubbly and browned in spots.
KalynsKitchen says
Maybe it’s because I am in Utah (the land of big families) but here the chicken thighs almost always come in packs of 10! I don’t know if that’s better or worse.
Your chicken looks great. Please come to my house and make videos for me, lol!
Carolyn says
Ha, that makes sense. All of mine seem to come in fives, which is perfect for me. I buy two because we love leftovers!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Carolyn, I am so making this! We eat chicken thigh meat at least once a week, maybe every other week but my kids love it when I just bake them with BBQ sauce. . I need to change it up! love this idea! and so easy!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Alice. I can guarantee your kids will love this one!
Kat says
I think that maybe 5 is what fits in the tray (packaging) the best.
Thanks again for all your hard work.
It’s greatly appreciated.
Sarah G says
Family of 10 here, so not only is it impossible to find things in the right number without doubling or tripling) but recipes always say, serving size 4! Well, that’s awkward and I don’t always know how to triple them since not every ingredient will work right if tripled. 🙁
So, Carolyn, I always love your BIG recipes. 🙂
Carolyn says
Whoa, family of 10! Well this makes 10 thighs but that’s only one thigh apiece and you will want more than that. Easily doubled, though. This one will work easily if you just double everything! (but I suspect it will no longer be a one-pan dinner 😉 )
Sarah G says
Haha, no it won’t.
I think with some sides though, a thigh a piece would be filling. We don’t often get seconds anyway. This looks so good!
Pam says
I need a great sugar-free BBQ sauce that is like Sweet Baby Ray’s.
Gracie says
Try GHughes https://www.walmart.com/ip/G-Hughes-Smokehouse-Sugar-Free-Hickory-Flavored-BBQ-Sauce-18-oz/40740655?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227028257513&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=47344750352&wl4=pla-93452831792&wl5=9008704&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=40740655&wl13=&veh=sem
At Walmart, my husband is a diabetic and he loves this stuff. I don’t remember what flavor we got but it was great.
Joshua Hampton says
Wow. I can’t wait to try this pizza chicken. I love cheese in nearly everything and I love how the mozzarella seems to stick to the meat. My boys are going to gobble this up too. Thanks for this recipe.
Kathleen says
OMG!!!! I was trying to decide what to fix for Superbowl Sunday and after finding the slow cooker cauliflower and ham soup, I discovered this Pizza chicken!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m pulling thighs out to thaw and and we will be having tomorrow!! Yum and Thanks!!
Jan says
I made this the day you posted it, though I cut it down for two servings. It was a hit here, too! I’ll be making this again! Thanks!
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Tanya says
This looks AmAzInG! Quick question, would the cooking time change for bone-in with skin thighs & would you recommend it for this recipe?
Thank you for ALL of your AMAZING recipes & helping make low carb eating easy. You are my savior for the BEST recipes, I have truly NEVER been disappointed!
Carolyn says
You can definitely use bone in skin on chicken…the only issue being that the topping tends to slide off as you try to cut around the bone, but it’s not that big a deal. Try cooking for an extra 10 minutes in the oven.
Kari says
I can’t seem to find a no added sugar pizza sauce. Which one do you recommend?
Carolyn says
I just got a marinara sauce from my local New Seasons. It didn’t specifically state that it was no sugar added, but I checked the ingredient list. Can’t remember the name of the brand but it was not one of the big names. Some local organic brand.
Debra Beard says
Made this Pizza Chicken recipe last night.
Wow! Definitely a new favorite!
Didn’t miss the skin one bit.
Was so moist and flavorful.
Thx Carolyn!
Christina says
Would this work with chicken breasts?
Carolyn says
Yes, but I don’t really know how long you’d want to cook the for. Don’t overcook or they will be dry!
Erin Parker says
Carolyn, love this but are you sure 1 1/2 thighs per person is close to 45g protein? Seems like an awful lot. Maybe it’s an error?
Carolyn says
I agree, it does seem like a lot. It’s what my MacGourmet software tells me but I have thought for a while that it might be off. Self Nutrition Data says one boneless, skinless thigh is 8g. They both pull from the USDA database so I can’t figure out why my software tells me it’s so high. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/735/2
Carolyn says
But I also have to say…the self nutrition one seems to low. There has to be a happy medium… 🙂
Ann says
The Self Nutrition Date link takes you to the information for a 41g thigh – from a 1 lb chicken. That’s much, much smaller than what is sold in most stores these days. 41 g is a little under 1.5 oz of meat. The site gives 13+ g of protein for a 69g thigh, which is still on the small size. Most thighs are closer to the 3 oz (84g) size or bigger.
Carolyn says
Unfortunately, most grocery store thighs come from “enhanced” chickens, bred to produce far more meat than they should. I often get my thighs at my local farmers market, and they are far far smaller. I try to use these more often. Either way, it’s a high protein meal but for most of us, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Tiffany says
This looks fantastic. Definitely going to try on the weekend. What is a broiler? Does the cheese not get bubbly and browned in the oven?
Carolyn says
In the US, most ovens come with a broiler…the top heating element (as opposed to the baking element which heats from below). Yes, the cheese gets melted and bubbly but I like some little browned spots and a broiler is the best way to do this. It’s VERY hot so it only takes a minute or two. (it doesn’t heat like the baking element, it only turns on super hot).
steph says
can i use a microwave as my oven isn’t in good shape?
Carolyn says
No, you would end up with awful rubbery chicken.
Tracey Lago says
Carolyn – thank you so much for your amazing blog and even more amazing LC recipes. I made the pizza chicken last night and it was soooo good! You are such a wonderful asset to us not-so-creative LC cooks trying to keep decent food on the table!
Marlene says
Made this tonight. Came out fantastic!! Such flavor and tenderness! I used chicken breasts as that was all I had in the house but it was so delicious! My son loved it as well and even asked me why I didn’t make more! Thank you for so many amazing recipies!!
Julie says
did you adjust your cooking time at all?
Katharine says
I’ve made this at least 5 times! So easy and now I just keep the ingredients on hand to have it as a quick weeknight dinner. Everyone in the family eats is!
Sara says
This also works for thighs with bone in. I just baked them for 40 min instead of 25. Tasted amazing and I have leftovers for lunch at work the next 2 days. Definitely will make this again.
Aggie says
It’s been too long since I cooked up chicken thighs, this looks so delicious and my family would love it too!
Stef says
I never thought about the family of five problem. We are a family of three which means we always end up eating too much food as we are cooking those recipe for four. 🙂
Haven’t had chicken thighs in ages, these look fab!
Kimberly Killebrew says
This looks like such a perfect weeknight meal – simple, quick and mouthwatering!
Kim - Today's Creative Life says
Looks Amazing!
Liz says
What a great recipe! My boys will love it! Thanks!
Sabrina says
Such a great recipe to change up our normal chicken routine! I bet the kids are going to eat this up!
Beth K. says
Perfect weeknight meal. Thanks!
Jennifer says
I might just make this tonight for dinner! Sounds and looks so delicious! And I know my husband would love it because it’s “pizza” lol
Jamielyn says
This is such a delicious low carb recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Aimee Shugarman says
This is PURE comfort food. LOVE it.
Courtney O'Dell says
This chicken is so simple and delicious – simply bursting with flavor!
Ashley F says
This is the ultimtae comfort food dinner! Even the kids love this one 🙂
Sabrina says
I’m a huge fan of chicken thighs too so I know this is going to become a family favortie. Who doesn’t love a pizza twist!
Tina Kuhnline says
This simple recipe is shockingly delicious! Thanks, Carolyn for another genius idea.
Isadora Guidoni says
Wow, this looks really good. And so easy to make! One pan recipes are the best.
Kathy Huffman says
I made this tonight for dinner & it was a hit, my husband really liked it altho he requested I add more pepperoni next time. The man does love his pepperoni! This was so easy & so good, a must add to the rotation. Thanks!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Debbie says
Any suggestions for a family who doesn’t like pepperoni? Ham or other ideas? I’d love to try this, but pepperoni is too spicy for our wimpy palates!
Carolyn says
Sure, ham would be great!
Melissa says
I had some leftover rotisserie chicken that allowed,me to toss this together in a snap! I just layered my shredded chicken with the other ingredients, baked and enjoyed! Thanks once again for the fantastic recipe.
Joni L says
Made this tonight and hubby and I LOVED it. I made my own pizza sauce and learned how to debone the chicken (save money). I will say this recipe with the homemade sauce was very yummy. Will never go back to store-bought sauce again (fewer carbs, no added sugars, and a lot more yummy). Thank you for sharing this great recipe.