This Easy Pizza Chicken is like your favorite pizza without all the carbs. It’s an easy one pan meal that takes only 5 ingredients and 35 minutes to make, start to finish. And it’s totally kid approved!
Why do chicken thighs always come in packs of five? 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 thighs always seem to contain five. Which, being a family of five, is very convenient for me. And absolutely perfect for making Easy Pizza Chicken.
When I say easy, I mean ridiculously easy. My whole family loves this mouthwatering keto chicken recipe. My kids practically break out into cheers when I tell them it’s on the menu. And I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing I don’t have to face any dinnertime battles.
Chicken thighs vs breast
I advocate for choosing chicken thighs over breasts whenever possible, especially when following a keto diet.
While you can use either in this pizza chicken recipe, thighs have a number of advantages. They are juicier and more nutrient dense than breasts, and because they have a higher fat content, they don’t dry out as easily during cooking. They also tend to be less expensive.
And they cook faster too, so you can get dinner on the table in less time and with less effort. So I usually have several packages of chicken thighs somewhere in my freezer for easy keto dinners just like this one.
Ingredients
Pizza chicken takes only 5 basic ingredients you can find in any grocery store. You will need:
- Avocado or olive oil
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Marinara sauce or pizza sauce (no added sugar)
- Sliced pepperoni
- Mozzarella cheese
- Additional seasonings as desired
How to make the best pizza chicken
It really is ridiculously simple. Let’s get started…
- Choose an oven-proof skillet: The first time I made this pizza chicken recipe, I browned the thighs in a pan and then transferred them to a baking dish. But as long as you own a good pan that can go from stove-top to oven, you can cut out this step entirely. You can also use a dutch oven.
- Brown the chicken first: Browning on the stovetop brings out the best flavor in chicken thighs. And it only takes a few minutes per side.
- Smother in sauce: Choosing a low carb sauce can be tough but you do have some choices. See the frequently asked questions for good options.
- Top with cheese and pepperoni: Sprinkle the cheese over everything and top each chicken thigh with a few slices of pepperoni.
- Bake until golden and bubbly: Finish the pizza chicken in the oven to make sure it cooks through completely.
Customize your pizza chicken!
- Don’t limit yourself to just cheese and pepperoni. Try adding your favorite pizza toppings like sautéed mushrooms, olives, green peppers, basil, artichokes, or spinach.
- Add some garlic or onion into the pan for a little extra flavour.
- Make your own quick and easy pizza sauce. I like to whisk some tomato paste and water, and then add in garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use those if you prefer. But chicken breasts tend to be quite large and each one should be considered two servings. You could also cut them into two chicken cutlets before cooking.
This works as well but you do need to work around the bones in the chicken when eating. They can also take a bit longer to cook through properly.
There are a few decent store-bought choices. Rao’s is a good one, as is Yo Mama’s Foods. I always look for sauce with no more than 5g of carbs per ½ cup serving. Make sure you look at the serving size, as many of them list only ¼ cup.
Pizza chicken is best when fresh, but you can store it in the fridge for a few days and warm it up before serving. It’s such an easy meal to make, and you can scale up or down, as you need.
More delicious one pan meals
- Tomato Basil Chicken
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Keto Greek Lemon Chicken
- Beef and Zucchini Skillet
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Skillet
Easy Keto Pizza Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon 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 ½ to 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- 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.
- Pour pizza sauce over chicken thighs, spreading to coat. Arrange pepperoni over chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella.
- Bake 25 minutes, then turn on broiler for a minute or two until cheese is bubbly and browned in spots.
Kathy H says
This is a favorite at our house & we have it fairly often, probably twice a month. I have a question for you tho. I buy & cook with thighs as opposed to breast meat. We like it better & it doesn’t dry out if you cook it a bit too long. I have bought boneless skinless thighs in many different grocery stores, Sam’s, Walmart, Albertsons & WinCo. I find it so tedious trimming the fat & sometimes the fat is just too much to leave. Do you or any of your followers have any tips? I usually get the family packs, trim & repackage them in packs of 4, it takes me forever & I get so annoyed with the amount of big chunks of fat left on the chicken.
Carolyn says
I don’t bother trimming any fat from the thighs… they don’t have that much as it is!
Allison says
Loved the flavors and how easy this is to make. Hubby kept saying “this is really good.” I added zucchini raw and sliced in quarter circles before putting into the oven. Also added some Italian spice mix and a bit of crushed red pepper on top of the cheese before baking.
Becky says
Winner! So easy, one skillet (bonus) and very tasty. Husband wants it added to our “tried and liked” rotation. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Janice Nelson says
I was so excited to find this quick, and easy recipe, and to have everything on hand to make it. It made a very yummy dinner. Served it with a nice dinner salad and it was perfect! I put 5 pieces of pepperoni on each piece of chicken and I think I will add more next time I make it as it adds a nice flavor contrast to the chicken.
Kristi says
Quick, easy & delicious! Even the picky eaters in my house were happy.
Sherry says
We love this and it’s really good with Freddie’s organic white garlic sauce mixed with red sauce half and half). Thr white sauce is really low carb.
Erin says
An easy weeknight meal that the whole family will eat. Thanks!
Allyson Zea says
I can’t believe this is keto! It looks fabulous!
katerina @ diethood.com says
This was so easy and delicious! Everyone loved it! I am definitely going to make it again and again! Thanks!