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.
ariel_k2 says
This recipe has become a favorite. Sadly, I have to use vegan cheese for dairy-free, but it’s still so good. I know real mozzarella would be better. This is definitely a keeper–easy and fast. Thank you!
Noname says
So easy to prepare and very tasty! This would be great for meal prep.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Isadora Guidoni says
Wow, this looks really good. And so easy to make! One pan recipes are the best.
Tina Kuhnline says
This simple recipe is shockingly delicious! Thanks, Carolyn for another genius idea.
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!
Ashley F says
This is the ultimtae comfort food dinner! Even the kids love this one 🙂
Courtney O'Dell says
This chicken is so simple and delicious – simply bursting with flavor!
Aimee Shugarman says
This is PURE comfort food. LOVE it.
Jamielyn says
This is such a delicious low carb recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
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
Beth K. says
Perfect weeknight meal. Thanks!
Sabrina says
Such a great recipe to change up our normal chicken routine! I bet the kids are going to eat this up!
Liz says
What a great recipe! My boys will love it! Thanks!
Kim - Today's Creative Life says
Looks Amazing!
Kimberly Killebrew says
This looks like such a perfect weeknight meal – simple, quick and mouthwatering!
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!