This easy recipe uses pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and herbs to spice up chicken breasts. If you think this sounds a lot like pizza, you're right. Pizza sans crust, that is. It's comfort food for sure, with an Italian twist.
This recipe is from the book "At Home in the Kitchen" by Jorj Morgan.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
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4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
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3 tablespoons olive oil
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1/2 cup breadcrumbs
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1 teaspoon oregano
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1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
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Kosher salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Sauce:
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1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
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1 teaspoon sugar
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1 teaspoon oregano
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1/2 teaspoon basil
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1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
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Kosher salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Topping:
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2 ounces pepperoni, sliced
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1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Steps to Make It
Prepare the Chicken Breasts
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Gather the ingredients.
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Pound chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat olive oil in a shallow skillet over medium-high heat.
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Combine breadcrumbs with oregano and garlic powder in a bowl. Season mixture with salt and freshly ground pepper.
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Coat chicken breasts with breadcrumbs.
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Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil until browned, about 4 minutes on each side.
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Remove chicken to a baking dish and set aside.
Make the Sauce
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Gather the ingredients.
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Combine tomatoes, sugar, oregano, basil, and garlic powder in a saucepan.
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Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
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Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Assemble and Bake the Casserole
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Gather prepared chicken, sauce, and topping ingredients.
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Pour sauce over browned chicken in baking pan.
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Place slices of pepperoni on top of each chicken breast and sprinkle tops with mozzarella cheese.
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Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and just begins to brown.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is sort of like eating chicken and pepperoni pizza without the crust, you need a starch to round it out. Pasta tossed in butter with sautéed onions and mushrooms, garnished with parsley is a good option. Or just a simple side of spaghetti tossed in olive oil and garlic is a tasty complement. Add garlic bread (more carbs, but this is Italian night) and an Italian green salad with lettuce, artichoke hearts, red onion, and Parmesan with vinaigrette dressing to round out the meal.
Wash this all down with a dry white wine (it's chicken) like Orvieto or pinot grigio. If you prefer red wine, you can feel good about going that direction because the chicken is in tomato sauce, and then there's the pepperoni too. So go ahead and indulge in a Chianti, barbera, Valpolicella, or Montepulciano.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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231 | Calories |
12g | Fat |
7g | Carbs |
22g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 231 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 12g | 15% |
Saturated Fat 3g | 16% |
Cholesterol 61mg | 20% |
Sodium 348mg | 15% |
Total Carbohydrate 7g | 3% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% |
Total Sugars 2g | |
Protein 22g | |
Vitamin C 3mg | 15% |
Calcium 76mg | 6% |
Iron 1mg | 8% |
Potassium 250mg | 5% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
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