My easy pizza chicken recipe is the ultimate family-friendly keto dinner. Make it in 30 minutes and enjoy all the flavor of pizza without the carb count - plus bonus protein!
Welcome to the latest fave in this household - let's call it chicken breast pizza!
I had a serious pizza craving, but could not stretch my energy to making a homemade keto pizza crust. (Which does not take long by the way, but sometimes I just need a very simple dinner, pronto.)
Want did I see in the fridge though? A pack of chicken breast. And all ingredients to put on top of a pizza, from mozzarella to pepperoni.
Needless to say, I got started straight away. And only half an hour later we were enjoying a delicious high protein meal that got the thumbs up all round.
I can't wait for you to try it.
Jump to:
What's To Love About This Recipe
Easy and quick. 5 minutes prep, 25 minutes oven. We're not wasting time making a fiddly pizza crust from shredded chicken. The chicken breast itself is the stand-in for the crust.
Kitchen staple ingredients. We need just a handful of everyday ingredients that you can find in any supermarket.
High protein, low carb. One serving has just 4.6 grams of net carbs and 60 grams of protein. That's one healthy chicken pizza!
Versatile. This is a dinner that's going down well with kids and adults alike, low carb or not. It is easy to customize - just add any ingredients you like on a pizza. Also, it is a good one to prep ahead. And it even freezes well.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but I wanted to give you a bit of extra info right here:
- Chicken breast - must be skinless. We flatten it so it is as thin as a pizza crust.
- Pepperoni - Deliciously spicy. But really, any salami or even chorizo could work here. Or use parma ham!
- Mozzarella and Parmesan - I used 2 types of mozzarella cheese. The white mozzarella ball (that you'd normally use in salads) adds creaminess on top of the chicken breast. The shredded mozzarella and parmesan finish off the dish with melty, gooey cheesiness.
- Pizza sauce - I used a ready-made basil tomato sauce by Mr Organic to save time. I added Italian seasoning and a crushed garlic clove to upgrade it. You could also use my keto pizza sauce!
Instructions
It is simple to make keto pizza chicken. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Pound the chicken breast with a rolling pin or meat mallet until about 1 cm thick all over.
STEP 2
Lay pepperoni slices on top of each chicken breast followed by 2 slices of mozzarella.
STEP 3
Tweak any store-bought pizza sauce by stirring in Italian seasoning and fresh garlic. Then, generously spread the sauce over each breast.
STEP 4
Finish with shredded mozzarella and parmesan and two more pepperoni slices per breast.
STEP 5
Bake the pizza topped chicken in the oven until the meat is cooked through and the cheeses have melted.
Katrin's Top Tips & Recipe Notes
#1 Flatten the chicken! This is important for two reasons. Firstly, it tenderises the meat. And secondly, if it has the same thickness all over the chicken cooks evenly.
#2 Ready-made pizza sauces all differ. Tweak it to your liking by adding salt and pepper if needed! I added fresh garlic and Italian seasoning to mine. Note: The chicken juices and the liquid in the mozzarella all mingle with the pizza sauce during baking and make it taste even better.
Variations
Think of any pizza topping you like - it will work on pizza chicken!
- Margherita: mozzarella, basil, olive oil
- Meat Feast: sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham
- Veggie: mushrooms, onion, bell peppers, olive
- Capricciosa: mozzarella, ham, mushroom, artichoke
- Quattro Formaggi: mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, blue cheese
You could also stuff the chicken breast with the pizza fillings - simply cut it horizontally. We could call that a chicken calzone!
Serving Suggestion
Serve with a crunchy green salad. Bonus if you have a slice of keto focaccia to mop up the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Check the ingredients to ensure there is no added sugar or artificial nasties. Rao's is a popular keto friendly brand in the US. I used Mr Organic Basilico Pasta sauce.
Or course. I would go for boneless chicken thighs. This way, you can still flatten them to look more like a pizza crust. Of course, the end result won't be as neat as with a chicken breast.
I decided against browning the chicken first to save time and to have less washing up. And, I was very pleased with the taste. However, you could brown the chicken in a pan if you wish. Use an oven-proof pan and take timings from my keto lemon chicken recipe. Then, transfer the chicken to the oven and bake until the cheeses have melted, probably around 15 minutes.
Yes. You could simmer the dish in a pan and then melt the cheese under the broiler / grill at the end.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The dish also freezes well. You could double the recipe and make a larger portion to freeze for future meals. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: I prefer reheating pizza chicken in the oven or air fryer. The chicken breast dries out easily in the microwave, which makes the meat tough.
More Keto Pizza Recipes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
★ STAY IN TOUCH on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM for more great food and join my NEWSLETTER for the latest updates and a FREE EBOOK.★
Recipe
Pizza Chicken (Juicy, Tasty, Keto!)
Ingredients
- 4 skinless chicken breasts 660g
- 20 slices pepperoni 60g
- 1 mozzarella ball - cut into 8 slices 125g
- 2 cups marinara sauce 473g
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded 170g
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese - grated 15g
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon Chopped fresh basil or parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F (180C fan) and line a casserole dish with parchment paper or spray generously with olive oil.
- Pound the chicken breast with a rolling pin or meat mallet until even and about 1 cm thick.
- Lay 4 slices of pepperoni on top of each flattened chicken breast followed by 2 slices each of mozzarella.
- Mix your pizza sauce with garlic and Italian seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the chicken fillets. Then sprinkle evenly with the grated mozzarella and parmesan. Lay the remaining 2 pepperoni slices per breast on top of the cheese.
- Bake in the oven for about about 20 - 25 minutes until the cheeses have melted and the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature 165ºF on a thermometer) and is no longer pink.
- Sprinkle with chopped basil or parsley.
Barbara
Hello Katrin!
I just love your recipes!! I try as many as possible. My husband is a,sweet freak so those are made the most especially the chocolate ones!!
With this chicken recipe, I opted to butterfly and flatten the chicken breast giving the illusion of having "more" crust, if you would, with the same amount of toppings. Same nutrition values just looks bigger for those whose eyes are as big as their stomachs!!
Thank you for this recipe!!!
Katrin Nürnberger
That’s such a great idea! So glad you liked it 🙂
Leli
Love it
Thanks dear
I have been following you for a long time and like your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger
So happy that you like the recipe!