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Pasta Chicken

Pepperoni Chicken with Mozzarella and Basil Pesto Tomato Sauce

Published: Jan 08, 2019 | 3 Comments

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Easy and quick Pepperoni Chicken Bake with Basil Pesto Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella cheese.  Just like pizza stuffed with Mozzarella and pepperoni but with the chicken instead of the crust. Perfect weeknight dinner that a whole family will enjoy! Low-carb and gluten-free recipe.

Pepperoni Chicken with Basil Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

Pepperoni Chicken

  • This simple chicken bake takes only 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of baking time.
  • This recipe is like stuffed chicken but much easier to make. Just add chicken breasts to the casserole dish and pile the rest of the ingredients on top. Bake the chicken for about 20 or 30 minutes. That’s it! No need to stuff the chicken breasts.  Instead, your chicken breasts have all the goodness on top.
  • I use both marinara sauce and basil pesto to create the ultimate comfort food flavor.
  • Craving pizza but don’t want the carbs? This is a perfect recipe to make if you crave comfort food but want to go low on carbs. It’s also gluten-free!

Side Dishes

  • Because of marinara sauce and basil pesto, this pepperoni chicken bake generates a lot of juices.  Which is perfect to serve over plain cooked pasta. Use spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine pasta.
  • Serve this over cooked Jasmine rice.
  • Alternatively, serve this baked pepperoni chicken with the avocado salad with tomatoes, Mozzarella, and basil pesto or simple yet comforting pasta with white cream pasta sauce.
  • For low-carb sides, try Asiago roasted broccoli or oven-roasted asparagus with bacon.

Pepperoni Chicken with Basil Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

Cooking Tips

  • I like to use thinly sliced chicken breasts. I usually slice each large chicken breast in half, horizontally. This way, I get 2 thinner chicken breasts out of 1 chicken breast.
  • Use the juice from the pepperoni chicken bake to pour over pasta or any other side dish. Don’t use all the juices from the casserole dish. Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons and use more, if needed.

Pepperoni Chicken with Basil Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

How to make pepperoni chicken

Below are step by step photos.

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish.

add chicken breasts in a casserole dish

2. Top with the marinara sauce.

marinara sauce on top of chicken breasts in a casserole dish

3. Add basil pesto on top.

basil pesto and marinara sauce over the chicken in a casserole dish

4. Next, place Mozzarella cheese slices on top, wrapping them around the chicken.

Mozzarella cheese covered chicken breasts with basil pesto and marinara sauce

5. Add pepperoni on top.

Mozzarella cheese covered chicken breasts with pepperoni in a casserole dish

6. Bake at 400 F in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts.

Chicken breasts topped with marinara sauce, basil pesto, and Mozzarella cheese in a casserole dish

Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni chicken breasts

More Chicken Bake Recipes

  • Pesto Mozzarella Chicken
  • Chicken Florentine Bake
  • Buffalo Chicken Bake
  • Cream Cheese Chicken Bake
5 from 3 votes
Print
Pepperoni Chicken Bake with Basil Pesto and Tomato Sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

Pepperoni Chicken with Basil Pesto and Marinara Sauce smothered with Mozzarella cheese. Only 15 minutes of prep, and 20-30 minutes of cooking time.  Just like pizza stuffed with Mozzarella and pepperoni but with the chicken instead of the crust. This easy weeknight dinner is low-carb and gluten-free.  A family favorite!

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 449 kcal
Author: Julia
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/4 cup basil pesto
  • 4 slices Mozzarella cheese , thinly sliced
  • 16 slices Pepperoni
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish.
  3. Spread with the marinara sauce on top.
  4. Add basil pesto on top.
  5. Add Mozzarella cheese slices on top, wrapping them around chicken.
  6. Add pepperoni on top.
  7. Bake at 400 F in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
Recipe Notes
  • After you have baked the pepperoni chicken, there will be a good amount of sauce + grease + water at the bottom of the pan. You can serve the chicken and discard the sauce. Or, even better, use this tasty sauce to pour over cooked pasta or rice.
  • Depending on the type of marinara sauce and basil pesto you use, you might have to season the chicken with salt.  
Nutrition Facts
Pepperoni Chicken Bake with Basil Pesto and Tomato Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 449 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 176mg59%
Sodium 886mg39%
Potassium 981mg28%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 57g114%
Vitamin A 705IU14%
Vitamin C 4.9mg6%
Calcium 183mg18%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Filed Under: Cheese, Chicken, Chicken Recipes, Dinner, Gluten Free, Mozzarella, Pesto, Recipe Published: Jan 08, 2019 3 Comments

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Comments

  1. Ariel

    Aug 20, 2020 at 3:12 pm

    My 8 year old daughter and I made this last night and it was a huge success! Love your recipes!

    Reply
  2. Jason

    Jul 06, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    Wonderful meal. Thank you. We cut them thin and it was perfect. Avoiding carbs and this was a keeper.

    Reply
  3. P

    Jan 11, 2019 at 3:45 pm

    Tried it last night. Served it over the angel hair pasta using juices from the chicken. Delicious!

    Reply

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