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
- 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.
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.
How to make pepperoni chicken
Below are step by step photos.
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish.
2. Top with the marinara sauce.
3. Add basil pesto on top.
4. Next, place Mozzarella cheese slices on top, wrapping them around the chicken.
5. Add pepperoni on top.
6. Bake at 400 F in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
More Chicken Bake Recipes
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!
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 4 slices Mozzarella cheese , thinly sliced
- 16 slices Pepperoni
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish.
- Spread with the marinara sauce on top.
- Add basil pesto on top.
- Add Mozzarella cheese slices on top, wrapping them around chicken.
- Add pepperoni on top.
- Bake at 400 F in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
- 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.
Tried it last night. Served it over the angel hair pasta using juices from the chicken. Delicious!