This Chicken Pepperoni is chicken parmesan with a twist! Chicken breasts are cooked until crispy, then topped with a simple tomato sauce, cheese, and lots of pepperoni. This is an easy weeknight meal that kids and parents both approve of.
Save some of that pepperoni for these Pizza Bagels or these Pepperoni Pinwheels.
I love a good mash up, and this Chicken Pepperoni is the perfect example of the best kind of mash up.
Chicken parmesan + pepperoni = a match made in heaven!
This Chicken Pepperoni is easy to make, fast enough to serve as a weeknight dinner, and both the kids and the adults love it. It’s a winner all around!
Ingredients
- Chicken: You only need 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You want them to be about 8-10 ounces each. You’ll cut each of these in half, to make the 4 servings.
- Eggs: You just need 2 large eggs.
- Milk: Any milk will work here. Whole, skim, or even almond milk or another non-dairy milk. You just want to make sure it is not sweet.
- Flour: The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of flour – I just use all-purpose flour. You just need enough to coat the outside of the chicken.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: I like using panko because the chicken gets really crispy. You could use regular breadcrumbs, if you prefer.
- Oil: You want to use a neutral oil that is good for frying. I usually use vegetable oil.
- Tomato Sauce: This is just plain tomato sauce. You can always use a prepared marinara sauce and leave out the spices, if desired.
- Spices: This uses a mixture of basil, oregano, and parsley – pretty typical spices for an Italian dish.
- Cheese: You will need both mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. I like to use cheese that is freshly grated, as it will melt easier.
- Pepperoni: I will use regular pepperoni and cut the slices into fourths. You could always pick up the mini pepperoni, as well.
- Parsley: A bit of fresh parsley at the end really brings everything together!
How to Make Chicken Pepperoni
STEP 1: Take each of the chicken breasts and place them flat on a cutting board. Take your knife and cut each breast in half horizontally, making 2 thinner pieces of chicken from each breast.
STEP 2: Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
STEP 3: Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it into the flour. You just want the flour to coat the chicken, so shake off any excess flour.
STEP 4: Then dip the chicken into a mixture of the egg and milk.
STEP 5: Last, dip the chicken into the panko breadcrumbs. I will sometimes take my hands and press the breadcrumbs into the chicken to make sure they stick on well.
STEP 6: Heat about 1/2″ of oil in a heavy duty skillet. Once the oil is hot, place the breaded chicken in the oil. Cook, flipping once, until browned and crispy and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and discard the oil. (See the notes below about this!) Then place the chicken back into the skillet.
STEP 7: While the chicken is cooking, combine the tomato sauce and the spices. Then, once you place the chicken back into the skillet, pour the sauce evenly over the cooked chicken breasts.
STEP 8: Top each with some of the mozzarella, then sprinkle the parmesan over the top.
STEP 9: Last, divide the pepperoni between the pieces of chicken and place on top. Place this in the oven to melt the cheese and to heat the pepperoni.
Tips and Tricks
The oil will be *very* hot so you need to carefully discard it. Do not pour it down the drain. If you don’t want to worry about messing with the oil while it is hot, you can place the cooked chicken in a baking dish, then top with the sauce, cheese, and pepperoni before transferring to the oven.
I like to use shredded mozzarella, but fresh mozzarella would be delicious in this recipe, as well!
Serving Suggestions
We will typically serve this with cooked spaghetti on the side. It doesn’t make a lot of extra sauce, so I will usually just butter the spaghetti.
You could also serve it with a side of green beans and some homemade dinner rolls.
You can also just keep things super simple, and serve the chicken on its own. Which is what I have done before!
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
Artichoke Chicken
Chicken and Rice
Potato Chip Chicken
Salsa Verde Chicken
Chicken a la King
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Chicken Pepperoni
Ingredients
- 2 (8-10 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 oz pepperoni chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- On a cutting board, butterfly the chicken breasts open, making 4 thin pieces of chicken. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or a pie plate. In a second bowl or pie plate, whisk together the eggs and the milk. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- In a large, oven proof heavy skillet, heat about 1/2” of oil over medium-high heat.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and then into the panko. Press the panko into the chicken, if needed.
- Place in the hot oil, and repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of chicken. Cook until the chicken is crispy and browned on both sides, and cooked through, about 7 minutes, flipping once.
- While the chicken is cooking, combine the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and parsley in a small skillet and cook over medium heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the chicken is done, remove it to a plate and carefully discard the oil. (See notes below.) Return the chicken to the skillet.
- Pour the tomato sauce mixture evenly over the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top, then the parmesan. Top with the pepperoni pieces.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the parsley to serve.
Paige says
I loved it! Tasted like pizza chicken 🙂 Hubby said he doesn’t like pepperoni pizza but he liked it too!
Bree says
Every one of those dishes looks awesome! Chicken parm is one of my favorites too!
Joanne says
I’m sitting on a few book reviews also so I totally get it!i love the annual review books that food and wine outs out…always filled with deliciousness like this chicken parm!
Cherine says
A scrumptious dish! I love it!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
I absolutely love the pepperoni touch here!
And great book reviews. I can only buy cookbooks with photos so thanks for the heads up!
Jennifer | Mother Thyme says
I love the Food & Wine cookbook! Like you I love the books that take a year worth of magazines and put them in one book. I have gotten the Cook Illustrated ones like that for years. This recipe looks amazing! I love Chicken Parm, and with the addition of pepperoni makes it even better! Great reviews!