Pizza Chicken
This Pizza Chicken has crispy breaded chicken that's baked in marinara sauce with mozzarella cheese and your favorite pizza toppings!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 556kcal
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup vegetable oil can sub canola or olive oil
Breading Station 1:
- ½ cup flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Breading Station 2:
- 2 eggs whisked until airy and frothy
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Breading Station 3:
- 1 ¼ cup breadcrumbs plain or Italian
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
Sauces/Toppings
- 24 oz. marinara sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Parmesan grated
- Pizza toppings of choice see notes for suggestions
- Fresh parsley and red pepper flakes to garnish
Instructions
Prepare Breading Stations and Preheat oven.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Combine ½ c. flour, 1.5 tsp. seasoned salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper for breading station 1.
- Combine 2 whisked eggs and 1 tsp. garlic powder for station 2.
- Combine 1 ¼ c. breadcrumbs and ¼ c. Parmesan cheese for station 3.
Bread the Chicken:
- Slice the chicken into 2-3 thinner slices. Pound with a meat tenderizer if needed, the chicken will plump up more when cooked. Aim for ½ inch thick slices. Pat completely dry.
- Dredge in the flour mixture and tap off excess. Briefly dip in egg mixture and allow excess to drip off the side of the bowl. Transfer to breading mixture and coat thoroughly.
Fry the Chicken:
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees. Use enough oil to cover chicken by 1/3. A cast iron skillet is ideal.
- Fry 2 pieces of chicken at a time, leave room around the edges to ensure they get crisp.
- Fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Use kitchen tongs to remove and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
Prepare Baking Dish
- Add 80% of the marinara sauce on the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish. Top with chicken and spoon remaining sauce over the chicken. Top with mozzarella, then with pizza toppings, then with Parmesan.
Bake
- Bake for about 13 minutes, check it after 10 minutes. Remove once cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and red pepper flakes if desired and serve!
Notes
Pro Tips for Extra Crispy Chicken:
- The oil temperature should be 350°.
- Ensure the oil has enough time to heat up before adding the chicken so ensure it doesn't sit in the oil and get soggy. This also ensures that the breading doesn't fall off.
- Adjust heat up or down slightly as needed during cooking.
- Don't overcrowd the pan, fry in batches and leave space around each piece of chicken.
- Cast Iron Skillets conduct heat really well for a crispy, golden finish.
- Shred/Grate cheese from a block for best flavor and melty texture.
- Low moisture/whole milk mozzarella is best for pizza. Dragone is my preferred brand.
- If adding vegetables or raw sausage/beef, make sure they’re fairly small in size so that they have a chance to cook through.
- Rao’s Marinara or Pizza sauce is great on these. You can also try my homemade marinara sauce.
- For a low carb or lower calorie variation you can skip the breading and season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning along with salt/pepper prior to cooking. Use 3 Tbsp. olive oil and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side, until a golden crust has developed.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does freeze well!
- Reheat in a covered & lightly greased casserole dish at 350° for 15-20 minutes if thawed, or 25-30 minutes if frozen. (You can also microwave leftovers.)
Nutrition
Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 2425mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1084IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 354mg | Iron: 5mg