Chicken Pizzesan – Emily Bites

This easy and delicious Chicken Pizzesan is like Chicken Parmesan with a pepperoni twist! My daughter asks for this for dinner all the time, and I finally decided I should share it here. It’s basically just my Chicken Parmesan recipe but adding sandwich pepperoni and swapping in pizza sauce for pasta sauce, but it really does have a different flavor! I struggled with what to name this recipe…Chicken Pizzesan? Chicken Pizza Parmesan? Chicken Pepperoni Parmesan? We always call it Chicken Pizzesan at home, so I went with that after trying out 3-4 different spellings. It’s delicious no matter what you call it!

The chicken in this Chicken Pizzesan is cooked perfectly and is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Don’t skip the stovetop step! Browning the outsides of the breaded chicken before adding the toppings and baking it only takes a few minutes and adds so much to the flavor and texture! I also find a piece of this chicken to be a perfectly satisfying serving. I served it here with a side salad from a salad kit, but it would also be tasty with a side of pasta, green beans, or roasted veggies. Not only is my Chicken Pizzesan tasty and satisfying, each serving is just 338 calories or 5 WW Points on Weight Watchers. To view and track this recipe in the WW app, click here!

Recipe Notes

• Chicken Breast Cutlets: I often buy a big pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the store and then use kitchen shears to trim them down to make 5-6 oz cutlets to use in recipes. Everything I cut off to make the cutlets gets cut into chunks to make chicken bites, such as my Lemon Pepper Chicken Bites, or Blackened Chicken Bites. It’s easy to weigh out 1 lb or 1.5 lb of chicken chunks and some 5-6 oz cutlets and freeze them for later in quart size freezer bags. That way, I always have some cutlets and some chicken bites on hand! Buying the bulk packs of chicken breasts is cost-effective, and cutting them into cutlets and bites ensured I have what I need on hand when I go to make a recipe. I find that kitchen shears make this task go quicker and easier than using a knife, so I highly recommend using shears like these(affiliate link).
• Pounding the Chicken: For best results, you’ll want to pound out your chicken breast cutlets to an even thickness. This ensures that your chicken will be cooked perfectly all the way through. It only takes a couple minutes and it’s definitely worth it!
• Bread Crumbs: I like to use a mix of regular seasoned breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs in this recipe for flavor and texture, but if you only have one or the other on hand, you can certainly use what you have.
• Sandwich Pepperoni: You’re going to want the big, thinly sliced pieces of pepperoni intended to use on sandwiches, which I always find in the deli section at my local grocery stores. They’re cut/sized similarly to deli salami so you know what you’re seeking!
• Pizza Sauce: I usually use pizza sauce in this recipe if we have it on hand, but if you have a jar of pasta sauce open, feel free to use that instead. Pizza sauce is usually thicker, but it will work out well either way.

More Tasty Lightened Up Chicken Recipes

Looking for more ways to make your chicken breasts delicious? Try my Italian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Bake, Apple and Brie Stuffed Chicken, Cream Cheese Stuffed Everything Chicken, Pimento Cheese Stuffed Chicken, Doritos-Crusted Chicken Tenders, Mediterranean Topped Grilled Chicken, Tuscan Olive Chicken, Bruschetta Topped Balsamic Chicken, Crispy Chicken Parmesan, Chori Pollo, Cheesy Bacon Ranch Baked Chicken, Blackened Chicken with Avocado Corn Topping, and many, many more in the Chicken section of my recipe index!

Chicken Pizzesan

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

This easy and delicious Chicken Pizzesan is like Chicken Parmesan with a pepperoni pizza twist!

• 4 (5 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets, (20 oz total)
• ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
• ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ cup pizza sauce
• ½ cup shredded 2% milk Mozzarella cheese
• 4 slices sandwich-style pepperoni, (found in the deli, I used Margherita brand)

• Pre-heat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

• Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with parchment paper. Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness of about ½” thick.

• In a shallow dish, add the seasoned breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir to combine. Prepare the beaten egg in a separate shallow dish. Dip each chicken breast into the egg and flip around to coat. Hold up the chicken and allow any excess egg to drip off. Lay the coated chicken in the crumb mixture and flip to coat. Press the breadcrumb mixture lightly into the chicken.

• In a large skillet, add the oil and bring over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes until the bottoms are golden. Flip the breasts and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side to do the same. Transfer the breasts to the prepared baking sheet.

• Top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce and 1 tablespoon of shredded Mozzarella cheese. Cut each slice of sandwich-style pepperoni in half and arrange the two halves on top of each chicken breast to cover most of the chicken. Sprinkle each piece with an additional tablespoon of shredded Mozzarella cheese.

• Place in the pre-heated oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes until chicken is fully cooked through.

To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
WW Points per serving: 5 (SP calculated using the recipe builder in the WW app)
Nutrition Information per serving:
338 calories, 12 g carbs, 3 g sugars, 13 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 41 g protein, 1 g fiber, 499 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com)
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
8 per serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info)

Author: Emily Bites

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian