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This simple one Skillet Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Chicken is the perfect dinner to livin’ up any night of the week. Mozzarella stuffed and parmesan breaded chicken, seared until crispy and golden. Finish the chicken in a simple tomato Alla vodka style sauce with fresh burst cherry tomatoes, basil, and pepperoni. This dish has all the flavors of a classic pepperoni pizza, but in a skillet with cheese stuffed chicken. Simple, yet mouthwatering. Just be sure to top with plenty of fresh basil and serve with crusty bread for scooping up all of that delicious sauce.
There are times when I’m working in the kitchen and the days do not go as planned. It might be that I don’t have a recipe concept I’m excited to create. Or that something I was working on just didn’t turn out. Sometimes those days end with no new recipes created, but other times they end with a recipe I wasn’t even planning to create. Enter this cheesy, skillet chicken with all the basics of a cheesy pepperoni pizza. Well, there is no crust, so maybe I shouldn’t have called this pizza, but hear me out…
The crispy Panko breaded chicken makes up for the loss of carbs in a very delicious way. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pizza, but it’s fun to switch things up. So pizza chicken it is. Just go with it, promise this is a delicious skillet chicken dinner no matter what you’d like to call it.
I made this at the end of the day, just as the sun was setting…and my day in the kitchen should have been ending. To be honest, I made this more because I needed something to serve for dinner and not because I ever planned to share the recipe. That all changed once I started cooking and creating and just doing what I love to do in the kitchen. It smelled so good as everything was cooking. Then I knew I’d be recreating this to share with you guys too.
I love it when recipes come together like that. It’s how I first began cooking, and how my love of cooking really grew…just having fun and being creative. That’s the long version on how this recipe was created…that you probably didn’t need, but I told you anyway.
Let’s move onto the details already.
The details.
Start with the chicken. We’re going to stuff it with mozzarella cheese and basil. This means the chicken breasts need to be halved horizontally, then add some mozzarella, a basil leaf and close the chicken like a book. It’s a little weird, but use the photos as a guide. Promise it’s not difficult.
Next, coat the chicken in a mix of yogurt, then Panko and parmesan.
And now you have parmesan breaded and mozzarella stuffed chicken. Pan sear the chicken until the crust gets crispy and golden on both sides, then remove it from the skillet. Add in some garlic, some herbs, and tomato paste.
And now…some vodka.
Vodka. Yes. Vodka in your sauce…it’s the secret.
Let me explain. First, if you don’t drink, I totally understand. In this case, just swap the vodka for water. That will be totally fine and your sauce will still be great.
If you do drink, or you’re ok with using alcohol for cooking, you must add the vodka to your sauce. It’s a game-changer. The vodka adds a sharp bite that helps to balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes. When used in small amounts, the vodka will boost and intensify the aroma of the sauce. It’s not a must, must, but if you have vodka in your pantry, I would use it.
Once you add the vodka, toss in the cherry tomatoes and simmer away until the tomatoes burst. Then add the chicken back into the sauce, sprinkle on lots of mozzarella cheese, and add the pepperoni. Transfer the entire skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese melts and those pepperoni slices are crisp.
Finish with a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes and all the basil you can find.
SIMPLE, yet so delicious.
Everyone here right now loved this recipe, but then I wasn’t too shocked. I mean there’s nothing not to love about cheese-stuffed crispy chicken sitting in a simple tomato basil sauce. Classic flavors that never get old.
To serve, just add crusty bread and a simple spring salad. Great any night of the week dinner. This dish would be perfect for a dinner with friends…you know, once those are a thing again (hopefully soon!).
Also, if you’re looking for other sides to serve with this chicken, mashed cauliflower would be an equally great option.
Looking for more pizza recipes? Here are some favorites.
Artichoke Pesto and Burrata Pizza with Lemony Arugula
Or how about more skillet recipes? Enjoy!
One Skillet Cheesy Cuban Chicken Rice Bake
One Skillet Greek Meatballs and Lemon Butter Orzo
watch the how to video:
Lastly, if you make this skillet cheesy pepperoni pizza chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Cheesy Pizza Chicken
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 902 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk
- 1 1/3 cups Panko bread crumbs (using GF, if needed)
- 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 ounces dry mozzarella cheese, torn
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, plus more for serving
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vodka (or wine, or water)
- 2 1/2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes
- 3 ounces pepperoni sliced
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the yogurt in shallow bowl. Add the Panko and parmesan to a separate shallow bowl. Season the crumbs with salt and pepper. 2. Slice the chicken through the middle horizontally to within a 1/2 inch of the other side. Open the two sides and spread them out like an open book. Layer a handful of mozzarella on 1 side, then place a basil leaf over the cheese. Close the chicken sides like a book, covering the filling (see above photos). Dredge both sides of the chicken through the yogurt and then through the Panko, pressing gently to adhere. Place the chicken on a plate.3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until the bottom side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and cook until golden brown on the other side, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and season with salt.4. To the skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the tomato paste. Add the vodka, 1/2 cup water, and 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cook 5-8 minutes, then remove from the heat. 5. Place the chicken on top of the cherry tomatoes. Arrange the remaining cheese around the chicken. Top with pepperoni slices. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted. 6. Serve the chicken topped with the remaining cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Enjoy!
This looks absolutely delicious!!
Thank you Tonya! xTieghan
I made this and it was delicious! My only issue was, after I dredged the chicken in the yogurt then in the breadcrumbs, I couldn’t get the breading to stick to the chicken. It stuck to my pan instead. Any tips on how to mitigate this? All in all, I was so happy with how this dish turned out. It combined some of my favorite flavors, and wasn’t too hard to make. I’ll definitely make this again.
Hi Andi,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe! Next time I would recommend letting any excess yogurt drip off of the chicken before adding the breadcrumbs. It is also super important to use a hot pan and olive oil to avoid the sticking. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Loved! The whole family loved it. My 7 year old, my husband and I all thought it was amazing. Thanks for another great recipe. It also helped me use up a bunch of things from my fridge. Thanks!!
Thank you so much Jen! That is really great to hear! xTieghan
Greek yogurt is not a good binding agent. All of the Panko was left in the pan, even with extra oil.
Hi Audrey! I am sorry to hear that.. Is there anything that could have gone wrong before? I would love to help! xTieghan
My six year old son commented “This is the first thing I’ve liked!” Winner, winner, chicken dinner, indeed.
Yes!! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Amy! xTieghan
Made this over the weekend. It was delicious. Next time I’ll use ever more pepperoni. The flavor worked so nicely with the chicken. Thanks!
Thank you Tye! xTieghan
I made this last night and used refrigerated pesto instead of the fresh basil. This was so easy and definitely one that I will do again. Sooo good!!!
Thank you Cindy! So happy to hear that! xTieghan
Another family dinner winner. Dredging in yogurt instead of eggs is a game changer in our egg allergic house. Loved this and it was pretty quick.
Thank you so much Jane!! xTieghan
This is so, so good. All HBH recipes we’ve tried so far are becoming staples. Like another reviewer, I had some issues with the breadcrumbs not sticking to the breast, but my Greek yogurt was likely a little too thick. Will probably try with buttermilk next time. No matter, this still tasted DELICIOUS. served with green beans.
Thank you so much Anna! That is so amazing! xTieghan
Had some pepperoni left over from homemade pizza last week, and chicken tenders in the fridge, so decided this was a perfect “use up the leftovers and staples” dish. Modified since we couldn’t stuff the chicken breasts, but just added the cheese that we would have used for stuffing to the top of the dish before baking. Also had some sourdough that was approaching the end of its self life so brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder and put it under the broiler for a few. Perfect to mop up the sauce. Great dish!
Thank you Rhonda!! So happy to hear that! xTieghan
We are so excited to make this tonight as a family…I understand what butterfly means, but Im having a hard time understanding how 2 chicken breasts will feed 4 of us. Do we cut the chicken in half after butterflying and stuffing it? Im trying to find a photo or video- Thank you soo much!!
Hi Michelle,
Yes you are stuffing the breasts with mozzarella and basil (stated in step 2). If you feel like it won’t be enough food simply add another chicken breast. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was delish 😉
Thank you Caroline! That is great to hear! xTieghan
I thought this was a great little weeknight meal. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand including a little leftover pepperoni from a few weeks ago. The only thing I was missing was cherry tomatoes so I used some crushed tomatoes instead. I was worried the vodka flavor would be too strong but it cooked off and added a little depth which I liked! I did add a dash of balsamic vinegar too. We had some leftover rice in the fridge so my son heated that up and drizzled the sauce on top. It was a winner for my family!
That is so amazing!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Tasha!! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this tonight with my mom and sisters.
Everyone loved it!!! The flavours were so delicious, and it is the best chicken I have ever managed to cook ?
Best Monday night dinner yet… so much so that it felt like we were celebrating something! We used chorizo in place of salami and instead of adding the extra cheese to the chicken when baking we fried it in the pan with the remaining breadcrumb mixture. So GOOD ?
Ok yes!! That is so great to hear! Thank you for trying this one, Chantelle! xTieghan
I made this tonight and we decided we were making it again this week because we enjoyed it so much. I followed the recipe exactly (other than slightly less cheese on hand) and everything about it was perfect!
That is so amazing to hear!! Thank you Sarah! xTieghan