Pizza Stuffed Chicken Bake recipe can be found at the bottom of this post. Thank you for reading. Please email me any questions or suggestions. #homechef #foodfam #bakedchicken #favoriterecipe #howto #familydinner #sharecooklove
I am often on TikTok looking at all the quick meal ideas. There are so many ideas and culinary talent out there. From the James Beard Award winners to the epic intentional fails, I can be entertained for hours by the foodie content on TikTok.
A couple of months ago, I ran across a short video of a lady butterflying chicken breasts. She seasoned them with salt and pepper, stuffed them with pepperoni and mozzarella, and placed them in a marinara coated baking dish. I thought "this is so cheesy" followed by "this is so genius".
We have even thinly sliced the leftover chicken breast for an amazing pizza topping the next day. One pizza stuffed chicken breast is enough to top two large pizzas.
There is one thing I love about this recipe. It is a concept that works with so many different sauces and cheeses. Using canned or jarred sauces really speeds up the prep time. You can use whatever cheeses you like, too. Follow the basic guidelines of this recipe and you can go from "pizza stuffed" to "enchilada stuffed" to suit your taste or what you already have on hand. You could even substitute pork for chicken in this recipe.
However, I am a huge fan of marinara and mozzarella. Ground and browned Italian sausage is a preferred topping for me. Green olives are a must on pizza in my house. I saute sliced Bella mushrooms and onions for a little more depth. And I am ready to start stuffing.
Now why would I saute the mushrooms and the onions? The answer is to get a little browning for flavor inside the chicken breast. I also want to render the juices from the veggies so that they to not render too much liquid in the baking process. Let's say Hawaiian pizza is a hit at your house. I would make sure my pineapples are well drained before prepping the chicken breasts.
We have served this dish several ways. Garlic bread and salad round out the meal perfectly. This dish does render a lot of sauce. Boil your favorite variety of pasta and toss to coat it in the sauce. Add a little cheese and your side dish is done.
We have even thinly sliced the leftover chicken breast for an amazing pizza topping the next day. One pizza stuffed chicken breast is enough to top two large pizzas.
This recipe is great for people on a Keto diet, a paleo diet, or a high-protein diet. Welcome this guaranteed hit to your kitchen. Thank you for reading and for more recipes, please subscribe to this blog and my YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/rhondamorrison
Pizza Stuffed Chicken Bake
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 cup sliced yellow onions
8 oz. sliced baby Bella mushrooms
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
24 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp Italian herb seasoning
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp dried red pepper flakes
1 lb shredded mozzarella
1 cup sliced green olives, drained
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Preheat oven to 350.
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage. Remove the sausage from the pan, place in a paper towel-lined bowl to drain, leaving the rendered sausage fat in the pan. Add the onions and mushrooms in the pan tossing to coat. Cook over medium heat until the onions and mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place chicken breasts on a nonporous surface. Trim any excess fat. Lay the chicken breast flat. Place your non-dominant hand on top of the breast. Apply light pressure with your hand. Slice the chicken breast through the middle half way between your hand and the nonporous surface leaving 1/4 inch in tact, slicing almost all the way through the breast. Repeat for each breast.
Mix the salt, pepper,herb seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper flakes together in a bowl. Season each chicken breast with the seasoning blend. Rub the seasonings into the chicken inside and out.
In a 9x13 baking dish, spread approximately 1/4 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add chicken breasts one at a time filling each one with mozzarella, Italian sausage, onions, and mushrooms. Fold the butterflied chicken around the filling and repeat with each breast. Pour remaining marinara sauce over the breasts. Cover with remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan. Season with any remaining seasoning blend. Top with remaining sausage, onions, mushrooms, and the olives.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place in the preheated oven. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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