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Pizza Chicken Pasta has a title that is kid friendly, but is absolutely delicious to adults as well. If you’re cutting carbs, just make the chicken, without the pasta. It’s an easy and delicious weeknight meal.
Pizza Chicken: here’s a plate of the joy that awaits you! Hope you find it inspiring!
The Process for Pizza Chicken in Pictures:
I always season my chicken before I sauté it.
Why not fry up that chicken in a little more flavor? Let’s render the fat out of some bacon, shall we? And set the crispy bacon cubes (also called lardons, in French) aside to drain on a paper towel, to finish the dish.
Here we see the clucky-clucky frying up in the pan that’s been graced by a little smoky pork goodness (bacon grease).
While there weren’t any little kids at my house the night I made it, I am just SURE that with a name like “Pizza Chicken”, little ones would get excited to have THAT for dinner!
And then, in that same pan, we make a little tomato sauce.
I like to call this picture, “The June Taylor Dancers”. (Used to be on the Jackie Gleason show? Famous for Kaleidoscopic dancing?….Nevermind.)
For the cheese, in my Pizza Chicken recipe, I used fresh mozzarella. I love the big puddles of cheesy goodness it forms when it melts. If you don’t have any, you can feel free to substitute regular mozzarella.
Finished with its brief visit to the oven to melt the cheese, this dish has been decorated with fresh basil and the bacon cubes, and is ready to be consumed: either as is, or over some pasta!
I love that I could do it all in my big cast iron skillet, too. Well, except for the pasta. This dish was inspired by a recipe I saw in the NY Times by Melissa Clark.
And….the closeup! Nom!
Please: Pin this on Pinterest.
The Recipe for Pizza Chicken Pasta:
Pizza Chicken Recipe
If you tell your kids you're having Pizza Chicken for dinner, they're going to get really excited. But you can tell the grownups that this is ACTUALLY DELICIOUS.
Ingredients
- 1 3 lb. package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided (1 teaspoon for sauce; 1 teaspoon for chicken)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 slices of bacon, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large basil sprig, plus more chopped basil for serving
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella slices, or grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 16 oz. pkg. dried spaghetti noodles, prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning.
- In a large oven-proof skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Add chicken to skillet. Sear, turning only occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil.
- Add garlic slices to skillet, and fry 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning, red pepper flakes, and some fresh basil. Cook, breaking up tomatoes with a spatula, until sauce thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes.
- Return chicken to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.
- Scatter mozzarella pieces (or grated mozzarella) over skillet. Adjust oven temperature to broil. Return skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes (watch carefully to see that it does not burn). Garnish with bacon and chopped basil before serving.
- Serve over 1 package of spaghetti, prepared according to package directions.
Notes
The spaghetti is optional, if you're trying to cut carbs.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
5 servingsServing Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 785Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 375mgSodium: 1332mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 84g
Anne Parris
Thursday 8th of June 2017
Oh my, this looks delicious! That spice blend looks really good. I like a blend for dishes like this. Makes it so easy.
Valeriehoff
Thursday 8th of June 2017
My kids will love this! I'm following you on Instagram now!
Lynsey Jones
Thursday 8th of June 2017
Ohhh YUM. I would leave out the pasta because I am low carb - or - OHHHH put it on spaghetti squash!! yum yum yum.