Is it possible to overload on pizza? Our hearts say no but our bellies say yes. Sometimes we just need to walk away from the dough (so definitely don't look at these 16 frozen dough recipes). Let's make that walk a little easier with this pepperoni chicken casserole made with creamy homemade pizza sauce and bubbling melty cheese.
You can keep it light with a dressed green salad, add more toppings (we love bell peppers and chili flakes) or just bring those carbs right back in again and serve with garlic bread and fries. It's the most versatile dinner you'll have had in a long time. Even the leftovers make a great lunchtime salad — serve it up in one of these fab adult lunchboxes!
Ingredients:
Serves 4
— 3 Tablespoons olive oil
— 1 medium brown onion, peeled and chopped
— 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
— 1/2 teaspoon salt
— 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
— (2) 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
— 1 teaspoon dried oregano
— 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
— 1 heaped Tablespoon tomato puree or paste
— 3 Tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
— 4 large boneless chicken breasts
— 1 1/4 packed cups strong cheddar cheese
— 1 cup shredded mozzarella
— 10-12 pepperoni slices
— small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and fry for a further minute. Add the cans of chopped tomatoes, oregano, sugar and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often until reduced by half. Turn off the heat. Leave to cool for five minutes, then stir in the cream cheese.
2. Meanwhile, slice the chicken breasts in half width-ways (so you have eight thin chicken “steaks”). Place in a large baking dish in a single layer, then drizzle on the remaining oil and and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Take the chicken out of the oven. Spread the sauce all over the chicken with a spoon. Sprinkle on the cheddar and mozzarella cheese, then arrange the pepperoni on top. Place back in the oven for another 15-18 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden and melted and the whole dish is bubbling. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Serve with a green salad and some garlic bread if you’d like. Let’s take a closer look at that perfectly cooked pepperoni…
Would you go healthier and serve with salad? Or bring on the fries and garlic bread? We'd love to hear. Tweet us @BritandCoand check out our camping foods recipe roundup for more inspo!
