Chicken breasts topped with marinara, cheese and vegetarian is a low carb and high protein alternative to pizza. I think that most of us can agree that the best part of a pizza is the toppings, so why not use a chicken breast instead of a pizza base for a lighter twist on pizza night. Pizza chicken breasts are an easy 5 ingredient meal that the whole family will love and ready in just 40 minutes.
There is so much that you can do with chicken breasts and they make a relatively cheap and healthy addition to any meal. It can be easy to get in to a rut with cooking them the same way, so why not try these pizza chicken breasts. Chicken breasts loaded with delicious pizza toppings for healthy comfort food at its finest.
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Why should you try it?
- A low carb alternative to pizza
- Protein packed
- Easy to adapt with all your favourite pizza toppings
- Kids love them
Ingredients needed
- Chicken breast - Try to use chicken breasts of similar sizes. We didn't and it made portioning this out a bit difficult and they will cook at different times.
- Passata - A good quality passata is a must as cheaper ones can be a bit watery. If you don't have passata, tomato puree will work.
- Spinach - For a nice green boost. You could use kale instead.
- Olives - These add a nice bit of saltiness.
- Mozzarella - Or any good melting cheese will work. Gouda, Provolone and Gruyere all work well.
- Garlic, Oregano, Salt and Pepper - Gives the sauce an authentic Italian flavour.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Using a meat tenderiser or heavy rolling pin, flatten the chicken breasts so each one is equal thickness throughout.
Two: Mix together the passata, chopped spinach, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
Three: Spread the sauce over the chicken breasts and top with sliced olives.
Four: Cover with grated mozzarella.
Five: Cook in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Pizza sauce
You have a few options when it comes to the pizza sauce. Use used passata and then mixed in some garlic and dried herbs in to it for an easy sauce. However you could use our Easy Pizza Sauce.
Fancy something a bit difference? You could use our Healthy BBQ Sauce instead of a more traditional pizza sauce.
Pizza toppings
The best thing about anything pizza related is that there are so many topping options. Whatever you would put on a pizza, you can put on these pizza chicken breasts. The key is not to add too many, as you don't want them all to fall off. We kept it simple with cheese, spinach and olives, however here are some of our favourites:
- Pepperoni
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Mushrooms
- Bell peppers
- Ham
- Sweetcorn
- Pineapple
- Artichokes
- Sausage
- Bacon
What to serve this with
The real question is what can't you serve this with? There are so many side dishes that go with pizza, and these pizza chicken breasts are no different. Keep it light and serve it with a big green salad or load it up with carbs, seeing as the chicken itself is low in carbs. Here are some of our favourite side dishes that go perfectly with this:
- Easy Roast Potatoes
- Roasted Lemon Asparagus
- No Mayo Coleslaw
- Easy Cheesy Potato Bake
- Spanish Rice
- Baked Polenta Fries
- Greek Potatoes
- Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
FAQs
No, there is no need to cook the chicken before putting the toppings on. Everything will all cook at the same time.
If you have leftovers of this then you can store it in an air tight container for 2 days. We love using leftovers sliced up and mixed in to cooked pasta.
Yes, you can make a dairy free version of this by either leaving the cheese off it or using your favourite dairy free cheese alternative.
More chicken recipes
If you’ve tried this pizza chicken recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Pizza Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) Chicken breast
- 4 tablespoon (4 tablespoon) Passata
- 30 g (1 cups) Spinach - chopped
- 30 g (0.25 cups) Mozzarella - grated
- 0.5 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Garlic granules
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) Sea salt and black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Dried oregano
- 25 g (4) Green olives - sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
- Using a meat tenderiser or heavy rolling pin, flatten the chicken breasts so each one is equal thickness throughout.
- Mix together the passata, chopped spinach, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Spread the sauce over the chicken breasts and top with sliced olives.
- Cover with grated mozzarella.
- Cook in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Notes
- A different twist on this recipe would be to cut a slit in the chicken breast and stuff it with the toppings and then add the sauce and cheese on top.
- For extra flavour, sprinkle them with chopped fresh basil before serving.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
The toppings are by far the best part of a pizza, Dannii!! I totally agree!! I love that you used chicken breast as a substitute for the dough! All the best parts of a pizza PLUS some protein?! YES!!! Cheers, dear!
Emma @sophieellaandme
What a great idea, it looks lovely! x
Platter Talk
Nice idea for healthy, easy comfort food! Thanks.
Luisa Hogarth
Do you have any suggestions for a low carb vegetarian pizza?
Ali
This is such a great idea and something I know my kids would love. They would eat pizza every night if I let them!
anna @ annamayeveryday
Sounds delicious, what a great idea!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon
We're big fans of taking chicken breast and topping it with all sorts of flavors. This pizza idea is a great one! I agree you can get into a rut with chicken and it's good to mix things up.
Nick
I am not a fan of olives, but other than that it looks great! Where can I buy cirio products from?
Danielle
This is perfect timing, as I was thinking as I ate my lemon and pepper chicken last night that I am getting really bored of it. I have space for a little bit of cheese in my macros, so this will fit in. Thanks!
Kristen
We do this all the time in our house and my kids love it! I think its the best when you beat the chicken flat first.
Joanna
I love making pizza chicken breasts .I'd leave the olives off for me as I don't like them but I'll definitely have to try spinach.
Rebecca | AAUBlog
This is a great idea! I have used slices of squash or courgette to make pizzas with but never thought to just make one with meat as the base - sounds so yum x
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes
This looks so good! I love that you get a protein boost from the chicken pizza base and Cirio tomatoes are always fab!
Hayley
Such a great idea. It means that there isn't too much topping either, unlike a pizza.
Julie
I love the autumnal months - such amazing colours. Loving this recipe too. Totally agree that the best part of a pizza is the topping, so this is perfect!
Noor
So gorgeous and love how fast and easy it is!
Diana
That's an unusual way to make a pizza/cook chicken. I love pizza and this looks interesting.
Claire
What an interesting combo. We eat so many avocados and chicken breasts!
LaaLaa
A really interesting spin on a pizza, I always found cheese seems to go well with so much lol - might be the addict in me speaking and how is it September already - wow x
Bethany Naismith
Oh yum! These look totally delicious... I might make these but sub the cheddar for something milder like marscapone or mozzarella!