Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to ½ inch thickness (Or buy thinly sliced chicken cutlets)
- 8 oz/1 medium-sized ball fresh mozzarella
- 6-8 slices pepperoni or genoa salami
- 4 ½ tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
For the Tomato Sauce:
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 28 oz can tomato puree
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 2 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Preparing your tomato sauce:
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and onions and sauté over medium-low heat for about five minutes (until the onions become translucent).
- Add the diced tomatoes, puree, oregano, chili flakes, and sugar. Mix well and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Lower heat until the sauce is just simmering. Allow it to simmer for a half hour. If you don’t have a half hour (I didn’t), let it simmer for at least five minutes. Salt to taste. (Optional: Puree sauce in a blender. I like a smooth tomato sauce, but if you like a little texture, you can skip this step! Whatevs.)
- This is my go to tomato sauce for everything. It tastes great on pizza, pasta, fish, and even with eggs. Go wild.
Preparing your chicken:
- If you need to thin out your chicken breasts: Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it with a rolling pin or side of a cleaver (or wine bottle) until it is about ½ inch thick.
- Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
- Add a tbsp of olive oil to a grill pan (or a regular pan if you don’t have a grill pan, obviously). Grill/sauté the chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
Preparing your vegetables:
- Slice your onions and bell peppers into thin slices. Slice zucchini into ½ inch rounds.
- I find it easiest to cook each vegetable separately using the same pan (I hate washing pans).
- Heat two tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Saute until onions are tender and translucent. About 15 minutes. Remove from pan.
- In the same pan, add ½ tbsp olive oil and the zucchini with a pinch of salt. Saute until just tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Add ½ tbsp olive oil and the peppers to the pan. Saute until just tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan.
Assembling your pizza chicken:
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Layer the vegetables in baking pan or dutch oven: start with the onions, then zucchini, then peppers. Place the chicken on top.
- Cover everything with tomato sauce. Add the pepperoni/salami and then add ¼ thick slices of mozzarella. (At this point, feel free to refrigerate this and bake later/the next day! Sneaky time-saver.)
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until everything is heated through and the cheese is completely melted. Marvel at the deliciousness.