Low-Carb Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake (Gluten-Free) found on KalynsKitchen.com

As a confirmed carb lover, I can tell I wouldn't even miss them in this meal!

Thanks Pam; I will take that as a real vote of confidence!

How many carbs in a serving please

If you need that info there is a link after the recipe to Calorie Count where you can calculate it.

What a brilliant solution to the no-carb pizza dilemma! Thanks so much, Kalyn & Jake.

So glad you like it!

This recipe will be terrific for the thin sliced chicken breasts that I sometimes buy, Kalyn! Thank you. :-)

Shirley

Thanks; hope you enjoy!

This reminds me of the chicken do-dads Dominos has been doing. I've been curious why they don't have a classic pizza option... Love this recipe/idea! Can't wait to make at home!

CJ, haven't seen that from Dominos, but I'm sure there are endless variations of this idea. Hope you enjoy!

Looks amazing Kalyn, I can't wait to try it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR K!

Thanks Mike, so glad you like it! And Happy New Year to you too.

What a fun idea! Really, who needs pizza crust with so many great flavors going on in this dish?

Thanks Lydia. My favorite part is the cheese and the pepperoni, so I'm good with this.

What a great idea Kalyn - I don't think anyone would miss the crust!

Thanks Jeanette!

Thank you for the idea! Can't wait to try this out. How were the leftovers?

The leftovers were great. When I'm by my computer. I need to edit!

Such a great idea! And looks so tasty!

Thanks, glad you like it!

This. Is. So. Awesome!

Thank you! So glad you like it.

Finally got around to making this!! Didn't have the recipe pulled up, so I was improvising. Was cooking just for me, so I used 2 large and one small chicken breasts, which I didn't cut up. Used a packet of pizza sauce I had left from a pizza crust kit I didn't use before expiration of the crust.

Always looking to add more veggies, so I put browned chicken in the baking dish, topped with a smidge of the cheese (to work as \"glue,\") and then put a layer of spinach/creminis/garlic that had been cooked in a non-stick pan. Then layered reduced sauce, remainder of mozz, pepperoni and a sprinkle of parm.

It had been a bad week at work (I didn't get to eat this until almost 10 that night!), and this was the perfect comfort food. Served it with some spaghetti squash that I had previously cooked in the slow cooker... took half a squash and simmered it with a cup of low sugar marinara while the chicken was in the oven.

Eating round one of the leftovers while I type this, and it is sooooooo good.

Thanks, Kalyn! This one is definitely a keeper!!

Thanks CJ, so glad you enjoyed it! Love hearing how you improvised.

Delicious recipe, will make again soon! Thank you!

So glad you liked it; thanks for letting me know!

Hi ! Lo Carb means different things to different people. If you are on Atkins 20, this is a no go. 18 carbs in 28 oz, reduced to 8 oz, that is a lot of sugar carbs there :/

It says in the recipe you can make your own pizza sauce if you want less sugar. And if you use the sauce I did, the sauce still has 18 carbs after it's reduced, divided by 6 or 8 servings, that is 2.5 or 3 carbs per serving for the sauce. Not much else has carbs except a little in the cheese so I still feel this is low-carb.

Any ideas for sides other than a salad or spaghetti?

For those whose diet includes some fresh fruit, our meal included a fresh fruit salad.

I find it hard to recommend menu combinations because everyone likes different things, but I'd love this with a roasted green vegetable like green beans or broccoli. You could cook it in the same oven.

Making this tonight! Thinking of adding Spinach to the bottom of the pan to lay the chicken on and add Bell Peppers to the top. :)

That sounds good to me Doreane! I might pre-cook the peppers so the dish doesn't get watery.

Where did you purchase your pepperoni? I want to purchase delicious pepperoni.

I just got pepperoni at my regular grocery store. I think I used Hormal brand.

I need the nutritional information about this. Please

If you look immediately after the recipe where it says \"Nutritional Information\" there's a link where you can copy and paste the recipe and it will calculate it. Or if you're a member of Yummly, just use the YUM button at the top to save the recipe and it will give you the nutritional info.

After entering in the calorie count I was disappointed in the Fats and Sodium but I'm thinking it was not calculated correctly. However it was good. And I used No salt added everything, homemade the sauce.

Glad you liked the recipe. I just follow carb-conscious eating but don't calculate things, so I don't know whether it would be right or not; I think those things are pretty hard to calculate accurately.

Is it possible to use thighs for this??

Haven't made it that way, but I'm guessing it would work. I worry a bit about the difference in thickness, even if the thighs are cut open and spread out there are some thinner parts. Love to hear how it works if you try it.

I would like to assemble this in a (sprayed) disposable pan a day ahead for a family member recovering from surgery. Do you foresee any problems with that? Thanks in advance! Looks delicious.

I wonder a bit about how sitting in the fridge will affect the flavor of the chicken. Possibly this Deconstructed Pizza Casserole would be better for making ahead and cooking later. But I don't know for sure, would love to hear how it works for either one if you try it.

I'm making this for the 2nd time tonight. We use turkey pepperoni. It is a keeper. Thanks!

Melissa, so glad you are enjoying it!

Do you think this would work using shredded mozzarella?

It will work, but not as well in my opinion. I used sliced mozzarella so it would stay together more on top of the chicken. I think the shredded mozzarella will run down to the bottom of the dish a lot more. But probably still tasty!

Okay great, thanks so much!

Hi, Kalyn! Love your site and enjoy your delicious low-carb recipes. I'm making this tonight; it's been on my menu \"wish list\", but I just can't seem to get past your amazing \"Very Greek Grilled Chicken\"! By now this is a family favorite. We don't eat very much beef or pork, mostly chicken, and the low carb options are tricky since some of my family are what I'd call \"choosy\" (aka picky!). This sounds like a winner and I can't wait to try it. Thank you, Kalyn!

Thanks; hope you enjoy!

Kalyn, I made this last night, and all I can say is DELICIOUS!!! My whole family loved this dish, and I had dinner on the table in 45 minutes from start to finish. All I added to the menu was a tossed salad, and everyone was happy! This is in my \"keeper\" file for sure! Thanks so much!

Thanks Juli, so glad everyone liked it!

Kayla you are a genius! I've been searching for a paleo pizza crust that tastes good for a long time... just use meat! Brilliant!! I'm thinking a huge turkey breast pounded out would make a cool whole pizza too.... what do you think?

So glad you like it! Turkey might work, but don't make it too thin or it will dry out in the oven. I might use more sauce for turkey!

Ok thanks for the advice :)

We're trying to reduce carbs at our house, but we love pizza. Hubby really wanted me to try this recipe. I followed the recipe the first time, and we liked it. But I wanted a \"faster, easier, fewer pans dirtied\" recipe. So the second time, I skipped the pre-browning in the skillet. I used chicken tenders and didn't bother to pound them out. I just put them in a single layer in the baking dish, then sprinkled with kosher salt and cracked black pepper (we thought the chicken needed more seasoning) and topped with pasta sauce rather than pizza sauce. (I also skipped the step of reducing the sauce.) I baked it uncovered at 350F for about 20 minutes, removed the pan, and spooned most of the liquid from the pan. Then I added the mozzarella and pepperoni slices; increased the temperature to 400F and baked for 25 minutes longer. Husband loved it! As I said, we liked the original recipe, but a one pan dinner without messing up the cooktop by pre-browing the chicken worked much better for me.

Glad you liked it, and glad you were able to adapt it to a version that fits your preferences better too!

When you need some low-carb (and gluten-free) comfort food, try this Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake! This is a dinner the whole family will enjoy.

This new recipe for Low-Carb Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake is my gift to everyone who's been carefully watching what they eat during January and is now craving something that qualifies as comfort food. And although nothing might be quite as comforting as real pepperoni pizza, this dish is completely delicious and definitely scratches that pizza itch with something that's also low in carbs. (And if January is getting a little long, you can find more low-carb comfort food here.)

I made this a couple of times with my nephew Jake to get it just right. The first time we didn't reduce the pizza sauce and the dish was too watery. We also tried it first with turkey pepperoni, which was fine if that's what you prefer, but this recipe doesn't take a lot of pepperoni and the full-fat pepperoni definitely crisped up a lot better. (It also adds more fat to the dish, but most of that fat is left in the bottom of the dish; if that's an issue for you I'd go with the turkey pepperoni.)

We did use part-skim Mozzarella, which was perfect. If you have family members who love pizza and others who need to limit carbs (whatever the reason), I promise this is going to be a hit!

Low-Carb Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake (Gluten-Free) found on KalynsKitchen.com

You can make your own pizza sauce and omit the sugar if you want even less carbs, but I checked labels at the store carefully and found this sauce that only had 18 carbs for the whole jar, so I used that. Don't skip the step of simmering the sauce on low until it's reduced to one cup.

Low-Carb Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake (Gluten-Free) found on KalynsKitchen.com

Trim chicken well, cut each breast in half, and then pound until they're as thin as you can get with out the chicken shredding apart. (I use a meat mallet, but anything heavy will work.) Season chicken with oregano-garlic powder mix, and then quickly brown the chicken on both sides. (It won't be cooked through.)

Low-Carb Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake (Gluten-Free) found on KalynsKitchen.com

Layer the chicken pieces in a glass casserole dish that's barely big enough to fit the chicken. Spread each piece with a generous amount of the reduced sauce. Put a thin slice of Mozzarella and few slices of pepperoni on each chicken breast. Bake at 400F/200C for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown.

Serve hot. I promise this will be popular with all the pizza fans!

Low-Carb Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Bake

(Makes 6-8 servings, depending on what else you serve with it. Recipe developed by Kalyn and Jake, with a few tries that weren't quite right but got eaten anyway!)

Ingredients:

1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce, reduced to 1 cup

(Use the lowest-carb sauce you can find, or make your own pizza sauce and omit the sugar.)

4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts (6-8 oz. each)

1 T olive oil

1 tsp. Greek oregano (sometimes just called oregano)

1 tsp. garlic powder

6 oz. piece of part-skim Mozzarella, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

2 oz. sliced pepperoni (regular or turkey pepperoni)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Put the pizza sauce in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until it's reduced to one cup, about 20 minutes. Don't skip this step or the dish will be watery.

While the sauce reduces, trim the chicken breasts and cut each one crosswise to make two same-size pieces. Put chicken pieces one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and use a meat mallet (or something heavy) to pound the chicken until it's as thin as you can get it without it shredding apart. (Don't worry if some pieces break apart a little.) Mix the Greek oregano and garlic powder in a little bowl and then sprinkle both sides of each piece of chicken with the mixture.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in the largest non-stick frying pan you have (you may have to do this in 2 batches if your pan isn't big enough.) Add the chicken pieces and cook 1-2 minutes on each side, just long enough to brown the chicken but not long enough to cook it through.

Choose the smallest glass casserole dish you have that will fit all the browned chicken pieces, and lay the chicken in the dish in a single layer. Cut the Mozzarella into slices and cut the slices as needed to make enough pieces to mostly cover the top of each piece of chicken.

By now the sauce should be nicely reduced, so spread sauce over the top of each chicken breast. (Use it all.) Top each piece with sliced Mozzarella and pepperoni slices, covering the top of each piece of chicken as much as you can.

Bake uncovered about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown and the pepperoni is slightly crisped. (Some pieces of pepperoni will slice off the chicken, try not to obsess about that like I did.) Serve hot.

I'm having leftovers of this tonight for dinner so I'll report back on how it reheats after it's been in the fridge a few days, but you probably won't have any left! (Edit 1-14-15 This was great reheated in the microwave for a few minutes.)

South Beach Diet / Low-Carb Diet Suggestions:

If you're careful to choose low-carb pizza sauce (or make your own) this is definitely a low-carb recipe. If you use the full-fat pepperoni, this is probably a little high in fat to suit the South Beach Diet guidelines, but I might still eat it as a treat for Phase One. (And we definitely liked it best with full-fat pepperoni, and quite a bit of the fat is left in the dish.) Use turkey pepperoni if you prefer. I did use part-skim (reduced-fat) Mozzarella, which was great in this recipe.

Find More Recipes Like This One:

Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn's Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I'm sharing there.

Nutritional Information?

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Low-Carb Ideas with Pizza Flavors:

(Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices ~ Kalyn's Kitchen

Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Casserole ~ I Breathe I'm Hungry

Low-Carb Egg-Crust Breakfast Pizza ~ Kalyn's Kitchen

Almond Flour Pizza Crust ~ All Day I Dream About Food

Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas ~ Kalyn's Kitchen

(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

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