Chicken Pizzaiola is a cheesy and delicious family-style Italian meal made with crispy fried chicken breast and a tomato and pepper sauce. Our kids love to pull out the cheesy mozzarella-coated chicken from the pan!
Want to try more meals served at Italian restaurants? Try our Classic Linguine Alla Puttanesca or Better Than Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana.
A Quick Look at The Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Chicken Pizzaiola
- ⏲️Ready in: 1 hour
- 👪Makes: 6 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Chicken Breast, Plum Tomatoes, Red and Green Peppers
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This dish is a great family-style meal you'd find in a classic red sauce joint, done in just under an hour!
Have a question about the recipe? Ask Ai!
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One Pot Chicken Dish
Chicken pizzaiola is one of my favorite dishes to make if I'm serving a group of people because it's a single-pot dish that makes for easy cleanup! Pizzaiola means "in the style of a pizza maker". Which is why this dish so closely matches the flavors of a Neapolitan pizza.
While chicken pizzaiola is a classic Italian dish, the version I have made is more consistent with Italian-American dishes, especially in restaurants in Northeast America.
Typically, steak pizzaiola is the classic dish, but it can also be done with chicken. Serve it over Classic Creamy Polenta with Garlic Parmesan Green Beans or Italian Lacinato Kale to make a full meal!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Peeled tomatoes. You can substitute a can of pureed tomatoes, but I'm not a huge fan of their texture, so I just puree the peeled tomatoes.
- Vodka. Substitute white wine. Vodka gives a bit of a cleaner and less sweet taste than wine does.
- Chicken Breast. Butterfly the chicken and pound out the meat for the best and most tender results. Since this isn't cooked for a long time, chicken breast is perfect. Chicken thighs are preferred in dishes like Easy Chicken Cacciatore.
- Garlic. Use whole cloves to infuse the oil with flavor.
- Mozzarella. I use shredded mozzarella. It's best for melting. Fresh mozzarella won't work as well.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
How to Make Chicken Pizzaiola
Step 1: Start by seasoning both sides of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in egg.
Step 2: Dredge the chicken breast in flour. Do not do this more than a few minutes in advance.
Step 3: In a large saucepan, add extra virgin olive oil and bring the pan to medium-high heat. Par-fry chicken in the pan until golden brown on both sides and then set aside. Don't worry about the chicken reaching 165℉ just yet because we will finish it in the sauce.
Step 4: After frying all the chicken in batches, add a little more olive oil to the pan and add peppers and whole garlic cloves. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the peppers are glistening and still brightly colored. You don't want them to become soft or caramelized. Just slight black edges and bright-colored peppers.
Step 5: Add the vodka to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Let the vodka simmer off until a thickened sauce develops on the bottom of the pan.
Step 6: Add the tomato puree, basil, salt, and oregano, then bring the sauce to a boil, slowly. Then lower the heat and return to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 7: Add the chicken on top of the sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Step 8: Then remove the cover, add the mozzarella cheese on top of the cutlets, cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes to melt the cheese.
Remove from the pan and serve. Serve the sauce over your favorite long pasta, like spaghetti or angel hair! Or serve with Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes or Zucchini Risotto!
Chicken Pizzaiola is a great family dish because it's one pan and it's done in under an hour. I love one-pan dishes like this, Authentic Italian Baked Ziti or Eggplant Parmigiana for family-style dinners!
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Pro-Tips
- Don't egg and flour the chicken in advance. The flour will soak into the egg and chicken, and will not fry well.
- You're only par-frying the chicken, so make sure you get the heat up high. Hit it with the heat for a minute or so, then flip it and do the same on the other side. Set it aside on a cooling rack.
- I recommend shredding whole milk mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella. Shredded mozzarella will melt better.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve over your favorite rice or risotto, like Creamy Cherry Tomato Risotto or Creamy Mushroom Truffle Risotto.
- It can easily be sauce that's served over your favorite pasta, like spaghetti or angel hair. Even just serving it with bread would be delicious.
- Serve it on a sandwich for leftovers like our Eggplant Parm Sandwich or Chicken Parm Sliders.
- Add another easy vegetable on the side, like Italian Radicchio Salad or Roasted Carrots and Fennel.
FAQs about Chicken Pizzaiola
Tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and oregano make up most of the sauce. We also use a deglazer like vodka or wine.
Store chicken pizzaiola in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan on medium heat until heated through.
Pizzaiola originates in Italy, coming from Napoli. It means in the style of a pizza maker and typically is served with beef, not chicken. In America, especially the northeast, we have created a more Italian-American version of the dish with peppers and chicken.
Classic Italian Restaurant-Style Dishes
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Chicken Pizzaiola
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, sliced in half
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree, or peeled tomatoes pureed I don't like the texture of canned tomato puree so I just puree the whole tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vodka
- 1 cup mozzarella
- 6 basil leaves
- chopped parsley for garnish
- 1 egg
- ½ cup flour
- salt and pepper for chicken
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper, then dip it in egg, and coat it in flour. In a large saucepan, add extra virgin olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Par-fry chicken in the pan until golden brown and then set aside. Don't worry about the chicken reaching 165℉ just yet because we will finish it in the sauce.
- After frying all the chicken in batches, add a little more olive oil to the pan and add peppers and whole garlic cloves. Saute for 5 minutes or until the peppers are glistening and still brightly colored. Add the vodka to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Let the vodka simmer off until a thickened sauce is developed on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tomato puree, basil, salt, and oregano. Bring the sauce to a boil, slowly. Then return to a simmer.
- Add the chicken on top of the sauce, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the cover, add the mozzarella cheese on top of the cutlets, cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from the pan and serve. Serve the sauce over your favorite long pasta!
Video
Notes
- Don't egg and flour the chicken in advance. The flour will soak into the egg and chicken, and will not fry well.
- You're only par-frying the chicken, so make sure you get the heat up high. Hit it with the heat for a minute or so, then flip it and do the same on the other side. Set it aside on a cooling rack.
- I recommend shredding whole milk mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella. Shredded mozzarella will melt better.
Adi says
Made it today smells delicious. Going to serve to good friend. I know will taste fantastic just by the aroma!