Chicken Pepperoni

Chicken Pepperoni

  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
  • Servings: 4
  • About This Recipe

    “If you’re looking to impresssomeone, you couldn’t do it better…and or easier. Just be careful thatyou don’t overcook the chicken.”

    Ingredients

  • 1/2 lbpasta
  • 1/2 wholepepperoni
  • 1/3 cupflour
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • 1/4 teaspoonpepper, freshly ground
  • 1/2 teaspoonoregano, ground( or 2 teaspoons fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoonbasil, crushed( or 2 teaspoons fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoongarlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoononion powder
  • 1lbboneless skinless chicken breast
  • to tasteolive oil(optional)
  • 16ouncestomato sauce
  • 1 (6ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoonred pepper flakes, crushed( or more, to taste)
  • Directions

  • * I used quartered low-fat pepperoni sliceswithout sacrificing thetaste.While I needed to use olive oil to make up for the missing renderedfat, I did save considerably on cholesterol.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions.
  • Dice pepperoni into 1/4″ cubes.
  • Cook in frying pan over medium heat,allowing the fat from it to render out. Remove from pan and set aside. Season flour with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder and onion powder.
  • Cut chicken in to bite-sized chunks.
  • Dredge chicken pieces in seasonedflour until coated.
  • Shake off excess flour and brown in the renderedpepperoni fat (and olive oil, if needed) until the chicken is almostcooked.
  • Remove from pan and set aside. Whisk tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed red pepper flakes and 1/2 cupwater together in pan until smooth.
  • Return chicken and pepperoni topan.
  • Bring to simmer and cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Serve over a bed of pasta.
  • Reviews

  • “This is a great recipe. There is an Italian restaurant called Zio’s in the state I live in and they have a dish there called “Pepperoni Chicken” and it is what inspired me to look for something similar on this site. It is basically the same thing, on Penne pasta, but with a few additions that I think make the dish much muuuch better, such as including onions and bell pepper.I added a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes in addition to the tomato sauce and paste. I also sauteed a quarter yellow onion, half a red and half a green bell pepper in the pepperoni juices before sauteeing the chicken. I think the bell peppers made a huge positive difference to spruce up the dish. I also added some garlic powder, oregano and fresh basil to the sauce as it was simmering, not just to the flour mixture.With this recipe as a starting point and the above additions, I ended up with almost the EXACT dish that I loved at the Italian restaurant. Thanks for posting!”

  • “I also had this recipe posted but asked that mine be removed since yours was posted first thus the reviews thanking me were transferred here. I love this recipe and I recieved it from TSR boards many years ago. This is a great way to spice up your night. you can use bone in chicken just brown skin first and let simmer in sauce. You can use turkey pepperoni to cut done on the fat. I don’t use chunks of pepperoni but rather the sliced package kind in the store and don’t pre cook it before putting in the sauce. i use fresh garlic and onion in the sauce and I would never use a jarred sauce- but making a fresh sauce like a deep marinara is well worth it. you can skip the flour fry method of the chicken to help cut down on calories and fat. try grilling or baking or boiling. this recipe is really a true genius in progress of creating a ideal meal to suit your dietary needs, without sacrificing the flavor of the orginal dish too much! Try it and you will learn to make it your own and impress everyone!”

  • “I haven’t made this recently, but I’ve been making it for years, since Mimi posted it on rec.food.cooking. As suggested, I use turkey pepperoni to cut some of the fat, and a bit of olive oil to saute the chicken.It can be surprisingly spicy from the pepperoni, so take it easy on the red pepper flakes if that’s an issue at your house.I’m so glad to find this recipe here.Thanks!”

  • “This was so easy, and tasted great! I used a 26 oz jar of sauce because I like a lot of sauce.Thanks for an easy way to use up the leftover pepperoni from the Superbowl party!”

  • “Really good. I used a jar of regular Prego sauce and added 3/4 cup of wine.WONDERFUL!!!!A must try for anyone.”

  • “this was very good and different my whole family enjoyed this.The only thing different i did was not add the pepper flakes and used a whole pound macaroni we love pasta.Thanks for sharing.”

  • “This was a really good recipe!The chicken was very nice and tender and juicy, and the pepperoni added a lot of flavor.We really enjoyed it!”

  • “Mimi, this was just wonderful!Just what my family was looking for in a new pasta dish!Thank you so much, because all 3 of my kids (aged 15, 13 and 6) absolutely loved this, ate all that I made, and even asked me to cook more of it TONIGHT!!!Delicious!I loved how spicy it was, just enough, not enough to make anyone cry…Yet it was not “the same old boring pasta dish” that they are used to…Thumbs up!Very, very good!:)”

  • “This was a very spicy dish! My whole family enjoyed it except for my 10 year old DD.If you are making this for a younger child, I would recommend putting a little of the sauce aside to serve your younger family member.For the rest of us it was excellent! Chicken came out tasty and moist!Thanks for a great recipe, Shawn C”

  • “I cooked this for my family and while my husband loved it, my kids didn’t like it much.I asked if it was a keeper and they said, no they didn’t think so.I liked the pepperoni and the chicken, but the sauce was a little too plan and acidic.Maybe with a different sauce it might be better.”

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