Pizza Stuffed Chicken has all the best parts of a pepperoni pizza stuffed inside seasoned crispy air fried chicken. This delicious meal with gooey mozzarella cheese may look complicated, but it's actually quite easy. Simply slice, stuff, and coat with seasonings, then pop these savory pizza chicken breasts into the air fryer with no turning or flipping.
In less than 30 minutes, you'll have a delicious, protein packed dinner that sends fancy restaurant vibes with minimal effort 😉.
When the family wants pizza, but you have chicken, what better way to win them over than to fuse those two meals together?
Pizza Stuffed Chicken will have the kids forget all about a delivery person showing up at the door--guaranteed. Because what's not to like about oozing cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce stuffed inside crispy air fried chicken?
When you follow the steps, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to stuff chicken breasts. Really, it's true. Plus the added convenience of using an air fryer or Ninja Foodi makes this meal a breeze.
Just like with Mini Pepper Pizzas and Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Sliders, you can totally make this recipe your own by adding everyone's favorite pizza toppings to the filling. From mushrooms to peppers and more, this delicious dish will make everyone forget all about the crust.
Serve this special dish with garlic bread, noodles, and a side salad for a complete meal. Or, keep the meal gluten free and lighter by serving the pizza stuffed chicken with steamed or air fried veggies. It's all cheesy good👍.
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🥘Ingredients
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts- try to use breasts close in size for best results
- olive oil- the outside of the chicken is coated with this to help the seasonings stick and to get the chicken crispy in the air fryer
- garlic powder, salt, pepper, pizza seasoning- savory seasonings for added flavor
- pizza sauce- choose your favorite sauce
- sliced pepperoni- I like using turkey pepperoni because it has less fat
- fresh mozzarella- buy this in a pre-sliced log for convenience; it's much easier to stuff the chicken with fresh slices (as opposed to shredded), plus you get more of a cheesy, gooey effect
- freshly grated parmesan cheese- sprinkled on top for an extra salty bite and crunch
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Slowly slit the chicken breasts from the side with a serrated knife (more tips on this below); coat outside with oil and seasonings; sprinkle additional seasonings on the inside, then spread pizza sauce on the inner cavity.
- Step 2: Place pepperoni and mozzarella slices on top of the sauce.
- Step 3: Seal up the openings with toothpicks.
- Step 4: Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and air fry for about 20-30 minutes, depending on size, seams facing up.
Hint: If you don't have a stand alone air fryer or Ninja Foodi, you can bake these in an oven or toaster oven at 350°F; just know that the chicken will take longer to cook this way.
🥣Substitutions
- Cheese - instead of fresh mozzarella, you can use fresh burrata cheese (simply slice before adding); you can also use string cheese (place 1-2 in each chicken)
- Pizza Sauce - use marinara or spaghetti sauce instead
- Pizza Seasoning - you can use Italian seasoning instead
📖Variations
- Spicy - use spicy pizza sauce and add sliced jalapeños to the filling; optional to use pepper jack string cheese instead of mozzarella
- Mexican - use salsa instead of pizza sauce; add black beans, corn and cotija cheese; hold the pepperoni and pizza seasoning
For a pizza stuffed snack, see Pepperoni Pizza Rolls.
🍽Equipment
- paper towels
- cutting board & serrated knife
- measuring cups & spoons
- small bowl
- silicone brush
- toothpicks
- large capacity air fryer (6 quart or larger); you can use a Ninja Foodi or stand alone air fryer for this recipe
- meat thermometer
🍶Storage
Store Pizza Stuffed Chicken Breasts in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 3 days.
💭Top tip
To prep the chicken for this recipe, first blot the breasts with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Using a serrated knife, create a "pocket" in each chicken breast by slowly slicing in from the largest side. It's important not to slice all the way through, or all the way to the edges, or the filling will leak out. Do this process slowly, but with a firm hand, keeping the reference of a pocket in mind, and you'll be fine.
🗨️FAQ
Generally it takes between 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breast. It's essential to have a digital meat thermometer to check for doneness. Once the internal temperature reaches 165°F, the chicken is done.
That's really a personal preference, but I like the air fryer because the chicken gets crisp on the outside (but juicy in the middle) and doesn't take as long to cook.
No. If using an oven for an air fryer recipe, always reduce the temperature by 25°F. For this recipe, the oven temp would be 350°F.
🥄Related
Looking for other chicken recipes? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Pizza Stuffed Chicken:
📋Recipe
Pizza Stuffed Chicken
Equipment
- paper towels
- cutting board
- serrated knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- small bowl
- silicone brush
- toothpicks
- large capacity air fryer (6 quart or larger)
- digital meat thermometer
Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breasts of similar size 3 large or 4 medium
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon pizza seasoning
- pizza sauce 3-4 tablespoon depending on number of chicken breasts used
- sliced turkey pepperoni 9-12 slices depending on number of chicken breasts used
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella sliced; aim for 2-3 slices in each breast, some overlapping is fine
- freshly grated parmesan cheese 3-4 tablespoon depending on number of chicken breasts used
Instructions
- Blot chicken breasts with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Using a serrated knife, create a "pocket" in each chicken breast by slowly slicing in from the largest side, but do not slice all the way through. (See Top tip in above post for more guidance.)
- Mix the seasonings (garlic, salt, pepper, pizza seasoning) together in a small bowl.
- For each breast, brush outside with 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon of combined seasonings; sprinkle remaining ½ teaspoon combined seasonings on the inside.
- Spread 1 tablespoon pizza sauce on each inner cavity, followed by 3 pepperoni and 3 cheese slices.
- Seal the openings with toothpicks (3-4 in each breast). Then sprinkle each breast with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese.
- Place chicken breasts, seam side up, in a preheated air fryer at 375℉ for 20-30 minutes (depending on size) or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (use a digital thermometer to check).
- Let rest 5-10 minutes before removing toothpicks and serving.
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