Have you ever heard of Chicken Pepperoni? It’s an incredibly flavorful dish made with boneless chicken breasts, bell peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and of course, pepperoni!
One bite of this delicious chicken dish will make you wonder why you never thought of cooking with pepperoni before. The flavor it imparts is epic!
One of my other favorite pasta with chicken dishes is my Chicken Scarpariello Recipe.
Over my career as a Restaurant Chef, I’ve seen food fads come and go. But one type of dish that never goes out of style is a flavorful combination of ingredients served over pasta.
And my Chicken Pepperoni is definitely one of those dishes.
What do I need to make chicken pepperoni?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Chicken Pepperoni. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use chicken breasts to make this dish?
No you don’t. I sometimes use chicken thighs to make this at home. It’s up to you to use the parts you’d rather eat or have on hand.
Do I have to use Peppers to make this dish?
No you don’t. They do add some flavor but if peppers don’t agree with you feel free to leave them out.
The same can be said for the mushrooms. They do pick up the flavors nicely and add more substance to the dish. Artichokes are used to soften the flavor but aren’t essential.
The key to making really flavorful dishes is finding the balance of different flavors that work well together. All of these ingredients blend very well, but this is your dinner, so adapt it to your flavor preferences.
How do I make Chicken Pepperoni?
The first step is dredging the chicken breasts in flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.
You will then saute the chicken in a little olive oil over medium-high heat.
After cooking the chicken on one side turn it over and add the garlic, mushrooms and peppers to the pan. Add additional olive oil as needed.
Continue cooking the ingredients for 3 – 4 minutes.
Now add the chicken stock, marinara, artichoke hearts(along with some of the juice), pepperoni, Romano cheese and seasonings.
This a good time to start cooking your pasta.
About two minutes before your pasta is done, begin the reheat of the Chicken Pepperoni. Add butter that has been rolled in seasoned flour (beurre manie) to the pan to thicken the sauce.
Serve the finished dish over linguine or pasta of your choice. Garnish with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of Romano cheese and enjoy!
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
Chicken Pepperoni
Ingredients
- ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 4 oz artichoke hearts sliced plus a little juice from the can
- 2 oz pepperoni sliced if you use sandwich pepperoni cut in half
- 1 clove garlic diced
- 8 oz chicken stock
- 2 oz marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes
- splash of white wine optional
- ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley
- seasoned flour to dredge the chicken
- 1 tablespoon butter
- olive oil as needed
- ½ lb linguine or spaghetti
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large Saute pan, then add Olive oil and garlic slices.
- Dredge chicken thighs in seasoned flour and add to hot oil. Let chicken cook for 2 minutes until done on one side and has a little color, then turn over and add sliced peppers, and mushrooms.
- Continue to saute for 3-4 minutes, mixing ingredients to insure that the peppers and mushrooms start to cook.
- Add the white wine to deglaze the pan and stop the cooking.
- Now add the chicken stock, marinara, artichoke hearts(along with some of the juice), pepperoni, Romano cheese and seasonings.
- allow ingredients to reduce slightly 3 – 4 minutes.
- Cook your pasta per instructions on the box. Remember to make it al dente’.
- About two minutes before your pasta is done, begin the reheat of the Chicken Pepperoni. Add butter that has been rolled in seasoned flour (beurre manie) to the pan to thicken the sauce
- Continue to heat on medium heat as you drain your pasta.
- Serve the finished dish over linguine or pasta of your choice. Garnish with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of Romano cheese and enjoy!
- ( If the sauce appears too thick or oily, add a little water to the pan, this will help assimilate the oil, as well as thinning it out.)
Katie says
I want to make this recipe! Question, when you say seasoned flour, is that simply salt and pepper?
Chef Dennis Littley says
Yes. When ever I dredge meat in flour I always season the flour with salt and pepper.
Jack says
Swapped in olives for the mushrooms and a roux for the buerre manie with great results. This finally mimics a meal I had in Boston’s North End that I’ve been trying to recreate for years.
Erin Volcsko says
I have watched the movie Seems Like Old Times many many times since it came out in 1980. You can never ever forget what was on the menu for that dinner, it was unforgettable and so original lol. Of course Chester getting hammered on wine was classic too.
Today in 2021, this classic came back on TV. The moment Ira goes in to the kitchen and Aurora is writing her letter, it was so easy to remember over 40 years later, what it was she was supposed to be making for dinner. It’s so unforgettable all these years later lol. Way back then, we didn’t have a recipe for it, let alone internet to look it up. Today, I LOOKED it up and I was thrilled to see the opening post mention the movie as the inspiration for this dish, Thank you for creating one. I look forward to having fun making this one.
Chef Dennis Littley says
that was such a great movie and Chicken Pepperoni has long been a favorite for dinner at our house. I just the flavors the pepperoni gives the dish.
Loreto Nardelli says
I have to be honest I have never heard of Chicken Peperoni. I have not seen the movie either. Now I have two things to do watch the movie and try this dish. I love the flavors and textures. Well done!
Leslie says
I can definitely understand why this is a favorite dish at your restaurants! If I saw this on the menu, I would be asking for it as well!
Heather says
Yes!! Loving everything about this dish. Definitely going to give this a try. I have never heard of this dish but it sounds like a keeper!
Amanda says
This was my first time trying chicken pepperoni, but it won’t be my last! The pepperoni added such nice flavor, and it was super simple to make. Thanks for sharing a new favorite!
Kita Bryant says
This would be an awesome dish for dinner. I would absolutely love to try this.
Denise says
I have never had Chicken Pepperoni with Linguine before, and now I can’t wait to try it. It looks absolutely delicious and the flavors sound incredible!
Angela says
This recipe looks and sounds yummy!!! It is definitely going to be added to my recipe box!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Angela ☺️
Ruth says
Oooh this looks so nice and the recipe seems so simple the way you put it. Thanks so much for sharing this 🙂
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Mmm… I think I just heard my tummy growl. lol. Thank you for making me hungry!