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 have you wondering why you never thought of cooking with pepperoni before. The flavor it imparts is epic!
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 Primavera Aioli
- Grilled Chicken Alfredo
- Sicilian Style Seafood and Pasta
- Chicken and Shrimp Toscano
- Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella
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 tsp chopped Italian parsley
- seasoned flour to dredge the chicken
- 1 tbsp 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.)
Jack
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.