Keto Pizza Chicken
Published September 7, 2019 • Updated March 3, 2026
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I cook chicken thighs in bacon grease, build a quick tomato sauce in the same skillet, then load everything with mozzarella and broil. One pan, under an hour, and the keto pizza chicken flavor comes from that rendered bacon fat.
Most pizza chicken recipes have you lay chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour jarred marinara over the top. That works, but it’s not what I do. I pan-fry bone-in, skin-on thighs in rendered bacon grease, and that single step changes everything. The skin crisps up in that smoky fat, and the fond left in the skillet becomes the base for a from-scratch tomato sauce that tastes like it simmered for hours.
I tested this with boneless breasts early on and stopped. At 400 degrees for 30 minutes, they dried out every time. Bone-in thighs stay juicy through the full bake, and the skin gives you something to anchor all that melted mozzarella to. If you’ve made my keto chicken parmesan, you already know I’m particular about the chicken cut. This is the same principle.
The anchovy fillets are optional, but I always use them. Two fillets, minced, dissolved into the garlic and red pepper flakes. They melt completely and add a savory depth that people can’t identify but always notice. Nobody has ever tasted fish. They just say the sauce tastes richer than expected. If you skip them, a splash of Worcestershire gets you partway there.
This is a keto weeknight dinner I come back to because it genuinely scratches the pizza itch without any crust fuss. The whole thing happens in one cast iron skillet (oven-safe is non-negotiable here), and cleanup is minimal. If you like the pizza-flavor-on-everything approach, my crustless pizza and keto deep dish pizza are worth trying too. And if you want a skillet dinner with a different Italian angle, the keto skillet lasagna uses the same one-pan logic.
For toppings, I go with the bacon that’s already in the dish plus fresh basil. But I’ve also done pepperoni, sliced olives, banana peppers, and mushrooms on top before the broil. Load it up however you want. The low carb skillet method holds up under heavy toppings because the thighs are sturdy enough to support all of it.
You can assemble this up to 24 hours ahead. Sear the chicken, build the sauce, nestle the thighs back in, cover, and refrigerate. When you’re ready, pull it out 20 minutes before baking so the skillet isn’t ice cold going into the oven. I do this on Sundays and bake it Monday night. Leftovers keep 3-4 days in the fridge and reheat well in a 350-degree oven for about 12 minutes.
Ingredients
5 slices thick cut bacon -
2 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in & skin on
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4 cloves garlic, sliced
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2 anchovy fillets, minced (optional)
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1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
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1/2 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes
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1/2 cup chicken broth
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4-6 basil leaves, sliced
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1 cup mozzarella cheese
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Cook bacon
Heat a large oven-proof skillet to medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until desired level of crispiness. Transfer bacon to a paper towel and set aside.
Pan fry chicken
Keeping bacon grease in the skillet, add chicken thighs to the skillet and cook at medium-high heat on both sides until browned (about 7 minutes the first side and 3 minutes the second). Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
Sauté garlic and seasonings
Add garlic, anchovy, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Sauté for about 1 minute.
Make sauce
Add canned tomatoes, chicken broth, and basil. Break up whole tomatoes with a spatula. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
Baste chicken
Transfer chicken back into the skillet and bake at 400°F uncovered until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 30 minutes.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze keto pizza chicken?
I've frozen this and it reheats well. Let it cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container with the sauce. It keeps for up to 3 months. When I reheat from frozen, I thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The chicken stays juicy because of the bone-in thighs, but the cheese on top won't be as bubbly as the first time around. I usually add a fresh sprinkle of mozzarella and pop it under the broiler for a minute.
Can I make this ahead of time?
I do this all the time. Sear the chicken, build the sauce, nestle the thighs back in, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Pull the skillet out about 20 minutes before you bake so it's not going into a 400-degree oven ice cold. I've found the flavors actually develop a bit more overnight, so the sauce tastes even better the next day.
What pizza toppings can I add?
I've tried a bunch. Pepperoni is the obvious one and it crisps up nicely under the broiler. Sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and black olives all work. I add them on top of the chicken after it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the mozzarella over everything, then broil. My favorite combo is pepperoni with banana peppers. Just keep the toppings to a single layer so the cheese still melts evenly. If you want more low carb pizza ideas, try my keto pizza casserole or pizza bowl.
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
You can, but I stopped doing it. Boneless breasts dried out on me every time at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If you're set on breasts, I'd cut the bake time to about 20 minutes and check internal temp at 165 degrees. Bone-in thighs are my pick because they stay juicy through the full cook and the skin gives the cheese something to grip. If you like chicken breast recipes, my keto chicken crust pizza is built around them.
What can I substitute for the anchovy fillets?
I get it, anchovies sound weird in a pizza dish. But I use them because they dissolve completely into the garlic and oil. Nobody tastes fish. They just add a savory richness to the sauce. If you want to skip them, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce gets you partway to that same umami depth. I've also used a small squeeze of tomato paste as a swap, though it shifts the flavor slightly sweeter.
How do I know when the chicken is fully cooked?
I use an instant-read thermometer every time. You're looking for 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone. After about 30 minutes at 400 degrees, mine consistently hits that mark. The juices should run clear when you cut into it. I always check at least one thigh before moving to the broil step, because once the cheese goes on, you can't easily check temperature anymore.
How do I get the cheese perfectly bubbly without burning it?
My broiler runs hot, so I've dialed this in through trial and error. Two minutes on the top rack is the sweet spot. I watch it the entire time because it goes from perfectly bubbly to scorched in about 30 seconds. If your broiler runs cooler, you might need 3 minutes. The cheese should be golden with brown spots, not uniformly dark. I also make sure the mozzarella is evenly distributed so there are no bare patches that could burn. If you want another cheesy skillet dinner, my keto chicken casserole uses a similar broil finish.
All of your favorite pizza toppings can go on pan seared chicken thighs to make an easy one pot low-carb dinner the whole family will love. This pizza chicken is a delicious dinner you can make on busy weeknights since it comes together in under an hour. Plus, you don’t have to dirty tons of dishes since everything is made in one skillet.
This pizza chicken is topped with tomato, bacon, and mozzarella cheese. The sauce is tomato based and uses canned tomatoes for ease of preparation. To help form a tasty and complex pizza sauce, I use garlic, anchovy, Italian seasonings and red pepper flakes. Don’t be afraid to use anchovy. Anchovy is used in many Italian recipes because it provides a umami flavor. Umami is a taste that enhances the flavor of your dish. It won’t taste fishy at all and will only make your pizza chicken taste better.
The best cuts of chicken for this recipe are chicken thighs and drumsticks. These are considered dark meats and have a higher fat content compared to white cuts of chicken meat, like the breast. You can substitute the chicken thighs for any cut of chicken – drumsticks, wings, breast.
In this recipe, I use bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs. If you prefer to use skinless, boneless thighs or breast, you can. Just know that the bones and skin provide loads of flavor, fat and nutrition, specifically in the form of collagen. Plus bone-in thighs are less expensive than the skinless, boneless variety.
Since this dinner is finished in the oven, you’ll need an oven-safe skillet to make this recipe. I find a cast iron skillet works the best but most stainless steel skillets are oven proof as well. My favorite 
First time making anything like this. Skin came out way crispier than I expected after the broil. That one pan thing is real, the sauce picked up all the bacon flavor from the bottom of the skillet. Would boneless thighs work, or does the bone actually help with flavor?
My son watched the mozzarella bubble under the broiler and told me the kitchen smelled like a pizza place, which coming from a 15-year-old who would normally be on his phone is saying something.
A teenager off his phone is the highest possible rating. Two minutes under the broiler and even my kids drift into the kitchen.
I bypassed this for months because I couldn't wrap my head around chicken thighs standing in for pizza. I make a skillet chicken every other week and wasn't looking to replace it. Then I saw the anchovy fillets in the ingredient list and figured anyone building a recipe around that knows exactly what they're doing. Cooked it last Sunday and I get it now. The bacon grease picks up all that garlic and anchovy and the sauce that forms around the chicken is richer than anything I've made in a skillet before. My go-to got knocked out. I ate this straight from the pan before I even thought about plating it.
Six months into keto and the thing I missed most wasn't actually the dough, it was that pizza smell. This is the first thing that's gotten close. The bacon grease carrying the tomatoes and garlic through the skillet, the broiled mozzarella on top. Made it last Sunday and sat with it for a minute before eating.
That smell is the whole thing. Bacon fat, garlic, the tomatoes hitting that hot pan. Nobody misses the dough once that's happening.
Layered pepperoni under the mozzarella before broiling and the fat rendered down into the tomato sauce, I'm not going back to putting it on top.
Nowhere for the fat to go on top except a paper towel. Under the cheese it just bleeds right into that tomato-bacon grease base. Of course that's better. Doing this next batch.
Four batches in and I finally stopped skipping the anchovies. They just disappear into the sauce and leave this savory depth I keep trying to identify while I'm eating. The bacon grease already does a lot, but add anchovies and the whole thing tastes like it cooked for three hours. One pan, cold night, making this every week until spring.
That thing you keep trying to name is the anchovies. They dissolve. The umami stays in the fat. Four batches to try them makes sense, I labeled them optional for a reason.
OMG it was delicious
Yeah, the bacon fat in that sauce is kind of the whole recipe. Glad it worked for you.