Pizza chicken with pancetta, mozzarella, and spicy tomatoes from Dinner: Changing the Game (page 58) by Melissa Clark

Ingredients

dried red pepper flakes
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chicken pieces
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Simplest green salad; Green beans with caper vinaigrette

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

Soulkitchenjen on December 02, 2025

This was excessively fussy for a recipe that just tasted like chicken in a mid tomato sauce. It was not spicy not particularly pizza flavored. It was a non fried chicken parm? Except parm would have improved it. The number of steps and amount of effort were not worth it.
Karinett on August 25, 2025

Delicious but not the healthiest (very rich and cheesy), so likely won't make again. The flavor really encapsulates "pizza" well!
chawkins on September 15, 2023

I made half a recipe using grape and Roma tomatoes from the garden and bacon instead of pancetta because I forgot to pick up some when I was at the store, skipped the anchovies because I could not locate them in the pantry. We like this real well, and it was easy and quick quick. Will definitely make again especially in the summer when I usually have a ton of tomatoes from the garden.
pomegranate on June 27, 2023

This sauce is delicious
jhallen on August 18, 2022

This was great - my tomatoes and sauce and were not watery (used fresh cherry tomatoes and fresh diced tomatoes). I am not eating chicken so substituted eggplant and didn’t cook it as long as chicken would require (but otherwise made it as written). It was good - my eggplant was a little soft but tasted great.
julesamomof2 on August 08, 2022

We loved this dish - based on other reviews, I used a jar of marinara along with the fresh cherry tomatoes which made it extra saucy and delicious. Will make again.
ezwriternc on March 10, 2022

This worked for me! I used cherry tomatoes and jarred tomato sauce i had open in the fridge. Make it. Your family will love it.
TrishaCP on May 02, 2021

We liked this- would be a good family dish (at least in my family!). I used fresh cherry tomatoes and a 14 oz can of diced Italian-style tomatoes. It was still a bit watery but not as bad as using the fresh tomatoes (from Jane’s note below).
averythingcooks on December 31, 2018

I first saw / made an adaptation of this on Food52........now I make it following Melissa's book and we LOVE this. It produces an awesome cast iron pan of delicious "tomato saucy, cheesey, capery, basily" chicken thighs!
Jane on September 12, 2017

I liked this though my finished dish looked rather different to the book photo. Like Astrid I found the tomatoes had lost all definition in the sauce - my tomatoes also threw off a lot of liquid so the chicken was sitting in soup (tasted lovely though). This isn't a quick weeknight dinner - start to finish was well over an hour. Though it's a good way to use your tomato harvest - uses 1.5 pounds of large plus a pint of cherry.
Baxter850 on July 24, 2017

Fun little recipe although it's nothing to stop the presses. Would reduce the anchovies next time.
Astrid5555 on April 23, 2017

I loved the concept of the dish, but the end result was somewhat different to what I was expecting, also from the picture. No way the tomatoes look that nice in reality after the sauce has cooked down for more than 40 minutes. On the other hand the sauce was very good and we all happily had this for Sunday lunch. And this is also when we would have it again, not as a quick weeknight dinner option, too much chopping and waiting going on here for my taste.
Larkspur on April 22, 2017

I substituted canned diced tomatoes for fresh tomatoes (I did use fresh cherry tomatoes)