Baked Pizza Chicken

This recipe had me at "pizza"! What a wonderful way to enjoy the flavors of pizza with so much more protein! This is definitely going into my rotation of easy weeknight meals; I prepared it in under 30 minutes and there's only 8 ingredients involved! The chicken pairs nicely with a large mixed green salad and will hold up well for a few days in the refrigerator if weekend meal prep is your thang. You may consider cutting down the recipe quite a bit if this is just for you. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning blend
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. pizza sauce (I love the fat free pizza sauce from Trader Joe's)
4 oz. fresh mozzarella (the kind packed in water holds up the best!)
16 slices of pepperoni

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the spices and olive oil.
Use a mallet to pound the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick. (The best way to do this is by placing chicken flat on a cutting board and covering them with a layer of plastic wrap before pounding. This will prevent splatter.)
Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 glass dish and cover each breast with the seasoning blend.
Bake the chicken for 15 minutes. While the chicken is baking, slice the mozzarella.
After 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and spread about 1 tbsp. of pizza sauce on top of each breast. Then, add a slice a mozzarella and a few pepperonis to each piece.
Bake the chicken for an additional 7-10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.