Ingredients
8 pieces of chicken thighs and or breasts ( if using breast, butterfly them)
1 cup Kraft Monterey Jack cheese, grated
8oz. Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
3 to 4 oz. Hormel pepperoni cut into small pieces, I used the brand True Story
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
2 to 3 cups of cauliflower florets
Handful of fresh basil, chiffonade (chopped into small pieces)
1 Tbsp. milk or alternative
Morton Salt
McCormick Garlic powder
Instructions
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Place the pasta sauce in a sauce pan and add the chopped basil. Partially cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, place the cauliflower florets into a steamer to steam until fork tender. Cool for 5 minutes and then place florets into a food processor with the milk and process until smooth like mashed potatoes.
Add the cauliflower into the pasta sauce and keep warm.
Take a large frying pan heated over medium heat and add 1 to 2 tsp. of olive oil to the pan.
Swirl the oil around the pan and when hot, add the chicken. You may have to cook the chicken in batches if it won’t all fit.
Salt and garlic powder the chicken and cook about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Turn the chicken over and season the second side.
When the chicken is done (internal temperature is 165 degree F.) and no longer pink, place a couple of ladles full of pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 oven proof dish.
Spread the sauce around the bottom of the dish and place the chicken on top.
Spoon a generous amount of pasta sauce on top of each piece of chicken. Top with a sprinkle of Monterey Jack cheese and then a slice of the mozzarella. Use two slices of mozzarella if it’s a large piece of chicken.
Add the pepperoni slices (cut into small pieces) on top of each piece of chicken. The pepperoni tends to slide off the chicken while it’s baking so try and place them towards the center of the chicken.
Place the casserole into the oven, on the second rack from the top. Bake for 15 to 20 min. or until hot. Then turn the oven to broil and broil just until the pepperoni tends to brown up and crisp up around the edges and the cheese browns a bit.