Pizza is such a simple weeknight dish. And very versatile. You can go meat or no meat, you can do different types of sauces, cheeses and veggies. You can also make part of the pie with one set of toppings and part of the pie with another set of toppings. Endless possibilities really. My latest pizza creation is Pesto Chicken Pizza.
You could totally use rotisserie chicken for this pizza to make it even quicker. You can also use store bought pizza dough if you don’t want to use the pizza dough recipe I add at the bottom. I would suggest getting something that’s “thin crust”. While you could use pesto sauce from a jar – I wouldn’t recommend it. Those tend to be rather oily and it will make the pizza extra oily as well.
I always use parchment paper under my pizza to make it easy to serve AND easy to clean up! You could use foil, but I always have an issue of tearing it when I cut the pizza – and then you get little foil bits in your food – not yummy!
If you like the flavors of Pesto Chicken – check out my Creamy Pesto Chicken over Pasta recipe!
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Pesto Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 1½ lb Chicken Breast
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ lb Bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
- 32 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Pizza Dough
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
For the Pesto
- 2 cups Fresh Basil
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 cup Cashews
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425deg
- THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE TO MAKE 1 PIZZA. You should have enough of everything to make 2 pizzas.
- In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add chicken and garlic. Add enough water to cover chicken. Let cook for 15 minutes.
- On a parchment paper covered baking sheet, spread out pizza dough. Drizzle with half of the oil and sprinkle with half of the Italian seasoning. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to paper towel covered plate.
- In a bowl, combine ingredients for pesto sauce and blitz with an immersion blender until creamy. You can also use a food processer to do this.
- Build the pizza – spread half of ricotta cheese over pizza crust. Then spread half of pesto sauce over ricotta cheese, combining slightly. Sprinkle with half of chicken, half of mozzarella, half of bacon and then half of parmesan cheese. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 4 cups Flour
- 1 tbsp Yeast instant
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil
- 1½ cup Warm Water
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil for bowl
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Pour in water while stirring. Then add olive oil and continue to mix by hand. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Brush the insides of a second bowl with avocado oil and transfer ball of dough. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let rise at least 1 hour. Dough should approximately double in size.
- Once risen, place dough on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Stretch and press it out until you cover the baking sheet with ¼ inch thick crust.
- Place in 400 deg oven for 15 minutes.
- Continue to pizza recipe directions.
- If making for focaccia – brush with oil and add desired seasoning. Then bake for 15 minutes in 425 deg oven.
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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This looks so good my mouth is watering! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you this Sunday at the party.
I love chicken on pizza! Thank you for sharing with us at Embracing Home and Family!
This looks so good! I love both chicken on pizza and pesto, so I know I’ll love this. I’m featuring it tomorrow at the TFT link party. 🙂