Super cheesy Pesto Chicken Pizza! Easy, healthy, and sooo yummy. Read my tips for the “lightened up” version!
I was introduced to the wonderfulness we call pesto a few years back (ummm, probably 6 years actually) when I was visiting my brother in Santa Monica California. He took us to this quaint (I generally don’t use that word but it fits here) restaurant that can only be described in one other word: eclectic. It’s a vintage bookstore-turned-cafe with a little shop in the back corner filled with artisan-made trinkets, and you can eat on the back patio where you’ll be surrounded with the most incredible array of foliage.
Wow. Excerpt from a romance novel anyone? I swear I didn’t mean to sound so…. weird. But it totally came out weird.
This restaurant was pretty incredible though and I’ve been dying to go back ever since. I had a pesto turkey sandwich with the crispiest, best-ever sweet potato fries of my life. That sandwich was my first experience with pesto and I was instantly, irreversibly hooked.
Sometimes I get intense cravings for pesto. I think it’s the potency of it. After eating potatoes and gravy for dayzzzzz (I love you Thanksgiving, but I’m also a little bit over you) I need something strong and loaded with a good punch of real flavor. I made this pesto chicken pizza before we left on our Bahamas cruise (more on that coming later!) and practically dreamed about it the whole time we were gone.
My husband, who by the way is normally a 100% pepperoni guy, loved this pizza. We froze the leftovers and he ate them for days afterwards, just couldn’t get enough. In fact! I had made two or three other dishes that week with leftovers and he kept pushing them aside to get to the pesto chicken pizza. We are big fans.
And this pizza is easy! Crust + pesto + chicken + mozzarella + possible parsley = amazing pesto chicken pizza for dinner. I used Miracle Dough for mine but you can use your favorite homemade or store-bought crust. And if you’re looking for something on the lighter side, you can use thin-crust and part-skim mozzarella cheese for an equally delicious yet totally healthy version. Mmm.
Pesto Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade or store-bought pizza crust*
- ⅓ cup homemade or store-bought pesto - (click here for my homemade pesto recipe)
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast - pounded to ½-inch thickness
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese**
- optional: freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle chicken breast with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cook in a greased pan or skillet over medium heat 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Cut into cubes and set aside.
- Spread pesto over your pizza crust. Spread cubed chicken throughout. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is melted (or according to store-bought dough instructions).
- If desired, sprinkle pizza with chopped parsley. Serve warm.
Notes
**Use 1 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese for a lightened-up version.
I am reading this while I have my morning coffee, and all I want to do is skip straight to dinner. This looks amazing!
Looks amazing and it’s what I’m making tonight 🙂 If I’m using store-bought naan or flat bread, would this recipe probably be enough to divide between two or three of them, do you think? The naan I’m looking at is from Stonefire and seems to be a medium-sized flatbread. Love your photos and can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
Hi V! Depends on if you want to use it for a main dish or appetizer. I would use two full pieces of the stonefire naan for this recipe if you want to feed 2-3 people for a main dish. By the way, I LOVE Stonefire!!
Well this was a raving success! I used the sargento part skim mozzarella and the stone fire naan crust. Definitely a favorite now, ty!
Very interesting recipe. Tomorrow I’m going to cook. I cook different recipes. I love to experiment. This was very interesting: http://www.legenrecipes.com/recipe/barbecued-chicken-tortilla-pizzas Now your going to try. Thank you very much.