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This chicken crust pizza with pepperoni has about 68 g of protein per serving and takes 50 minutes from oven preheat to the first slice. The protein comes from ground chicken breast, eggs, Parmesan and mozzarella, not powder, so it tastes like real food.
One serving is half of a 28 cm / 11-inch pizza, around 310 g. There’s no flour in the crust, so it eats more like a thin, browned chicken patty than bread. I’d rather tell you that now than have you expect pizza dough.
The step you can’t skip is the 20-minute pre-bake. Pull the crust early and the middle stays wet, and the slices fold when you lift them.
The recipe makes two pizzas and feeds four. Cut each pizza into 4 wedges, and two wedges make a serving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- About 68 g protein per serving from chicken, eggs and cheese
- No flour, no yeast, no dough to rise
- Two pizzas bake side by side in 30 minutes
- Baked slices freeze and reheat for quick lunches
Ingredient Notes
- ground chicken breast: Buy the lean breast version, not a mixed blend. Ground chicken thigh or 93% lean ground turkey also work, but each costs about 6 g of protein per serving and gives a softer crust.
- Parmesan: Grate it fine from a wedge. It acts as the binder along with the eggs, and the powdery shaker kind is drier and holds the crust together less well.
- low-moisture part-skim mozzarella: Shred it from a block. Fresh mozzarella releases water and will leave the center of this crust wet.
- pepperoni: Standard sliced pepperoni gives about 18 g of protein for the 85 g used here. Turkey pepperoni works as a swap and gives off less grease.
- pizza sauce: Use a thick sauce and keep it to 80 g per pizza. Thin or watery sauce soaks into the chicken crust and softens it.
Easy Chicken Crust Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 220 C / 425 F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a 4-quart / 3.8 L mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, eggs, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands for about 1 minute, until it forms a sticky paste with no streaks of egg.
- Divide the mixture in half and put each half on a pan. With wet hands, press each into a 28 cm / 11-inch round about 8 mm thick, with the edge slightly thicker than the center.
- Bake the bare crusts for 20 minutes, swapping the pans between racks at the 10-minute mark, until the edges are golden and the centers feel firm when pressed. Blot any liquid on top with paper towel. If the middle still feels soft, give it a few more minutes before adding toppings.
- Spread 80 g / 1/3 cup of sauce over each crust, leaving a 1 cm border. Scatter 100 g of mozzarella over each, then lay about 20 pepperoni slices on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes, swapping the pans again at the 5-minute mark, until the cheese bubbles with brown spots and the center of the crust reads 165 F / 74 C on an instant-read thermometer.
- Rest the pizzas on the pans for 5 minutes. Cut each into 4 wedges with a pizza wheel, scatter on the torn basil, and serve 2 wedges per person.
Notes
- Wash your hands, the bowl and anything that touched the raw chicken with hot soapy water before moving on.
- Bake both crusts the full 20 minutes, even if the tops look pale at 15.
- Keep sauce to about 80 g per pizza so the crust stays firm.
- Check the pepperoni and sauce labels if you need the pizza to be gluten-free.
- Cut with a pizza wheel only after the 5-minute rest.
Tips for Success
- Blot the ground chicken with paper towel if liquid pools in the tray, since extra water keeps the center from setting.
- Wet your hands, then press the mixture from the center outward into a 28 cm round about 8 mm thick.
- Insert an instant-read thermometer into the crust, away from the pepperoni, and look for 165 F / 74 C after the final 10-minute bake.
- Blot the pepperoni slices on paper towel before placing them, which cuts the orange grease that pools on top of the cheese.
- Rest the pizzas 5 minutes before slicing so the cheese sets and the crust firms up enough to lift without folding.
Variations
- Swap the pepperoni for 85 g of cooked, crumbled Italian sausage and sliced green peppers for a supreme-style pizza.
- Mix 2 tsp taco seasoning into the crust instead of oregano, then top with salsa, pepper jack and pickled jalapeños.
- Brush each baked crust with olive oil and minced garlic before adding the mozzarella and pepperoni for a white pizza.
Storage and Reheating
Chicken crust pizza with pepperoni keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, with parchment between the slices so the cheese doesn’t glue them together.
Reheat slices on a sheet pan in a 200 C / 400 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and the center reaches 165 F / 74 C. A covered 26 cm / 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes also works and keeps the bottom crisp.
Baked slices freeze for up to 2 months. Mine go in the chest freezer in the garage, flat on a tray for an hour first, then into a bag. Reheat from frozen at 200 C / 400 F for 16 to 18 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the pizza hot after the 5-minute rest, two wedges per person. Put red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan on the table, and tear a few basil leaves over the top right before eating.
A green salad with a sharp vinegar dressing cuts through the cheese and pepperoni. Steamed green beans with lemon work too.
A small bowl of warm marinara is good for dipping the thicker edges.
FAQ
Why is my chicken crust pizza soggy in the middle?
Your chicken crust pizza is soggy because the crust wasn’t pre-baked long enough or the sauce was thin. Bake the bare crust 20 minutes at 220 C / 425 F until the edges are golden and the center feels firm when pressed. Blot any liquid off the chicken tray first and spread only 160 g of thick sauce across both pizzas.
Can I use ground turkey or chicken thighs instead of ground chicken breast?
Yes. Ground turkey (93% lean) or ground chicken thigh both work at the same 800 g, but each costs about 6 g of protein per serving and gives a softer crust. Press the crust no thicker than 8 mm so the middle still sets during the 20-minute pre-bake.
Can I freeze chicken crust pizza with pepperoni after baking?
Yes, baked chicken crust pizza freezes well for up to 2 months. Cool the slices fully, freeze them flat on a tray for 1 hour, then bag them with parchment between slices. Reheat from frozen on a sheet pan at 200 C / 400 F for 16 to 18 minutes, until the center reaches 165 F / 74 C.
What sides go with chicken crust pepperoni pizza?
A green salad with a sharp vinegar dressing is the easiest side, since it cuts the richness of the cheese and pepperoni. Steamed green beans with lemon juice also work. Skip bread-based sides, because each serving is already about 310 g of food.
How do I make chicken crust pizza dairy free without losing all the protein?
Replace the Parmesan with a third egg and use a dairy-free shred for the mozzarella. Those shreds have almost no protein, so you lose about 16 g per serving and land near 52 g instead of 68 g. The crust browns less, so add an extra 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.
What is the difference between chicken crust pizza and fathead dough pizza?
Chicken crust is ground chicken, egg and Parmesan with no flour. Fathead dough is melted mozzarella, cream cheese, almond flour and egg. Chicken crust puts far more protein into the base itself and has no nut flour, but fathead is chewier and more bread-like, which this one is not.
