Chicken Crust Pizza
A flourless pizza base made from ground chicken, parmesan and egg. It bakes firm enough to pick up by the slice, with almost no carbs and about 40 g of protein per serving.
Nutrition per serving
¼ of a 12-inch pizza (2 slices)- Net carbs
- 3.5g
- Calories
- 354kcal
- Protein
- 40g
- Fat
- 19g
- Total carbs
- 4.3 g
- Fiber
- 0.8 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Buffalo ranch: Ranch as the sauce, blue cheese on top and a drizzle of hot sauce after baking — buffalo wings in pizza form.
- Spread the ranch thinly over the baked crust in place of marinara, top with the mozzarella and blue cheese, and bake as usual.
- Drizzle the hot sauce over the hot pizza just before slicing.
Pesto & tomato: Basil pesto instead of marinara, topped with thin tomato slices and mozzarella, for a fresh, summery pie.
- Spread the pesto over the crust, lay the tomato slices on top in a single layer, then add the mozzarella and bake as usual. Use homemade basil pesto if you have it.
Ground turkey crust: Ground turkey makes an equally sturdy crust, needs no food processor and is often cheaper than chicken.
- Mix the ground turkey straight into the cheese and seasonings — no processing needed. Bake until the crust reads 165°F (74°C) in the center, 20–25 minutes, and blot off any fat before adding the sauce.
- Crust
- Topping
- Nice to have (optional)
- Crust
- Topping
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Crust
- Topping
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Crust
- Topping
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $8.83 for 4 servings ($2.21 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and brush it with the olive oil.
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If using whole chicken breast, pulse it in a food processor in 1-second bursts, 15–20 times, until finely ground. Wash the processor, your hands and anything else that touched the raw chicken in hot, soapy water.
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In a bowl, mix the ground chicken, parmesan, ½ cup mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt until evenly combined. It will be sticky.
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Tip the mixture onto the parchment, cover with a second sheet and press or roll it into an even 12-inch (30 cm) round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Peel off the top sheet.
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Bake 20–25 minutes, until the crust is firm, golden at the edges and no longer pink anywhere; it should read 165°F (74°C) in the center on an instant-read thermometer. Blot any liquid on the surface with a paper towel.
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For a crisper base, lay a fresh sheet of parchment on top, flip the crust over, peel off the original paper and bake 5 minutes more.
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Spread the marinara over the crust, leaving a thin border, and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake 8–10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and spotted with brown. Rest 5 minutes, scatter with basil and slice.
Tips for success
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Even thickness matters: thin spots dry out and thick spots stay soft. Press from the center outward and feel for bumps. - Shortcut: two 12.5-oz (354 g) cans of chicken, very well drained and squeezed dry, can replace the raw chicken. Canned chicken is already cooked, so the base needs only 15–20 minutes to set.
- Keep toppings light and pre-cook watery vegetables like mushrooms and peppers. For a dough-style crust, try fathead pizza dough instead.
Nice to have, not needed
- A food processor grinds whole breasts quickly — or buy ground chicken and skip that step.
- An instant-read thermometer confirms the crust has reached 165°F (74°C); without one, check that no pink remains in the center.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 2 months
Reheat: Reheat slices in a 400°F (200°C) oven or air fryer for 6–8 minutes; the microwave softens the crust.
Prep tip: Bake the crust ahead, cool and freeze it untopped; add the toppings and bake from frozen, adding 3–5 minutes.
Refrigerate leftover slices up to 3 days. Reheat in a 400°F (200°C) oven or air fryer for 6–8 minutes to re-crisp; the microwave makes the crust soft.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosBuffalo ranch
FlavorRanch as the sauce, blue cheese on top and a drizzle of hot sauce after baking — buffalo wings in pizza form.
- no-sugar-added marinara → ranch dressing
- + ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
- + 2 tbsp cayenne pepper hot sauce
2.9 g net · 430 kcal · 42 g protein · 27 g fat · ≈$2.52 per serving (−0.6 g net carbs vs the original)
Pesto & tomato
FlavorBasil pesto instead of marinara, topped with thin tomato slices and mozzarella, for a fresh, summery pie.
- no-sugar-added marinara → basil pesto
- + 1 medium tomato
3.3 g net · 409 kcal · 41 g protein · 25 g fat · ≈$2.61 per serving (−0.2 g net carbs vs the original)
Ground turkey crust
ProteinGround turkey makes an equally sturdy crust, needs no food processor and is often cheaper than chicken.
- boneless, skinless chicken breast or ground chicken → ground turkey (93% lean)
3.5 g net · 386 kcal · 37 g protein · 24 g fat · ≈$2.54 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
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