Hey there, fellow pizza lovers! This recipe for Chicken Pesto Pizza is not only quick and simple, it’s amazingly delicious.
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This is an older post from the archives I’m bringing back to life (with a few minor revisions) because it’s one of my very favorite recipes. I love it because it tastes incredible (obviously) and that you can throw it together very quickly if you’re using leftover cooked shredded chicken, jarred pesto and store-bought pizza dough.
If you have a little more time on your hands and want to get serious with this pizza, you can always use homemade basil pesto and homemade pizza dough.
Did you know? It’s SO EASY to shred cooked boneless chicken breasts using your mixer with the paddle attachment. It’s recommended to shred the chicken breasts while they’re warm or hot because they shred much easier. Cold chicken breasts are much harder to shred and might harm your mixer. I found this helpful trick here.
This is a great way to recycle leftover chicken and has been a favorite of mine for several years. This recipe was inspired by my love of pizza and these chicken pesto sandwiches.
My original photo August 2013
I used a 12-inch pizza pan for this recipe. Adjust the ingredients for smaller or larger pan sizes and to your liking.
Originally published August 26, 2013 and updated October 3, 2016.
- 1 (13.8-ounce) tube refrigerated pizza dough
- ¼ cup prepared basil pesto (more or less, to taste)
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
- 2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh julienned or chopped basil
- Optional: Grated parmesan cheese for topping
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Unroll dough onto pan and press from center to form dough to pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spread pesto sauce over crust, leaving about an inch on the edge of crust. Top with 2 cups of the shredded cheese, cooked chicken and tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese evenly over pizza.
- Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with basil and parmesan cheese, if desired.
This looks completely fabulous! I love all the colors and flavors. Great tip for shredding the chicken, too!
Thank you so much, Valerie! 🙂
Looks and sounds amazing! Definitely want to try this stuff asap!
Thanks, Zerrin… it’s one of my favorite easy weeknight meals! 🙂
YUM! This looks SO tasty and is such a nice way to shake up your typical pizza night. Love this!
Thanks so much, Karly… I (almost) ate the entire pizza! 🙂
Looks fabulous! I love just about anything with a good quality pesto slathered on it.
I can’t wait to try it this way – it looks super yummy!
Thanks, Jess! I’m a serious lover of pesto, too!