Homemade Basil Pesto Chicken Pizza with Tomatoes
Skip the delivery menus. This basil pesto chicken pizza recipe is what happens when you stop settling for mediocre takeout and start leaning into ingredients that actually taste like real food. Fluffy crispy crust, fresh herby pesto sauce, melty mozzarella, and tomatoes that add little bursts of acidity that cut through all the richness. Make pizza night your favorite night of the week with this easy pesto chicken pizza. Full recipe card below.
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Why Pesto Pizza Works
Pesto pizza isn’t some ancient Neapolitan tradition, but it should be. It’s a mashup that works because it seems fancy when the ingredients are actually simple, fresh, and classically Italian. This homemade chicken pesto pizza sticks to the basics and lets the pesto do the heavy lifting without turning the whole thing into a chaotic mess.
Chicken Pesto Pizza Ingredients
Most pizza recipes have a few basic ingredients that are consistent across the board but this unique basil pesto pizza combo takes an Italian tradition to a whole new level! I will break down what I use and why and give you a few alternatives.
Pizza Dough – Nothing beats homemade pizza dough especially if you have a pizza oven. Last week we splurged and upgraded to the arc XL pizza oven! I cannot wait to test it out! But the truth is homemade is better. The taste is unbeatable. If you have never made pizza dough before, I’ve got you! Spoiler alert, it’s easier than you think 😉
If you decide to go the homemade route, this is my favorite pizza dough recipe but does take about 24 hours to make. If you don’t have that much time, this is the best pizza dough for beginners and has a short rise time. If you prefer a thin pizza crust my St. Louis style crust is made on a pizza stone and requires no yeast. But if you need a quick weeknight dinner fix, this is one of my favorite ways to make a fast pizza flatbread with a baking sheet and store-bought dough.
Pizza Sauce – This wouldn’t be a chicken pesto pizza recipe without the pesto sauce, now would it? This pesto pizza skips the traditional red tomato sauce for a fresh basil pesto. This quick homemade pesto is full of fresh herbs, garlic, creamy texture, and nutty flavor without the high price tag of pine nuts. This easy sauce only takes 10 minutes to make and is totally worth it! But if you are short on time you can use pre-made pesto found in the grocery store too.
If you make my homemade pesto sauce you will need fresh basil leaves, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon, and a little salt and pepper.
Chicken – Pre-cooked chicken or leftover chicken keeps this fast. Season it before adding to the pizza. Leftover rotisserie chicken is a brilliant shortcut. You can also use canned chicken or pressure cook skinless chicken breasts. Did you know you can toss a frozen chicken breast in the Instant Pot and it will be done in 20 minutes? True story. In either case it is best to either use shredded chicken or dice up the cooked chicken into small pieces for even distribution.
Onion – I chose to use a white onion here but you can also use a red onion or yellow onion.
Tomatoes – Fresh tomatoes work best here. I have used both cherry tomatoes and Roma tomatoes here. The key is to cut them just the right size. Too small and you won’t even taste them. Too big and they make the pizza soggy. Quartered cherry tomatoes are just the right size.
Cheese – You can use whatever type of cheese you would like here, but I recommend using a milder cheese like mozzarella because it’s a good melting cheese and doesn’t overpower the pesto. For a bit of extra flavor, parmesan cheese adds a little bit of saltiness. You can also use fresh mozzarella if you have it.
If making your pizza in a high heat pizza oven, I recommend shredding your own cheese. Bagged cheese melts differently since they coat it in cornstarch during packaging. If you have a stand mixer you can use this cheese grater attachment to shred your cheese in seconds!
Red pepper flakes (optional) – A little heat cuts through the richness of the cheese and pesto. Totally optional, but it wakes the whole pizza up.
Pro Tip: To speed up the chopping process, I use this slicer. It is truly a game changer when it comes to prep work!
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Homemade Basil Pesto Chicken Pizza with Tomatoes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 ten inch pizzas 1x
Description
Great pizza doesn’t come from delivery, it’s homemade. This basil pesto chicken pizza recipe is what happens when you stop settling for mediocre takeout and start leaning into ingredients that actually taste like real food. Fluffy crispy crust, fresh herby pesto sauce, melty mozzarella, and tomatoes that add little bursts of acidity that cut through all the richness. Make pizza night your favorite night of the week with this easy pesto chicken pizza. Here’s how to make it happen in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 cup Fresh Basil packed
- 1/4 cup Walnuts
- 2 tsp Garlic minced (2 cloves)
- 5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 3 Lemon Wedges (juice from)
- 3 tbsp Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- Pizza Dough (homemade or pre-made dough)
- 6 oz Chicken Breast cooked and diced or shredded
- 1/2 White Onion sliced
- 10 Cherry Tomatoes quartered
- 4 Green Onions chopped
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Pesto Sauce Instructions
- In a food processor, blender, or bullet, add all ingredients.
- Blend until all ingredients are combined.
- You may have leftover pesto sauce.
Chicken Pesto Pizza Instructions
- Pre-heat oven according to pizza dough instructions.
- Cook chicken and dice or shred with a fork once cooked.
- Slice onions and tomatoes and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, stretch out pizza dough into a circular shape.
- Spoon the pesto sauce onto the top of the dough and use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly across the whole thing leaving about an inch of dough exposed along the edges. I usually use 3-4 tablespoons per pizza.
- Add the chicken pieces to the top of the pesto sauce.
- Add onion slices and tomatoes to the top of the pizza.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake pizza in the preheated oven according to pizza dough instructions or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
- Makes 3 10 inch pizzas.
Equipment
Notes
This is enough to make three 10 inch pizzas. Cooking time will vary based on what type of pizza dough you use and what type of oven you bake it in. You may have leftover pesto sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Pizza
- Method: Pizza Oven
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Love fancy pizza as much as I do? Try my chicken curry pizza with homemade sauce, BBQ bacon chicken aloha pizza, spicy Cajun chicken alfredo pizza, bacon apple blue cheese pizza, kung pao chicken pizza, Caribbean jerk chicken pizza, or my buffalo chicken pizza.
Storage
In the event you have leftover pizza, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil for up to 3 days. If you make one of my homemade doughs, use or freeze raw pizza dough within 3 days. If you have leftover pesto sauce you can serve it over pasta.
When to Make Pesto Pizza
If you are a real pizza lover like I am, anytime is always the answer! Takeout might seem like the perfect solution until you discover fresh pizza dough with homemade sauce and crisp ingredients. The way pizza was always meant to be! This is a great recipe when you are craving pesto and pizza at the same time! Just add your favorite toppings or fresh veggies and you will be asking yourself why you didn’t make homemade chicken pesto pizza sooner. No matter when you make it, this pizza recipe will become a family favorite.
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