This easy chicken pesto pizza is topped with caramelized onions and dollops of creamy goat cheese. It’s baked on a sheet pan for a fun pizza night at home.
Make this recipe completely new with homemade pizza crust and easy no-cook pizza sauce. Or use store-bought dough and a jar of marinara sauce for an instant chicken pesto pizza.
This chicken pesto pizza recipe was inspired by my favorite order from a small pizza place in California. Instead of spreading a thin layer of pesto on the crust itself, they use a tomato-based pizza sauce as usual, and add small dollops of pesto and creamy goat cheese on top. The pesto flavor is so much more vibrant!
As if pesto sauce and goat cheese weren’t enough (they are!), this pizza also has sweet, caramelized onions and tender chicken. It’s all topped off with a mix of Italian cheeses and baked on a sheet pan.
Sounds fancy, but it’s really easy to make and even easier to eat!
Some of my fondest childhood memories come from pizza night. My mom loved taking our great big family to pizza parties and it was always a full house. I swear she must have made enough pizza dough to fill a room because over the course of a few hours a constant stream of different types of pizza came out of the oven.
I still get that little feeling of excitement when it’s pizza night at home. These Chicken Pesto Pizza and Cheeseburger Pizza are two family-friendly favorites.
Notes on ingredients
- Pizza dough – You will need 1 ½ pounds of homemade pizza dough or the store-bought bagged variety.
- olive oil – Drizzle just a small amount over the pizza dough before adding the toppings.
- pizza sauce – Use my Easy No-Cook Pizza Sauce or your favorite store-bought marinara sauce.
- Red onion – Sliced ​​thin
- Sugar – A small amount of sugar is added to the onions during cooking to make them caramelize.
- grilled chicken – Chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- Basil pesto – Check your local big box store for a better price. I always keep a jar of Costco pesto in my fridge. It’s an easy way to add tons of flavor to recipes.
- Cheese – goat cheese and a grated Italian 4 cheese mix. While I usually stress the importance of freshly grating cheese for most recipes, I’ll make an exception for this recipe. It’s a lot easier and a lot cheaper than buying cheeses like provolone, parmesan, fontina, and mozzarella separately.
Pizza dough options
I wrote this recipe as a sheet metal pizza using my homemade pizza dough recipe. To save time, you can buy store-bought pizza dough, which is usually sold in 1-pound bags. If you’re using more than 1 ¾ pounds of dough, I recommend dividing the recipe into two slightly smaller pizzas.
How to Make Chicken Pesto Pizza
This is a quick overview of how to prepare this recipe. You can find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Caramelize the onions
- Generously brush the bottom of a skillet (cast iron is best) with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook and stir for a few minutes.
- When the onions are just beginning to soften, sprinkle in about a teaspoon of sugar. Continue cooking and stirring until nicely golden brown and delicious.
Prepare the pizza base
- Roll out the pizza crust on a lightly floured board.
- Transfer to a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.
pro tip
Let the chilled pizza dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to an hour before shaping. Cold pizza dough doesn’t stretch well.
Assemble the sheet pan pizza
- Cover the crust with pizza sauce, using just enough to lightly coat the dough. Scatter the caramelized onions and chicken over the sauce.
- Next, use a small spoonful to evenly drizzle blobs of pesto over the top.
- Finally, sprinkle the grated cheese over the pizza and sprinkle with small pieces of goat cheese. Bake in a preheated 475 degree F oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.
pro tip
Before preheating your oven, lower your oven rack to the lowest position. Baking pizza on the bottom rack helps the crust get nice and crispy. If you have a pizza stoneplace in the preheating oven and place the baking sheet on the hot stone for the baking time.
Allow the pizza to rest while lovingly looking at it for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Reheat leftover pizza
As you probably know, reheating pizza in the microwave makes it mushy. Maybe okay in a pinch, but for a better result I recommend reheating the pizza in a toaster. Many come with pizza settings that heat the pizza from both the top and bottom. You can also reheat individual slices in a pan on the stove.
Salads to serve with pizza
I love serving a fresh, crunchy salad on pizza night. It’s a great way to add a little crunch and nutrition to the menu. Here are my favourites.
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Chicken Pesto Pizza
This easy chicken pesto pizza is topped with caramelized onions and dollops of creamy goat cheese. It’s baked on a sheet pan for a fun pizza night at home.
Ingredients
- 1½ Pound Pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
- ½ Cup no cooking pizza sauce, or marinara sauce in jars
- olive oil
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1½ cups grilled chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
- â…“ Cup Pesto
- 1½ cups shredded Italian 4 cheese mix, or more as needed
- 4 ounces goat cheese
instructions
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Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and lower the oven rack to the lowest position. Lightly brush a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
-
Flatten the pizza dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured board. Set the rolling pin aside and continue flattening and shaping the dough until very thin (about â…› inch thick). Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and reshape as needed by tapping into the pan.
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Spread the base with the pizza sauce. Just lightly brushing the dough should be enough. Top with the chicken. Spread the pesto over it with a small spoon. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and then put small pieces of goat cheese on top.
-
Bake on the lowest rack of your oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let the pizza rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Remarks
- Let the chilled pizza dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to an hour before shaping. Cold pizza dough doesn’t stretch well.
- Baking pizza on the bottom rack helps the crust get nice and crispy. If you have a pizza stoneplace in the preheating oven and place the baking sheet on the hot stone for the baking time.
- To save time, you can buy store-bought pizza dough, which is usually sold in 1-pound bags. If you use more than 1 ¾ pounds of dough, I recommend splitting the recipe into two slightly smaller pizzas.
Nourishment
Portion: 2 slices · Calories: 535 kcal · Carbohydrates: 61 G · Protein: 20 G · Fat: 24 G · Saturated Fatty Acids: 11 G · Polyunsaturated fat: 3 G · Monounsaturated fatty acids: 7 G · Cholesterol: 32 mg · Sodium: 1125 mg · Potassium: 213 mg · Fiber: 4 G · Sugar: 5 G · Vitamin A: 778 ie · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 282 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients and is an estimate, not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on June 10, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.