In fall and winter, meal time planning for Sundays in our house typically revolves around two things: sports or cozy Sunday suppers. We flip through our list of game day favorite meals as fast as my husband can use the back button on the remote. So anytime I can add something new to the football food line-up, I consider that recipe a win.
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Meet the newest addition to our pizza . Chicken bacon ranch pizza. It’s the definition of synergy (the whole “sum is greater than the parts” thingymabob) and combines 3 popular family and reader favorites into one powerhouse of a pizza.
I am totally on board with jumping to the recipe but if you’re up for it, skim the post to catch all the little tips that will make this pizza a success from the start.
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Chicken pizza isn’t boring
Whoever said “chicken pizza is boring” has never taken a bite of this one. Here are the components:
- Cooked chicken breast (shredded or diced). A batch of my go-to, foolproof chicken breast recipe.
- Pizza dough. I keep this simple homemade pizza dough on hand in the freezer at all times for pizza-craving moments like these.
- Roasted garlic pizza sauce. A white creamy pizza sauce that subtly whispers garlic while cozying up to the chicken.
- Italian ranch dressing. Yep—it’s a thing. At least I made it one with this mascarpone creamy ranch.
Toppings to gather
Ok…full disclosure. I don’t always make each of the individual recipes mentioned above the night I plan to have this pizza. Some, like the pizza dough and ranch dressing, are in my fridge and freezer all the time. The chicken I make literally 2-3 times a week and the garlic pizza sauce takes like 15 minutes so that I do make the day I serve it
The standout toppings to prioritize (excluding the sauce and ranch) include:
Before you get started…
Roast a whole head of garlic following my how to roast garlic tips.
If refrigerated, bring the pizza dough to room temperature at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you plan to roll out the crust.
Have all your ingredients prepped and ready such as grating the cheese, mincing the parsley, etc.
Cook the chicken and allow it to cool before dicing or shredding it.
Preheat the oven to 500° and place a baking stone or a baking steel in to preheat for 20 minutes. See below for my favorite top pizza making tools.
Time to assemble chicken bacon ranch pizza
For these instructions, I am going to assume that you have pizza dough on hand, a head of garlic roasted and chicken cooked but still need to make the sauce.
Make the pizza sauce
Follow the directions in my garlic pizza sauce recipe by mashing and simmering whole roasted cloves of garlic in heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer the sauce until it thickens, stir in some parmesan cheese and allow the sauce to cool completely.
Roll out the pizza dough
Press out the pizza dough onto a cornmeal or semolina sprinkled pizza peel to about 14″ diameter.
Assemble the chicken white pizza
- Smear a thick layer of sauce on the dough. Leave an edge about 1/2″-1″.
- Sprinkle over mozzarella and Monterey jack cheeses. space
- Evenly space the chicken on the cheeses making sure to get some in almost every bite.
- Top with bacon, red onion and then sprinkle on gorgonzola, if using and bake until golden brown and crispy.
Pizza dough sticking in spots?
Grab a big pinch of semolina flour or cornmeal in one and and with the other hand, lift the edge of the dough and toss the flour under the crust. Shake the peel to make sure the entire pizza slides easily without sticking.
Garnish options
Fresh parsley adds a little pop of color and brightness. One cook in my test kitchen wanted a squeeze of lemon for some acid, if you want to give it a try.
More chicken pizza tips
As you press out the pizza dough, give the pizza peel a shimmy and make sure that the crust slides easily across the peel. This is especially important to check as you pile on more toppings because the dough will soften into the peel and stick on spots.
Don’t overcook the pizza or the chicken will dry out.
Make sure the toppings are all at least room temperature. If they’re hot, they’ll melt into the pizza dough and if they’re too cold (especially the sauce), you might end up using a lot more than you want and run the risk of a gooier pizza.
Essential pizza-making tools
I only recommend tools I use every day in my home kitchen. These are my can’t live without pizza tools.
Pizza peel. When it comes to pizza peels, one is great and 2 is better, especially when making multiple pizzas like you will for breakfast pizza. I use both this wooden pizza peel (similar to the one linked) and this Epicurean pizza peel in tandem. So good!
Stone or steel. I use these Emile Henry ceramic pizza stones and they help make the BEST crispy pizza crust ever! You preheat them at 500˚ for 20 minutes or so and pop your pizza on them using a peel. Crispy pizza (even in the center) in 10 minutes!
Pizza cutter. I have a Cutco pizza cutter that is a gem but also love these long rocker pizza cutters that come in different versions.
Cornmeal and/or semolina flour. I always keep cornmeal and semolina flour on hand to sprinkle on the pizza peel so that the pizza slides easily into the oven onto the stone. They both also add an amazing crunch!
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ lb ball of pizza dough, or your favorite store-bought version
- ½ cup roasted garlic pizza sauce, for each pizza – double check this
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken breasts, , prepared foolproof style
- 8 pieces crisp cooked bacon, not too crispy
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup gorgonzola, optional
- ¼ cup mascarpone ranch dressing, or store-bought ranch dressing
- sprinkle of parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh parsley
- crushed red pepper, optional for additional heat
Instructions
- If refrigerated, bring the dough to room temperature so that it's soft and pliable. Add some semolina flour to a clean pizza peel or cutting board.Roll the dough out to 14" in diameter, patting with your fingertips pushing the dough around the edges as you stretch it. If the dough is giving you a hard time, let it rest a bit and then stretch it again.½ lb ball of pizza dough
- Spread roasted garlic pizza sauce to within ½” of the edge.½ cup roasted garlic pizza sauce
- Sprinkle over the mozzarella over the whole pizza followed by the monterey jack.1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- Layer on the cooked chicken evenly on the cheeses, followed by the bacon and onion.2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken breasts,, 8 pieces crisp cooked bacon, ¼ cup diced red onion
- Sprinkle over the gorgonzola evenly here, if using.¼ cup gorgonzola
- Place the front edge of the pizza at an angle at the back edge of the pizza stone in the oven. Gently shake the peel back and forth, slide the pizza to the preheated stone in the oven.
- Bake at 500° for 10 minutes or until the cheese and sauce are bubbly and golden.
- Sprinkle over parmesan cheese, parsley and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve with ranch dressing for drizzling on the pizza.¼ cup mascarpone ranch dressing, sprinkle of parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper
