The perfect college student recipe or for the recent graduate, Chicken Pesto Flatbread is made using pre-made naan bread. Topped with either rotisserie or some of my perfect chicken breasts, this easy and quick pizza recipe can be as spicy or flavorful as you make it!
You know how there are some nostalgic foods that you feel like you missed out on as a kid? For me...it was spaghetti-o's. There was "no (insert swear word here) way" we were allowed to eat spaghetti out of a can when we could have homemade red sauce and pasta. Well...while I make homemade pizza dough often, I am all in on using this amazing naan to make Chicken Pesto Flatbread.
If only premade naan was around when my kiddos were little.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
I already mentioned how much I make pizza. These little flatbreads are perfect for making individual Buffalo Chicken Pizzas or create a pizza bar filled with their favorite toppings and let everyone make their own. So fun!
In addition to being versatile, these chicken flatbreads pizzas are:
- Made all from premade ingredients (if you choose). Use rotisserie chicken, premade pesto, shredded cheese and open a jar of Calabrian chilies and dinner is done!
- An easy way to use leftover chicken. Maybe you've made a batch of my perfect foolproof chicken breasts and you have some leftover. Top this simple and spicy flatbread with that juicy chicken!
- Quick dinner for two. Let's face it - it's not easy cooking for one or two. Whip up a couple of these individual pizzas and an arugula salad and you'll be on the couch in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients You'll Need
Keep in mind this mini pizza recipe is just a kicking off point —you're only limited by your tastebuds and imagination!
Here's some key ingredient callouts:
- Naan/flatbread. I use the Stonefire Naan Flatbreads that come in a two pack. You can also buy them in bulk at Costo which I did when my kids were at home. You never know when a pizza craving is going to hit!
- Cooked Chicken Breasts. I already mentioned my easy method for cooking perfect chicken breasts but feel free to also shred up some rotisserie chicken or use what you any kind you have leftover.
- 3 Cheese Blend. I shredded three kinds of cheese for this pizza:
- mozzarella
- scamorza. a saltier Southern Italian cheese that's fab on pizza.
- Romano.
- Spicy peppers. You can use roasted red peppers or peppadew peppers but I really like Calabrian chiles probably because my maiden-name lurks in there.
How to Make this Easy Chicken Flatbread Pizza
This is going to be one of those by the time you read it, you could have it made posts.
Spread some premade pesto (I used this pesto from DeLallo which is awesome and in a smaller jar than my usual from Costco).
- Layer on a good amount of shredded chicken breast. You can use shredded or diced chicken thighs if you have those too.
- Next, sprinkle over a healthy amount of scamorza and mozzarella cheese blend.
- Now pepper on a few (or a lot) of the Calabrian chiles. Pun intended.
- Bake until crispy, golden and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes
TIP
For an extra crispy crust, lay the naan directly on the oven grate and place a flat cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any drippings.
-Josie + Nina
Variations
Some ideas of how to make this chicken pesto flatbread your own:
- With cream. Add some dollops of a creamy Caesar dressing on top before serving.
- Extra Italian. Toss the cooked chicken with a little Italian dressing before baking the pizza.
- Kid friendly. Swap out the pesto with barbecue sauce for a chicken barbecue flatbread pizza the kids will love.
Tips
Serving and storage
- Let the pizza sit for 5 minutes before slicing after baking.
- Allow to cool and then layer between sheets of parchment and then wrap the whole package in plastic wrap before placing in a ziploc.
Make ahead
Have the chicken prepared ahead of time to speed up this already quick flatbread pizza recipe.
Reheating
Preheat the oven to 350˚ and reheat for about 5 minutes until warmed through.
Freezing
- If these yummy chicken naan pizzas haven't lasted long enough to freeze, you can wrap them in parchment and then, plastic and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
- Bake from frozen in a 425˚ oven for 10-12 minutes.
Before you go....
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Recipe
Chicken Pesto Flatbread with Naan
Ingredients
- 2 naan flatbreads, individual size; I use Stonefire Naan
- 2 Tablespoons pesto, or more as desired; homemade or store-bought
- 2 chicken breasts, 1 whole; cooked from Foolproof Chicken Recipe; shredded
- ⅓ cup shredded scamorza cheese
- ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, part skim or whole is fine
- ¼ cup Calabrian chile peppers, sliced thin
- grated Parmesan cheese, as a topping
- olive oil
- crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Lay the flatbread on a baking sheet. Spread each flatbread with 1 Tablespoon of pesto or more as desired.
- If preparing chicken, follow recipe for my super easy Foolproof Chicken recipe. (And if you haven't made this, once you do, you're going to use it for everything!)
- Spread shredded chicken evenly over the pesto. Top with the shredded cheeses, fresh grated Parmesan and Calabrian chlies. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and naan is crispy.
- Drizzle with olive oil and crushed red pepper and more parmesan.
Notes
- Serving. Let the pizza sit for 5 minutes before slicing after baking.
- Storing. Allow pizza to cool before wrapping in plastic wrap and then foil.
About Lori Murphy
Lori has over 30 years in the food industry as a marketing strategist, culinary instructor and chef for three kids with discerning palates. As the chief content creator at Josie + Nina, Lori is dedicated to helping home cooks create food memories through fresh ingredients and Italian flavors.
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