This Chicken Pesto Caprese Pizza is inspired by one of the most popular recipes on this site, Pesto Caprese Penne Pasta. A delicious crust is topped with basil pesto, mozzarella cheese, shredded chicken, and cherry tomatoes. Best part is it is so simple and ready in just 30 minutes!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This homemade Chicken Pesto Caprese Pizza is ready in just 30 minutes, which means a delicious, special pizza is just minutes away.
I am a big fan of caprese anything. Caprese is fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and tomatoes. The flavors are so simple yet so amazing together, and I have been busy using them in as many ways as I can! Find more caprese inspired recipes here!
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you need to make a pesto pizza:
- Shredded Cooked Chicken (rotisserie or leftover is perfect)
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Lemon
- Parmesan Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Pine Nuts or Walnuts
- Salt
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Instant Yeast
- Flour
- Water
- Dried Basil
- Garlic Powder
The pesto in this recipe is a smaller batch of my popular Basil Pesto, but you can use any pre-made or store bought pesto that you like as well.
Equipment
This is the equipment you need to make the homemade pizza:
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Large Bowl
- Food Processor or Blender
- Baking Sheet
- Oven
Instruction Overview
To make the Chicken Pesto Caprese Pizza, first get the homemade dough going using instant yeast.
Combine the yeast, a cup of flour, the warm water, oil, sugar, and salt. Add a little more flour until the dough is soft and not too wet.
Also add the dried basil and Parmesan to the dough.
Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, just a few minutes. Then let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Make your homemade basil pesto, or have one ready, and cut your tomatoes.
Preheat your oven and roll or pat the dough into a 12 inch circle.
Pinch the edges to make a crust edge. Spread the pesto across the dough.
Top with the cheese, tomatoes, and chicken.
Bake until the cheese is melted and starting to turn golden, approximately 12 minutes.
Top with some freshly sliced basil and Parmesan, and serve immediately.
Modifications and Substitutions
I highly recommend making the fresh basil pesto in the recipe (it is AMAZING!) but any store bought pesto will also work.
This would also be great with sausage! Or without meat!
This recipe uses a crust that is ready in 30 minutes start to finish with Instant Yeast. I prefer the texture of my homemade pizza dough, but it takes longer to prepare.
Kim’s Tips
If you do not have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water, the water should be very warm but not too hot. If too hot, it will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise. Also make sure that the yeast you are using is not expired, as that is typically a primary cause for dough not rising.
FAQs
The pesto sauce is made of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon, salt, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan cheese.
A pesto pizza tastes fresh, lemony, and garlicy.
This pizza is topped with tomatoes, chicken, and cheese. Other great topping options includes sausage, zucchini, corn, onion, and asparagus.
Yes. The pizza is not cooked long enough for the chicken to cook.
Rotisserie chicken or a leftover chicken with neutral or Italian flavors is perfect to use for this recipe.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Oven
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (more or less, from 1 3/4 – 2 1/4 cups, it depends on how dry your flour is)
- 1 envelope instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup very warm water (120° to 130°F)
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or 1 Tablespoon dried/canned)
Pesto Sauce
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pizza Toppings
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved (approximately 3 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or fresh, sliced)
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
- fresh basil for garnish, optional
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, salt, dried basil, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 envelope instant yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup very warm water, 1/2 Tablespoon dried basil, 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- Knead on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, make the pesto sauce if you are not using pre-made pesto. Do this by combining all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender and blending until you reach your desired consistency.1 cup fresh basil, 1/2 lemon, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pat or roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 12 inches wide.
- Transfer the dough to a greased baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.
- Spread the pesto along the dough, avoiding the crust edges.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese across the pesto. Top with the halved tomatoes and chicken. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan across the pizza if desired.1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
- Brush the edge of the crust with a little more oil and sprinkle with Parmesan or garlic powder, if desired.
- Bake on lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.
- Thinly slice the remaining fresh basil, if using, and sprinkle across the top of the pizza. Cut and serve immediately alongside extra pesto, if desired.freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil
I love pizza and this recipe is just loaded with good stuff. Pesto is always amazing on pizza! Can’t wait to try this combo!
Pesto Sauce is one of my favorite Dip. I love anything cheesy too and this Pizza is surely a treat to my family. Yum.
This is 100% my kind of pizza! I have gluten free pizza dough in the fridge, a jar of pesto, chicken, basil, and cherry tomatoes in my garden. I just might have to make this today!