No flour, bread or yeast, this keto diet friendly chicken crust pizza recipe is gluten-free, high in protein and low in carbs. Perfect to satisfy your pizza craving without feeling guilty.
One of the most difficult things for me to do when aiming for a healthier, more fit lifestyle is to give up carbs and things like pizza.
It’s actually not that difficult for me to avoid buy/cooking/ordering it, but my husband has an utter disregard for my goals and pizza happens to be his favorite meal.
It’s pure torture when I’m trying to stick to a Keto or low carb diet and he makes it for dinner every Friday night. It smells so good that I often give in and have a slice… or four.
This week I’ve been making various type of chicken salads for myself and then last night I remembered seeing a picture of a pizza that said the crust was made of chicken. Genius!
While various versions of a low carb ground chicken pizza crust recipe have been floating around the internet for a few years, no single one really appealed to me.
I wanted something that would crisp up like a breaded crust and not be too high in fat content (although this is very tough and you may need to readjust your thinking for “high”), so I tweaked and melded and came up with my own version of a delicious guilt free chicken crust pizza recipe.
My husband loves it and I’m pretty sure we will never go back to ‘regular’ pizza again!
5 Reasons to Include More Protein in Your Diet
Did you know that including some extra protein in each meal, including snacks, can help you drop the weight faster? There’s some interesting science behind this, but real quick here are 5 reasons why:
- Protein requires more energy than fat and carbs to burn and digest
- Since it takes longer to digest, a high protein meal will keep you feeling full longer than one with a lot of carbs and fats.
- You muscles need protein to repair and grow and healthy, strong muscles burn calories.
- Protein helps to slow down sugar fluctuations.
- Protein calories are leaner and healthier. One gram of protein or carbs has four calories, while one gram of fat contains nine calories.
What kind of toppings and sauce do you use for chicken crust pizza?
Other than not using bread, gluten or yeast as a base for this easy keto meal, it’s just like any other pizza.
In the video and in-process recipe images below, I share a traditional cheese pizza but you can get creative with your sauce and toppings.
The finished keto friendly chicken crust pizza shown above is Mediterranean inspired, one of my favorite Keto recipes ever. I’ve added Kalamata olives, onion, garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper and basil leaves (be sure to put these on at the very end after you pull it from the oven).
You could use BBQ sauce instead of marinara tomato sauce, Alfredo sauce, pesto or even a spicy buffalo sauce – they would all be delicious.
Can I use low fat cheese for this chicken crust pizza recipe?
I recommend specifically use regular, full-fat cheese for this recipe. I’ve tried making this low carb chicken pizza crust recipe with low fat cheeses and it just didn’t come out right.
Actually, to be honest, it was quite terrible, so I don’t recommend going that route. Just don’t do it.
Can I freeze chicken pizza crust?
Yes, you can make the keto chicken crust for pizzas ahead of time and freeze. Just complete all steps up to cooking the chicken crust.
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Instead of putting on the sauce and toppings, move the crust(s) to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Store them individually in freezer ziploc bags.
When you are ready to use, just continue with the rest of the recipe, adding your sauce and toppings. Place in oven oven until warmed throughout (it may take a few minutes longer).
Guilt Free Keto Chicken Crust Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken crust
1.5 lbs raw chicken breast
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tsp Italian Spice Blend*
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, fresh shredded
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, fresh shredded
1 egg
*Use your favorite Italian Spice Seasoning or make your own by combining onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.
For Toppings
3-4 tbsp pasta or pizza sauce
favorite veggies and/or meats
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, fresh shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, fresh shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut raw chicken into 1″ cubes and then place into a food processor/blender/ninja in small batches to create a sort of home made ground chicken.
Tip: You can also ask your butcher to grind the breasts for you before you leave the store.
Place raw ground chicken into a bowl along with garlic, Italian spices, cheeses and egg. Mix thoroughly.
Line a pizza pan or cookie sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper. Place raw chicken mixture ball onto paper and press out to 1/4″-1/2″ thick. How much you use is up to you and will determine the thickness of the chicken crust.
You can go with a traditional pizza circle, or I also like to just press it out to fill the baking sheet.
*Note* The Mediterranean style pizza photos show a much thicker chicken crust as I pressed the ENTIRE chicken mixture down into one 11"x15" cookie sheet so that it was about 1/2" thick. You could make smaller pizzas by just taking a handful and pressing it down to 1/4" like I did in the video, but it will turn out "floppier" like New York style pizza.
TIP: If you want to keep your hands cleaner, you can roll out enough plastic wrap to cover whole pan/sheet and place it on top of chicken mixture ball. Press the chicken pizza crust mixture down and out until it fills pan/sheet. Remove plastic wrap.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until chicken crust appears slightly golden on top.
Thicker crusts will be more towards the 20 minute mark (or more depending on thickness). Thin crusts will cook in 10-15 minutes. If you are using a pizza stone, the timing will be even less.
Keep an eye on it! Be careful not to overcook – especially when making a thicker crust because we will be placing this back into the over to cook the toppings.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Use this time to gather and slice your favorite toppings.
Spread sauce and top with mozzarella. Add toppings and then finish off with parmesan.
TIP: I know its hard, but try not to overload with toppings as with any pizza, this will cause sogginess in the center. Also, wait until removing from oven at end before adding fresh herbs like basil or arugula.
Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese topping has slightly browned/desired doneness.
Slice, serve and enjoy this guilt-free, low carb, high protein meal!
Guilt Free Chicken Crust Pizza
Ingredients
For Crust
- 1.5 lbs fresh chicken breast I used organic
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 tsp Italian Spice Blend Use your favorite or make your own by combining onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 large egg
For Toppings
- 3-4 tbsp pizza or pasta sauce
- favorite veggies and/or meats
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut raw chicken into 1″ cubes and then place into a food processor/blender/ninja in small batches to create a sort of home made ground chicken. *Tip: You can also ask your butcher to grind the breasts for you before you leave the store.
- Place raw ground chicken into a bowl along with garlic, Italian spices, cheeses and egg. Mix thoroughly.
- Line a pizza pan or cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Place raw chicken mixture ball onto paper and press out to 1/4″-1/2″ thick. How much you use is up to you and will determine the thickness of the chicken crust.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until chicken crust appears slightly golden on top. Thicker crusts will be more towards the 20 minute mark (or more depending on thickness). Thin crusts will cook in 10-15 minutes. If you are using a pizza stone, the timing will be even less. Keep an eye on it! Be careful not to overcook.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Use this time to gather and slice your favorite toppings.
- Spread sauce and top with mozzarella. Add toppings and then finish off with parmesan. Try not to overload with toppings as with any pizza, this will cause sogginess in the center.
- Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese topping has slightly browned/desired doneness.
- Slice, serve and enjoy this guilt-free, low carb, high protein meal!
Video
Notes
That sounds amazing. My family would LOVE this.
Interesting–while it will never satisfy my urge for Pizza it certainly sounds like a balanced and nutritious meal that tastes really good. I do have to try this one.
Never say never until you’ve tried it. I served it to my husband and father-in-law who didn’t even realize there was anything different.
Mmmm, I just love that it is so guilt-free. It sounds uber good!
Wow what a unique way to make pizza. I have to try this since I like following a low carb plan.!
Wow what a unique way to make pizza. I have to try this since I like following a low carb plan.