This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Chicken Crust Pizza is a total game-changer. It’s flourless, low-carb, and packed with 33 grams of protein per serving. It’s made with just 5 simple ingredients and ready in 50 minutes. The crust bakes up firm and chewy just like traditional pizza, and no one will ever guess there’s no flour in it. I top mine with marinara, fresh mozzarella, and basil, but you can customize it any way you like.
I am totally in love with this idea of making a chicken-crust pizza as a low-carb and high-protein option. It only requires 4 key ingredients, plus seasonings, and it comes together with very little effort. In addition, it tastes so good and has a chewy texture just like traditional pizza crust, and you can just add different toppings to customize it.
I like to keep it simple sometimes so I decided on marinara or pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and fresh basil leaves. You can also add things like pesto, sliced mushrooms, spinach, and parmesan cheese.
Recipe Overview
Recipe highlights
- Low-carb and high-protein: No flour, no fuss. Made with just ground chicken, parmesan, and an egg. Each serving packs 33 grams of protein with only 7 grams of carbs.
- So tasty: You can enjoy delicious pizza without any guilt!
- Quick and easy: Made with minimal ingredients and quick prep time, this is ready to eat with very little effort.
- Budget-friendly: It’s much cheaper to make homemade chicken-crust pizza than to buy specialty pizzas from the grocery store.
Tips before you get started
- Ground chicken: Go with the leanest option possible, or make your own by grinding chicken breast in a food processor.
- Pizza sauce: Try my homemade marinara for an especially fresh and delicious taste if you do not want to use store-bought.
- Forming the pizza: The pizza will cook best if the chicken mixture is spread thinly and evenly (see the above pictures).
- Adding the toppings: Be sure to bake the crust for 30 minutes before adding the toppings. This will ensure your crust cooks all the way through.
Ingredients you will need
I love that you only need a handful of ingredients to make this chicken pizza crust recipe! Here’s the lineup. See a full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below!
- Ground chicken: The raw ground chicken forms the base of the crust and ensures it is sturdy enough to hold the toppings.
- Parmesan cheese: Finely grated parmesan cheese adds flavor and helps to hold the crust together.
- Egg: For binding the ingredients together and forming the crust.
- Seasonings: A blend of garlic powder, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and pepper adds a burst of Italian flavor.
- Toppings: You can really use any toppings that you like best! We love freshly shredded mozzarella, tomato slices, and fresh basil.
Ground Chicken Thighs vs. Breast
Both work, but they behave differently in this recipe. Ground chicken breast is leaner, which sounds like the better choice, but it can dry out during the longer bake time and produce a crumblier crust.
Ground chicken thighs have a slightly higher fat content, which keeps the crust moist and gives it better flavor and texture overall. If you’re grinding your own chicken in a food processor, thighs are the way to go. If you’re using store-bought ground chicken, a standard blend works well too. Just avoid anything labeled extra-lean.
How to Avoid a Soggy Crust
- Spread the crust thin: Try to aim for ¼ inch or less. A thick crust traps moisture and never fully firms up.
- Don’t skip the pre-bake: the crust needs the full 30 minutes before any toppings go on. Adding sauce too early steams it instead of letting it set.
- Blot any liquid mid-bake: If you notice any excess liquid, around the 20-minute mark, use a paper towel to blot any pooling liquid around the edges.
- Go easy on the toppings: too much sauce or wet toppings like fresh tomatoes release moisture into the crust. Use a thin layer and pat wet toppings dry first.
- Let it rest: give it 5 minutes before slicing so the crust can firm up fully.
How to Make Chicken Crust Pizza
Below is a breakdown on how to make this chicken pizza crust and a video to help guide you.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.
Add all the crust ingredients to a bowl: In a medium bowl, add in the 1 pound ground chicken, 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and Kosher salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine.
✏️ If you do not have ground chicken, you can grind chicken breast in your food processor like I did in the video. This will give you the leanest option as well.
Spread the chicken mixture: Transfer the chicken mixture and spread it on the prepared pan into a 1⁄4-inch thick circle.
✏️ You can make this as thick or as thin as you like.
Add the pizza toppings: Top with the toppings (1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce, 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, and 1 large tomato-sliced).
✏️ You can add whatever toppings you like here.
Bake and serve: Bake again for 5 minutes or until the mozzarella melts. Top with some fresh basil, a sprinkle of grated parmesan, or chili flakes.
Troubleshooting
My crust is falling apart: The mixture may need more binding. Make sure you’re using a full egg and finely grated parmesan, not shredded. Press the mixture firmly onto the pan and spread it evenly. Any loose or uneven spots will crack when you try to slice it.
My crust is still raw in the middle: It wasn’t spread thin enough, or your oven runs cool. Spread to ¼ inch and use an oven thermometer if you’re not sure about your oven temperature. Thicker crusts may need an extra 5 to 8 minutes before you add toppings.
My pizza has too much liquid: This usually comes from the chicken releasing moisture as it cooks. Blot the edges at the 20-minute mark, make sure your toppings aren’t too wet, and pat fresh tomatoes dry before adding them.
The cheese isn’t melting properly: Fresh mozzarella has high moisture content and can sometimes sit on top rather than melt. Tear it into smaller pieces and spread them evenly, or switch to low-moisture shredded mozzarella for a more even melt.
Variations
- Use ground turkey: Ground turkey will work in place of the ground chicken if that’s what you have.
- Different sauce: Instead of the classic pizza sauce, you can use homemade pesto. Even homemade Alfredo sauce would be a great way to change the flavor.
- Toppings: Make it your own with these topping options: roasted vegetables, pepperoni, sausage, spinach, sautéed onions, black olives, or anything else you’re craving. Just be sure not to add too many, which might make the pizza too heavy.
Common questions
No need for flour to make this chicken pizza crust. It’s made with a combination of ground chicken, an egg, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. It will turn out perfectly crispy and chewy!
Yes. Just drain it very well and pat it dry before mixing. Canned chicken holds more moisture than fresh, so removing as much liquid as possible upfront is key to avoiding a soggy crust.
Yes. With only 7g of carbs per serving (all coming from the toppings), this fits easily into a keto diet. The crust itself is essentially zero carb. For this specific recipe, there are only about 14 grams of carbs in half of the pizza. There are also over 66 grams of protein!!
Yes. Use about 2 cups of finely shredded cooked or rotisserie chicken. The texture will be slightly different. It will be a little more rustic, but it holds together well and tastes great.
Yes. Bake the crust through the full 30 minutes, let it cool, then wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to eat, add toppings and bake at 425°F for 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese melts.
Serving suggestions
Any type of pizza is great with a flavorful salad like my Kale Caesar salad, and you could leave the grilled chicken off since you’re getting plenty of chicken from the crust, or you can even serve it with this low-carb Caesar Salad too! My kids also love dipping their pizza in this homemade ranch dressing!
Storage recommendations
- Storing: If you have leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 4 days.
- To reheat: Place the pizza on a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also use the microwave.
- Freezing: You can freeze the pizza for up to 2 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag. Follow directions for reheating directly from frozen.
You may also like
- Low-Carb Zucchini Lasagna Boats
- Bunless Chicken Burger
- Texas Chili
- In-N-Out Sauce
- Keto Shrimp Scampi Noodles
- Flying Dutchman Burger
- Shrimp Ceviche
- Grilled Chicken Margherita
More pizza recipes
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this dish or any of my other recipes, I would really appreciate you took the time to comment and rate it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
High-Protein Chicken Crust Pizza
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Toppings:
- 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.
- Take a medium bowl and add in the 1 pound ground chicken, 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and Kosher salt and pepper.
- Mix thoroughly to combine. Transfer the meat mixture and spread it on the prepared pan into a 1⁄4-inch thick circle.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until it starts to brown on the edges.
- Top with the toppings (1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce, 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, and 1 large tomato-sliced) and continue to bake for 5 minutes, or until the mozzarella melts.
- Garnish with some Fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Storing: If you have leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 4 days.
- To reheat: Place the pizza on a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also use the microwave.
- Freezing: You can freeze the pizza for up to 2 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag. Follow directions for reheating directly from frozen.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you to think ground turkey works? I’m asking because I actually tried the recipe with that and it was very watery around the outside edge.
I had to blot it up with paper towels, but the be end result was delicious.
But I thought maybe it because I used ground turkey instead.
Hi. I haven’t tried it with turkey, but I don’t see why not. How lean was the turkey? Did you change anything else?
I’m currently pregnant and struggling with gestational diabetes. I’m needing some high protein, low carb options. This is recipe made some delicious crust that also scratched my itch for pizza. I’ll absolutely be making this again.
Amazing. Congrats! I am so glad you loved it.
Absolutely delish and filling! Amazing suggestion for alternative pizza
Perfect! Glad you loved it.
Love it 🥰
Did these other people use the same recipe? This produced a lot of liquid, I had to blot it all up with paper towels as it got all over the oven and counters. The chicken was really mushy too, needed to cook longer than 30. Didn’t look like the picture. Tasted like meatloaf with pizza toppings on top. Not bad, but not the same as pizza crust.
I’ve made this a few times. It didn’t happen to me at all. Did you use chicken breast? Added anything else to the recipe? As for how long it needs, ovens vary, so the times will vary as well.
I didn’t have liquid issues. I used trimmed chicken thighs in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. 30 min did it. Only change for future attempts is thinner than 1/4 inch. It gets crispy when really thin. Use high quality margherita pizza sauce. It worked really well.
That’s great! Thanks for the feedback.
Excellent! A pizza craving killer!
Thank you!
I was surprised at how amazingly tasty this was!! I seriously don’t plan to ever use a regular pizza crust again! Finally a low carb, guilt free pizza option! Thanks for the incredible recipe! I plan to share it with all of my friends!
Thanks for the feedback. It’s a good one and we love it too.
Very good. Made it with can chicken egg whites cheddar cheese salt pepper Italian seasoning garlic powder spinach. Dressing on top whatever I had salsa cheese cherry tomatoes opinion peas lol. Tasted do good. Next time will put mushrooms peppers etc. Thx you
Perfect! Glad you loved it.
Delicious, very good meal, very filling. Added portobello mushrooms.
Yummyyyy!!
This was great! Such a good alternative for someone looking for a low calorie high protein option. I will definitely make it again. I added some Panko bread crumbs to the crust and it was nice and crispy. Not sure how big of a difference it made though.
So glad you loved it. Thanks Scott.
It’s ok. If protein is your ultimate goal it’s not a bad way to get it, although it was a bit bland and I had to doctor it up some. If you craved pizza, this is not going to satisfy you.
I can’t believe how easy & delicious this recipe is. I have this at least 3 times a week now. Thanks for sharing!