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This chicken and bacon pizza with a garlic cream sauce is pizza comfort food 101 and makes for a great change-up to pizza night.
I really could have pizza every single night - from BBQ chicken pizza to Chicago-style deep dish pizza. There are just so many options.
And that's where this chicken bacon pizza comes into play. We have our favorite pizzas for Pizza Fridays, but I'd always wanted to make a version of a chicken, bacon and ranch pizza.
Here is the thing... I don't like ranch dressing. So instead I substituted with this addicting garlic cream sauce. You could honestly use it as a base for pasta as well and it would be outstanding!
The combination of charred chicken with the smokey bacon and the cream sauce makes this pizza really hard to top.
You don't have to grill the chicken, but it does make a difference! Oh and trust me this is the type of pizza the whole family will love. If someone says they don't like bacon, they're lying! Hope you enjoy!
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Recipe Ingredients
- Pizza dough – use store-bought or homemade.
- Chicken - use chicken breasts or just buy a rotiserrie chicken.
- Emeril's Essence seasoning - can also use your favorite creole seasoning.
- Olive oil – used to cook the chicken.
- Bacon - one of the starts of this pizza.
- Unsalted butter - base for the cream sauce.
- Shallot - adds flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic – called garlic cream sauce for a reason.
- All-purpose flour – thickens the sauce.
- Heavy cream - can also use half-and-half or milk.
- Low-sodium chicken stock - broth or wine works as well.
- Italian seasoning – enhances the flavor.
- Mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cheese – adds creaminess and saltiness to the pizza.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place pizza stone in oven 8″ from the broiler element and preheat to 500°F. You want stone to be in oven for at least 30 minutes at 500°F. Season chicken with Emeril's Essence and cook on skillet over medium-high heat for 4 minutes per side.
- Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Place on paper-towel line plate and keep 1 tbsp bacon fat.
- Add butter to same skillet and cook shallots for 2 minutes. Add garlic, cooking for another 30 seconds and then stir in flour, cooking for 1 minute or until bubbly.
- Whisk in the cream and chicken stock slowly and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the Italian seasoning and ¼ cup Parmesan, stirring to combine. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal or flour. Use your hands to gently tug, pull and push the dough to the shape you want and place on pizza peel. Spread a light layer of the garlic cream sauce throughout the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the edges untouched. Add the cooked chicken and bacon throughout the pizza. Add the mozzarella, cheddar and remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
- Once stone is preheated, turn broiler to high. Transfer pizza to pizza stone and bake for 4-5 minutes or until top is bubbly and bottom is golden brown.
FAQs
Honestly not much. Make sure you use lukewarm water for the yeast and then after you mix, just give it time to rise overnight. Probably the most important thing would be in a warm area, preferably around 72°F.
After the dough has risen overnight transfer to a floured surface and shape in a ball, then let rise for a couple more hours. Obviously with a no-knead dough you have to plan on making the pizza the following day. So if you’re like us and have Pizza Friday’s, you just make the dough Thursday night for this apple prosciutto pizza.
Of course not. I just like making pizza dough, but you can buy fresh pizza dough where you roll out yourself or pre-baked crusts. I still suggest buying the fresh pizza dough. Most grocery stores carry it these days, but Trader Joe’s has the best!
The pizza stone holds heat and gives you a nice crust on the bottom which is important in a great pizza.
I know not everyone has a pizza stone. If you don't, use a cast iron skillet. Just place some oil in the skillet before adding the dough and toppings and bake on the bottom third of the rack instead.
Tips for Great Homemade Pizza
- Use Great Dough: While you can buy some dough from the store, I recommend making this no-knead pizza dough. You just make it the night before and light it rise for 24 hours before using.
- Spread Sauce Evenly: You will read a variety of opinions on sauce, but I’m a firm believer in lightly spreading the pizza sauce evenly. A sauce should compliment the pizza, but not be the star. This applies to the onions as well which act as a sauce.
- Use a Pizza Stone: Place the pizza stone in the oven 8″ from the broiler element. Turn the oven to 500°F. You want to place the pizza stone in a cold oven, otherwise it could crack. The pizza stone holds heat which allows you to get a golden brown crust on the bottom.
- Broil Pizza: Leave the pizza stone in the oven once it reaches 500°F for at least 30 minutes, but preferably an hour. When you are ready to make the pizza turn the broiler on. Transfer the chicken bacon pizza to the stone, baking for 4-5 minutes or until the top is bubbly and the bottom is golden brown.
Other Pizza Recipes
- Peach BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Four Cheese White Broccoli Pizza
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Hot Honey-Drizzled Salami Pizza
- Broccoli Rabe Pizza
If you’ve tried this chicken and bacon pizza or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Chicken and Bacon Pizza
Ingredients
No Knead Pizza Dough
- 250 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp dry active yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
Pizza
- 2 chicken breasts, shredded
- Emeril's Essence seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- ¼ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- sprinkle of cornmeal
Instructions
No Knead Pizza Dough
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. It should be sticky, but not lumpy.
- Cover with saran wrap and a towel in a warm place, allowing it to rise for 24 hours. Transfer to a floured surface and shape into ball. Use when ready.
Pizza
- Place pizza stone in oven 8" from the broiler element and preheat to 500°F. You want stone to be in oven for at least 30 minutes at 500°F.
- If using chicken breasts, heat medium-high skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Season with Emeril's Essence and cook on skillet for 4 minutes on each side until completely cooked through and shred. If using rotisserie chicken, just shred, add the seasoning and set aside.
- In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and crisp. Place on paper towel-lined plate and reserve 1 tbsp bacon fat.
- In same skillet over medium heat, add butter. Add shallot and cook for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for about 1 minute, or until bubbly.
- Slowly whisk in cream and chicken stock and cook for about 1 minute or until thickened. Add Italian seasoning and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal or flour. Use your hands to gently tug, pull and push the dough to the shape you want and place on pizza peel.
- Spread a light layer of the garlic cream sauce over the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the edges untouched. Spread the cooked chicken and bacon throughout the pizza. Add the mozzarella, cheddar and remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
- Once stone is preheated, turn broiler to high. Transfer pizza to pizza stone and bake for 4-5 minutes or until top is bubbly and bottom is golden brown.
Notes
- Use Great Dough: While you can buy some dough from the store, I recommend making this no-knead pizza dough. You just make it the night before and light it rise for 24 hours before using.
- Spread Sauce Evenly: You will read a variety of opinions on sauce, but I'm a firm believer in lightly spreading the pizza sauce evenly. A sauce should compliment the pizza, but not be the star.
- Use a Pizza Stone: Place the pizza stone in the oven 8″ from the broiler element. Turn the oven to 500°F. You want to place the pizza stone in a cold oven, otherwise it could crack. The pizza stone holds heat which allows you to get a golden brown crust on the bottom.
- Broil Pizza: Leave the pizza stone in the oven once it reaches 500°F for at least 30 minutes, but preferably an hour. When you are ready to make the pizza turn the broiler on. Transfer the pizza to the stone and bake for 4-5 minutes or until the top is bubbly and the bottom is golden brown.
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