The Viral Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza: Is It Worth the Hype?

Photo Credit: Get Healthy U

These simple ingredients create a satisfying pizza you’ll crave over and over:

• Canned Chicken: Reduce the prep-work needed for this pizza recipe by using canned chicken. It’s pre-cooked so you can just drain and add to the food processor to make the pizza dough for the crust. You can also use 1 lb cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts. 
• Egg: The egg is important because it helps bind the pizza crust together since there is no flour in this one. 
• Parmesan Cheese: The quintessential cheese for caesar salad! The cheese adds some flavor and structure to the crust of this chicken caesar pizza. You’ll also use some in the dressing and as a garnish. We prefer to grate the parmesan cheese ourselves for the freshest flavor.
• Garlic and Onion Powder: Adds delicious flavor to the simple high protein crust. 
• Plain Greek Yogurt: Adds creaminess and extra protein to the healthy Caesar dressing on this pizza. 
• Lemon Juice and Dijon Mustard: This combination of ingredients adds tanginess to the dressing. For the best flavor, use fresh-squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled lemon juice. 
• Anchovy Paste: All classic Caesar salad dressings contain anchovies, and we used just a bit of anchovy paste. We like the paste because you don’t have to worry about using up the rest of the can of anchovies after making the dressing.
• Romaine Lettuce: We love the crunch of romaine lettuce—the go-to lettuce for Caesar salad.

Recipe Variations

Photo Credit: Get Healthy U

Here are a few ways to switch up this recipe:

• Use a Caesar Salad Kit: To make it even easier to prep this pizza, top the chicken crust with a grocery store Caesar salad kit instead of making a homemade dressing and salad.
• Add Croutons: We like adding a few croutons on top of the pizza for crunch. 
• Add Sun-dried Tomatoes, Red Onion, or Olives: If you want to add more toppings, we suggest some sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, or chopped kalamata olives. 
• Add Some Heat: Top the finished pizza with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or sliced pepperoncini peppers.

How to Make the Caesar Salad Pizza with Chicken Crust

Photo Credit: Get Healthy U

Follow these simple steps to make your new favorite pizza lunch:

Make the Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing: Add the yogurt, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, Worcestershire, anchovy, and garlic to a blender cup and blend until smooth. 

Assemble and Serve: There are a couple of options for serving this pizza: 1) Toss the salad and dressing together in a bowl and pile on top of the crust or 2) Add the salad ingredients to the crust and drizzle with dressing. 

Recommended Tools:

• Large baking sheet
• Food Processor
• Blender
• Pizza cutter

Meal Prep and Storage

Photo Credit: Get Healthy U

A couple of tips for meal prepping and storing this Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza:

Meal Prep: You can bake the chicken pizza crust in advance and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 days. The salad dressing can also be prepped 2-3 days in advance and stored in a mason jar until ready to use. 

Storage: the prepped pizza can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Enjoy the pizza cold from the fridge, or remove the salad before reheating the crust in the microwave and reassembling.

Full Recipe: Viral Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza

Photo Credit: Get Healthy U

Total Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 5 serving(s)

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 20 oz canned chicken, drained and rinsed well
• 1 large egg
• ⅔ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper

For the Dressing:

• ½ cup plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• Parmesan cheese
• Handful croutons (omit for gluten-free)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Add all of the ingredients to make the chicken pizza crust (canned chicken, egg, parmesan, garlic, and onion powder) to a food processor and pulse until combined.
• Transfer to the baking sheet and press the ingredients in a circle, about ¼ inch thick. If sticky, add a little oil to the palm of your hands when spreading.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool.
• While the crust is in the oven, make the dressing by pureeing in a blender until smooth.
• Wash and chop the romaine and add it to the top of the pizza crust and drizzle with dressing then garnish with croutons, extra parmesan cheese, and black pepper.

Nutrition Information Per Serving

From the kitchen of: Get Healthy U

• Category: Nutrition