Viral Chicken Crust Caesar Salad Pizza!! Can you believe this pizza crust is made from chicken?! Grain free, high protein and so delicious! I hope you give this a try!
At the end of February, I was in my chicken caesar salad craze. I was eating salads, wraps and drizzling my homemade dressing over everything. Caesar salad is one of my favorites and so when I was this viral Chicken Crust Caesar Salad Pizza, I knew I had to try it!
The crust is made from canned chicken. Canned chicken! It’s really brilliant if you think about It. Now, you can do one of two things: you can blend/pulse up the crust ingredients in a food processor. This method obviously grinds and blends everything up until smooth. If you are not a fan of texture, you will want to do this. If you’re like me, and want to taste the chicken and have texture, simply mash and mix everything together by hand; no food processor needed.
The verdict?
It’s crazy how easy this is to make. Making the crust this way is pretty cool. This was definitely a fun way to enjoy caesar salad but personally, I will go back to an actual salad with chicken on top. I did love the crispy chickpeas that I added and I think it’s definitely worth a try if you like caesar salad. I do know people who have made and eaten this every week since the first time making it. so, let me know what you think if and when you try this recipe! It really is delicious!
Viral Chicken Crust Caesar Salad Pizza
Ingredients
For the pizza crust:
- 20 oz. canned chicken* drained (see note above)
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the dressing:
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2/3 cup low-fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice depending on how much acidity you desire
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese + more if desired/needed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- Romaine lettuce chopped
- 2 to 3 anchovy fillets optional
- parmesan cheese
- crispy chickpeas** for garnish; optional
- lemon zest for garnish; optional
Instructions
For the pizza crust:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large mixing bowl, add in the canned chicken. Mash the chicken with a fork until the chicken is broken down a little bit and no longer in chunks. Add in the egg, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes and mix together until well combined. Alternatively, you can place all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until just smooth and all the ingredients are well combined.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to the lined baking sheet. Using your hands or a rubber spatula, flatten the mixture and form and shape the mixture into a circle. You should be able to make a 9 to 10-inch "pizza" crust.
- Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until crispy. When finished remove from the oven and allow to cool for a bit.
For the dressing:
- Using a medium sized bowl and a spoon (or handle of your whisk), mash or smash up the anchovy fillets to your desired consistency. Add in the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in the olive oil and add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. If you like a dressing with more texture, add more Parmesan cheese. Mix together until well combined. Taste and adjust anything as needed.
For the salad and to assemble:
- Using a large mixing bowl, toss the romaine lettuce with some of the dressing and set aside. When ready to assemble the pizza: spread some of the dressing onto the crispy (slightly cooled) chicken crust, add the salad mixture on top and add some anchovy fillets on top as well if desired. Garnish with parmesan cheese and sprinkle on some crispy chickpeas as well. You can also add some lemon zest on top as well. Slice and enjoy!
wow, an ultimate de-constructed dish! Very clever, would never have imagined that this crust could be made out of canned chicken, thank you!