Chicken Pesto Paleo Pizza (Printable)
Crisp paleo crust topped with chicken, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes and olives for a grain-free Italian twist.
# What You Need:
→ Paleo Pizza Crust
01 - 1 cup almond flour
02 - 1/4 cup tapioca flour
03 - 1/4 cup coconut flour
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
07 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
→ Basil Pesto Sauce
09 - 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
10 - 1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
11 - 2 garlic cloves
12 - 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
14 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
15 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
→ Toppings
16 - 2 medium cooked chicken breasts, sliced or shredded
17 - 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
18 - 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
19 - 1/4 cup black olives, sliced (optional)
20 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
# How-To:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, sea salt, and baking soda until evenly blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and almond milk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a cohesive dough forms.
04 - Transfer the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten and shape into a 10 to 12-inch round crust. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the edges turn golden.
05 - While the crust bakes, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
06 - Remove the par-baked crust from the oven. Spread the pesto evenly over the surface. Arrange the sliced chicken, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and olives on top.
07 - Return the assembled pizza to the oven and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, until the toppings are heated through and the crust is crisp.
08 - Remove from the oven, scatter fresh basil leaves over the top, slice into portions, and serve warm.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The crust crisps up beautifully without a single grain of wheat, and nobody will guess it is paleo unless you tell them.
- Homemade pesto layered over that crust tastes exponentially better than anything from a jar, and it takes about ninety seconds to make.
- You get all the pizza satisfaction without the post pizza slump, which makes it perfect for weeknights when you still have things to do.
02 -
- The crust will seem fragile when you first press it out, but it firms up dramatically during the parbake, so resist the urge to make it thicker.
- If your pesto tastes bitter at first, add another squeeze of lemon or a tiny pinch of salt and blend again, as basil varies wildly in sweetness depending on the season.
03 -
- Wet your hands slightly before pressing out the dough to keep it from sticking to your palms, and work from the center outward for the most even shape.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for two minutes before making pesto, as that one small step deepens their flavor in a way that raw nuts simply cannot match.