It’s pizza time. Surveys show that more than 40% of Americans eat pizza once a week. When eating it that often, it is a good idea to change up your options. Therefore, today we will focus on chicken. Are you asking yourself, “What chicken for pizza?” We will break it all down right here.
The best kind of chicken for pizza is sliced chicken breast because of its consistency and because of how evenly it cooks. However, you can also substitute in chicken thigh if you prefer to add a bit more flavor to the chicken on your pizza.
Most people cook chicken before adding it as a topping. Although you can use chicken with red sauce, many believe this meat pairs best with pesto, Alfredo sauce, BBQ sauce or buffalo sauce. A variety of cheeses, like gorgonzola, feta, mozzarella or goat cheese, can also be used.
What Chicken for Pizza?
Although it isn’t a traditional pizza topping, chicken is a great choice. It is easy since most everyone has some frozen chicken breasts available in the freezer. Chicken is practical and cost-effective. With the correct cooking time and simple seasoning, chicken is a tasty and healthy topping.
Cooking up a chicken breast is the easiest option to make as a topping. But you can use whatever you have around in your house. Adding leftover chicken is a great way to use up food, so you don’t waste it.
How should you prepare chicken for a pizza? Shredding or cutting up the meat into 1-inch cubes is a great option. You could also add grilled chicken breast strips. This is typically how pizza is served at chains like Pizza Pizza or Dominos. (Pizza Pizza vs. Dominos)
Why Choose Chicken
There are several reasons why chicken is an excellent choice at mealtime. The healthiest option is using chicken breast. White meat has less cholesterol and is lower in saturated fats than darker meat. Here are some other reasons to buy chicken breast.
- high nutrition value
- great source of protein
- full of phosphorus and calcium
- may aid in weight loss
Tips When Using Chicken as a Pizza Topping
1. Never put raw chicken on pizza. Par-cooking (partially cooking) the chicken could be an option, but that could be dangerous too for salmonella.
2. If you are worried about your chicken being too dry, you could add it to the sauce before putting the sauce on the pizza. Or you could add the chicken after the pie has started baking.
3. Another option is to add cooked frozen chicken to your pizza. When you re-bake the chicken from its frozen form, it turns out less dry.
How to Know if Chicken is Fresh
When buying chicken, pay attention to these characteristics of your chicken to ensure you are purchasing fresh chicken meat.
- The flesh should be pink in color. Stay away from a grayish color.
- You want the flesh to be springy, not very stiff or too soft. When you press down on it, the meat should spring back into place.
- Fresh chicken has no odor. If it smells gross, it is!
- Stay away from pieces with bloody spots since it is a sign that the meat was frozen and defrosted, possibly a few times. It can also mean that there is a higher risk of bacterial contamination.
Flavorful Chicken Pizzas
Do you have a weekly pizza night? What are the best pizzas to enjoy with chicken? Some people don’t think chicken goes well with marinara sauce. But who doesn’t love Chicken Parmesan? That dish is the perfect combination of chicken, sauce and cheese!
Here are some popular chicken pizza options and their usual ingredients. But remember, the possibilities are endless. You can add anything you deem worthy!
- Buffalo Chicken: Buffalo sauce, red onions, mozzarella and blue cheese, shredded chicken and cilantro
- Garlic Chicken: minced garlic, olive oil, bite-sized chicken chunks, spinach leaves, cheddar and mozzarella cheese
- Chicken Alfredo: minced garlic, alfredo sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, chopped chicken, and basil
- Chicken Puttanesca: diced tomatoes, shredded chicken, black olives, capers, minced garlic, and mozzarella cheese
- BBQ Chicken: BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, red onions, Gouda or cheddar cheese, and cilantro
More about Pizza
Maybe you prefer adding “sausage?” Find out more about the best sausage for pizza here.
Have you ever had a “Jersey pizza?” Find out more about this type of pizza here.
If you want to play food critic, read the article here to learn “how to rate a pizza.”
Do you know if pizza is a “heterogeneous mixture?” Learn all about this idea here.