Chicken Pesto Pizza
A 20-minute lunch that turns two whole-wheat flatbreads into two crisp, green-topped pizzas without asking you to make dough. I use pesto as the sauce, then balance the rich cheese with lemony…
Ingredients
- 2 pieces whole-wheat naan or small whole-wheat flatbreads
- 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
- 8 ounces cooked boneless chicken, shredded
- 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella, shredded
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 piece lemon
- 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450°F. Set a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it heats; the hot metal helps the flatbread bottoms crisp quickly instead of drying out. Have a sheet of parchment ready if your baking sheet is not nonstick.
- Measure the pesto, shred the cooked chicken into bite-size strands, shred the mozzarella, halve the tomatoes, and slice the onion paper-thin. Zest the lemon half and reserve the zest; cut the lemon into wedges for serving. Completing this mise en place first keeps the toppings cool and the assembly fast.
- Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, tossing with tongs, just until the leaves collapse and look glossy but are still bright green. Transfer the spinach to a plate and spread it out to cool; removing excess moisture prevents a soggy pizza.
- Put the halved tomatoes cut-side down on a paper towel for 2 minutes, then blot their surfaces. This small step removes loose juice while preserving their fresh texture. Toss the cooled spinach with half of the lemon zest and set aside.
- Carefully remove the hot baking sheet and place the two flatbreads on it. Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto over each flatbread, leaving a 1/2-inch border bare so the edges can crisp. Use the back of a spoon and avoid pressing hard, which can compress the bread.
- Divide the shredded chicken over the pesto, followed by the wilted spinach, tomatoes, and red onion. Keep the toppings in a thin, even layer rather than piling them in the center; even coverage lets the middle heat through before the edges become too dark.
- Scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan over the toppings, keeping a little mozzarella near the edges for browned, crisp cheese spots. Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest over the top. Because pesto and Parmesan are already salty, do not add additional salt unless your pesto is notably low-sodium.
- Return the baking sheet to the upper-middle oven rack and bake at 450°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Rotate the sheet after 5 minutes if one side is browning faster. The pizzas are ready when the cheese is fully melted with a few toasted spots, the onion edges have softened, and the flatbread perimeter feels firm when tapped.
- For deeper browning, switch the oven to broil on high and broil for 30 to 60 seconds, watching continuously. Remove the sheet as soon as the cheese blisters lightly; pesto can darken quickly under the broiler. Let the pizzas rest on the sheet for 2 minutes so the cheese sets and the slices cut cleanly.
- Cut each pizza into four wedges and serve with the lemon wedges. Squeeze lemon over the top just before eating to sharpen the pesto and cut through the cheese. For packed lunches, cool the slices completely on a wire rack before sealing them in a shallow container so trapped steam does not soften the crust.
Watch the Chicken Pesto Pizza cooking video
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