Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
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This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza is an amazing addition to my pizza recipes. Full of ranch flavor with tender bits of chicken and smoky bacon nestled in a homemade alfredo sauce. If you’re planning a pizza party at your house anytime soon, you’ll want to include this recipe for at least one of the selections!
A lady at our church brought a Chicken Ranch Pizza to our Bible study this past summer, and it was so delicious I had to figure out a way to replicate it. I’ve been working on this recipe for several months now, tweaking it here and there until I had it just the way I wanted.
TESTING PIZZA RECIPES
When testing recipes for this blog, I go through them many times. Sometimes I get it right pretty fast. Other times, it takes me months. This one came together in three tries.
To begin, the chicken needed to be seasoned properly. I began by using my standard chicken seasoning – seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. That was good. Then I found Tyson’s Rotisserie Seasoned Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts at the grocery store, and it was fantastic for this recipe. When I see this product at the store, I stock up and buy several packages for freezing.
If you’re unable to find frozen skinless, boneless rotisserie-style chicken at the grocer, simply substitute 2 chicken breasts and season them with 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
The bacon was easy. Thick sliced bacon, fried and chopped into small pieces.
Next came the sauce. This is the part that took me the longest to figure out. A lot of online recipes used ranch dressing for the sauce. Nah, I wanted more. Like a creamy alfredo sauce perfectly flavored with ranch seasoning. Now you’re talking! But how much sauce, and how much ranch seasoning would flavor the pizza as I desired? Naturally, I started with my own recipe for Alfredo Sauce Here, and then altered it, just a bit.
Last, I considered the pizza dough. I didn’t want it to be thick, nor thin, but somewhere in-between, similar to a hand-tossed pizza from Pizza Hut. For this, I turned to my Thin and Crispy Pizza crust, and simply allowed it to rise a bit longer than normal.
So, that’s pretty much it, in a nutshell. Our daughters and I loved this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza. (My husband, not so much…but he did eat a piece, so good for him. I’m glad he at least tried it.) But, please, you be the judge. Try this recipe and let me know what you think in the comments at the bottom of this post.
More Pizza Recipes to Try
Ingredients for Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
Pizza Crust
- 00 Pizzeria Flour
- nonfat dry milk
- granulated sugar
- instant yeast
- kosher salt
- warm water
- extra virgin olive oil, divided
Toppings
- thick-sliced bacon, cooked and chopped
- Rotisserie-Style chicken breast, chopped and cooked
- olive oil
- mozzarella cheese, shredded
Alfredo Ranch Sauce
- butter
- minced garlic
- minced dried onion
- cream cheese
- half and half cream
- Ranch Dressing Mix (See my Homemade Version Here)
- Parmesan, freshly grated
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh basil, for garnish
RECOMMENDED TOOLS FOR HOMEMADE PIZZA
In my years making homemade pizza, I’ve collected a few kitchen items to make the job easier. And which will also turn out a better product. My recommendations are:
- A Baking Stone. Be sure to purchase one that is big enough to hold your largest pizza. I also use my baking stone for baking sourdough and flatbreads.
- Pizza Peel. This is just a handy tool for lifting your pizza in and out of the oven. You may use it with or without parchment paper, but I recommend beginning users to try it with parchment paper. Once you get the hang of it, you can move on to direct placement.
- A Pizza Cutter. You’ll need some way to slice your pizza. A knife. A pizza roller. Or a Pizza Cutter, which is how I like to cut our pizza. I’ve tried them all and prefer this way best.
- And a Pizza Serving Pan. Since you’ll be baking your pizza on a stone, you’ll need a pan to serve the pizza on. I like these simple and inexpensive aluminum pizza pans. You can buy them in several sizes, but I would recommend either 12-inch or 14-inch. Better for it to be too big, than not big enough.
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Please note, this recipe will make one Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza. If you want to make a second pizza with the same or different toppings, you’ll need to adjust the recipe as desired.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the bottom third of the oven. Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Make the Pizza Dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 00 Italian Pizzeria Flour, nonfat dry milk, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt. Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Mix together to make a soft dough.
Knead for 5 minutes, either by hand or by dough hook.
Place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to relax for 15-30 minutes.
Lay out a 14″ square of parchment paper on a work surface. Pat the dough into a 10-12″ circle, about 1/8″ thick. Smooth top with extra-virgin olive oil and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. This will give the dough time to rise and get a little puffy.
For a thin and crispy pizza, you’ll only want to rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.
Prepare the Ingredients
While waiting on the dough, prepare the pizza toppings.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon on both sides until nicely browned. Remove from skillet and place on paper towels. When cool, break or cut into small pieces.
With a boning knife and cutting board, slice the chicken breasts into 1″ pieces.
In the same skillet over medium heat, sear the chicken pieces in the bacon grease until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. If necessary, add olive oil for the chicken to cook in. Transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
Shred the mozzarella cheese using a box grater.
Make the Alfredo Ranch Sauce
You’ll want the alfredo sauce to be as fresh as possible once you make it, so be sure to save this step for last.
Mince the garlic and grate the fresh parmesan with a fine-edged grater.
Wipe the grease from the skillet with a paper towel. Melt butter in the skillet on medium low heat and sauté the minced garlic and dried minced onion, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in chunks of the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Pour in half and half in two parts, stirring well each time.
Finish the sauce by adding the Ranch Dressing Mix and freshly grated Parmesan. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Continue stirring until sauce reaches desired thickness. This will not take long, maybe 30-40 seconds.
Assemble the Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Using a pizza peel, place the parchment sheet and crust directly on the hot stone in the preheated oven. If you have a convection setting, be sure to use it. Bake for 4-5 minutes until edges begin to turn brown. Remove from oven before crust begins to bubble.
Flatten any bubbles that may arise.
Top the pizza with the alfredo sauce, spreading the sauce to the edges of the pizza. Sprinkle about 3/4 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
Next, place the chicken pieces on the sauce, followed by the bacon, covering the pizza evenly.
Finish by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella cheese over the pizza.
Return crust to the hot stone and bake an additional 7-10 minutes until cheese and sauce is bubbly and lightly golden.
Remove from oven and place pizza on a serving tray. Allow pizza to cool for about 3-5 minutes before slicing.
This recipe will make one 12″ pizza and serve 2-4 people.
Shortcuts for This Recipe
If you need some shortcuts for this recipe, you may do all or some of the following. Please note, that I have not tried any of these, but I’m sure they will taste fine.
- Purchase an unbaked pizza dough from the store.
- Substitute chicken breasts from a store bought rotisserie chicken, cutting it into small pieces.
- Use jarred Alfredo Sauce. My go-to brand is Bertolli for any of their Alfredo sauces. If you use this substitution, you’ll want to finish the sauce as I have done in the last instruction by adding the ranch dressing mix and grated Parmesan.
See more Pizza Recipes Here. Browse Chicken Recipes Here. View Italian Dinner Ideas Here.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
- 1 1/2 cups 00 Pizzeria Flour
- 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
Toppings
- 3 slices thick-sliced bacon cooked and chopped
- 2 each Rotisserie-Style chicken breast chopped and cooked
- 2 tablespoons olive oil if needed
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Alfredo Ranch Sauce
- 1/8 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup half and half cream
- 2 teaspoons Ranch Dressing Mix See my Homemade Version Here
- 1/3 cup Parmesan freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with convection setting, if possible. Place baking stone in the bottom third of the oven. Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Make the Pizza Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 00 Italian Pizzeria Flour, nonfat dry milk, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt.
- Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Mix together to make a soft dough.
- Knead for 5 minutes, either by hand or by dough hook.
- Place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to relax for 15-30 minutes.
- Lay out a 14″ square of parchment paper on a work surface. Pat the dough into a 10-12″ circle, about 1/8″ thick. Smooth top with extra-virgin olive oil and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. This will give the dough time to rise and get a little puffy.
- (For a thin and crispy pizza, you'll only want to rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.)
Prepare the Toppings
- While waiting on the dough, prepare the pizza toppings.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon on both sides until nicely browned. Remove from skillet and place on paper towels. When cool, break or cut into small pieces.
- With a boning knife and cutting board, slice the chicken breasts into 1" pieces.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, sear the chicken pieces in the bacon grease until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. If necessary, add olive oil for the chicken to cook in. Transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
- Shred the mozzarella cheese using a box grater.
Make the Alfredo Ranch Sauce
- (You'll want the alfredo sauce to be as fresh as possible once you make it, so be sure to save this step for last.)
- Mince the garlic and grate the fresh parmesan with a fine-edged grater.
- Wipe the grease from the skillet with a paper towel. Melt butter in the skillet on medium low heat and sauté the minced garlic and dried minced onion, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in chunks of the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Pour in half and half in two parts, stirring well each time.
- Finish the sauce by adding the Ranch Dressing Mix and freshly grated Parmesan. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Continue stirring until sauce reaches desired thickness. This will not take long, maybe 30-40 seconds.
Assemble the Pizza
- Using a pizza peel, place the parchment sheet and crust directly on the hot stone in the preheated oven. If you have a convection setting, be sure to use it. Bake for 4-5 minutes until edges begin to turn brown. Remove from oven before crust begins to bubble.
- Flatten any bubbles that may arise.
- Top the pizza with the alfredo sauce, spreading the sauce to the edges of the pizza.
- Sprinkle about 3/4 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
- Next, place the chicken pieces on the sauce, followed by the bacon, covering the pizza evenly.
- Finish by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella cheese over the pizza.
- Return crust to the hot stone and bake an additional 7-10 minutes until cheese and sauce is bubbly and lightly golden.
- Remove from oven and place pizza on a serving tray. Allow pizza to cool for about 3-5 minutes before slicing.
- This recipe will make one 12″ pizza and serve 2-4 people.
Notes
Nutrition