High Protein Pizza that doesn’t leave you feeling sick? YES PLEASE!
Just when you thought low-carb, keto or carnivore was boring…. surprise! Pizza! 🍕 Not only is it a party for your mouth, but it’s also an easy method to get in enough protein for the day. That’s all thanks to the Canned Chicken that we are using as the main ingredient.
I have been making and experimenting with this Crust for quite a few years now and have decided that it’s time to share my perfected recipe. Originally, this crust was a base that I used to make quiches. While it’s awesome for that (try it!) I feel it makes a much better Pizza Crust. Though the versatility of this Crust is truly endless, it also works amazingly well for Baked Egg Cups (recipe coming soon).
For real though, with this recipe, the world is your oyster… err, can of chicken. 😉
PRO TIP: You can pre-make and pre-bake several of these Crusts and freeze for later! You can even add your toppings prior to freezing, creating a home-made frozen pizza experience.
The trick to making this both feel and taste like a traditional Pizza are two things; The Seasoning and The Texture.
For the Seasoning; I have tried several variations and landed on one that consistently blew my “non-low-carb” taste-testers away, time after time. The real POP in the seasoning is my beloved, I put that **** on literally everything, Dan-O’s Original Seasoning ! (not sponsored)
The second POP is the unbeatable Redmond’s Real Salt Organic Seasoning Salt ! (not sponsored)
The texture – now this one is all about how well you both drain and pre-cook the chicken, prior to mixing everything up.
When I say drain, I mean… squeeze that chicken like it owes you something. The goal is to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of everything, in order for the crust to come out with a “bread-like” consistency.
But wait! That’s not all! The second piece to nailing the texture is ensuring that the drained chicken is pre-baked long enough to ensure it comes out virtually dry (bordering on crispy but not burned).
To do this – we will pre-bake the chicken on parchment paper until almost all of the water has been cooked out. Once it has come out of the oven to sit for roughly 5 minutes, we mix it in with the rest of the ingredients while it is still warm. This helps to ensure that everything has been melted/mixed together thoroughly.
PRO TIP: Can’t find Canned Chicken? Try this with any leftover Chicken/Turkey that you have! Simply shred it up (you can do this quickly with an electric mixer or food processor), bake it a little to ensure it is on the dryer side, and carry on with the recipe as usual. Just ensure you use the same quantity that would be in the Canned Chicken linked above.
A very important step to achieving that more “bread-like” crust is to use unseasoned Pork Rind Crumbs. Not only does it help to hold everything together… but you end up with that “bready” texture that we are after in a Pizza Crust, as the Pork Rinds help to absorb any leftover moisture there may be in the Crust.
The last tidbit of information here is to always ensure that you bake the Crust BEFORE topping it! I know, this is a lot of in the oven, out of the oven, back in the oven…. but I promise that it’s worth it!
If we were to top the Crust prior to baking it, we would end up with a soggy and gooey mess. Nobody wants wet pizza.
PRO TIP: These can be topped with ANYTHING! Since the Crust is already high in protein and already contains cheese, you can top this with just Pizza Sauce by itself and still end up with a delicious meal. Just have fun with it!
Equipment
- 1 Pizza Pan a regular Baking Sheet/Pan also works
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Silicone Spatula or Metal Spoon
- 1 Flat Plate
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 7oz Can of chicken Drained
- 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Tbsp Shredded Pizza Mozzarella
- 1/4 Cup Ground Pork Rinds
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Ounce Cream Cheese Melted
- 3 Tsp Dan-Os Original Seasoning
- 1 Tsp Redmond's Organic Seasoning Salt
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
PREP THE CANNED CHICKEN
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees or as high as it will go.
- Drain the Can of Chicken over the sink by pouring it into a Strainer. Push and squish down onto the chicken with your fist to assist in pushing as much water out as possible. When you think you're done, push some more.
- Line your Pizza Pan/Baking Pan with Parchment Paper and spread the drained Chicken onto it, evenly. Ensuring it's a thin layer.
- Place into the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Check on it. If it is still quite moist (yep, I'm using that word), then bake for another 5 minutes and check again. Continue this procedure until the Chicken feels/looks quite dry but is not crispy or brittle.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
IF USING FRESH CHICKEN
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees or as high as it will go.
- Shred the fresh Chicken/Turkey by using your hands with forks, an Electric Mixer (in a tall bowl or chicken will go all over) or a Food Processor. Whichever way is accessible to you, will do just fine. Put aside.
- Line your Pizza Pan/Baking Pan with Parchment Paper and spread the shred Chicken onto it, evenly. Ensuring it's a thin layer.
- Place into the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Check on it. If it is still quite moist (yep, I'm using that word), then bake for another 5 minutes and check again. Continue this procedure until the Chicken feels/looks quite dry but is not crispy or brittle.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
CRUST
- Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the melted Cream Cheese, Shredded Mozzarella and Large Egg. With a silicone spatula or metal spoon, mix thoroughly.
- Once mixed, add in the Parmesan, Pork Rinds & Seasonings. Mix thoroughly until completely incorporated. The mixture should be a thick and sticky consistency here. Set aside.
- Line your Pizza Pan/Baking Pan, once again, with Parchment Paper.
- Plop your sticky Pizza Dough onto the Parchment Paper and place another of the same size piece of parchment paper directly on top.
- Using your hands or a flat plate, squish down the Pizza Dough between the two layers of Parchment until you reach a thickness of 1/2 - 1 inch. (can be made thicker or thinner to your taste).
- Peel the top layer of parchment off (but don't toss it, we are using it in a few minutes).
- Place the Crust into the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the crust feels slightly firm on top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
- Place the parchment paper that we saved, on top of the hot Crust and place a flat Plate (the inside surface) or another Pizza Pan on top of the Parchment Paper.
- Carefully, with oven mitts, take hold of the Pan and your Plate (ensuring they are held together) and flip the pan and plate over. Putting the plate at the bottom and the pan at the top. Congratulations! You've just flipped your Pizza Crust!
- Carefully, place your Pizza Pan/Baking Pan back down. Now you can slide your flipped over Pizza Crust back onto the Pizza Pan/Baking Pan from the Plate.
- Place the Crust back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the crust feels slightly firm on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool roughly 5 minutes. While waiting, turn your oven to the Broil (low) setting.
PIZZA
- Add your favourite toppings to the Crust and place back into the oven.
- Allow the Pizza to Broil until it has reached your desired doneness/crispness. Keep checking on it as this step can go from soft to burnt in a hurry!
- Once done, remove from the oven. Cool, slice and enjoy!