Super flavorful Greek style pizza with chicken, pesto, feta, kalamata olives, and more is quick and easy, thanks to a no-rise homemade crust - perfect for pizza night.
Do you have a pizza night on your menu plan? I love our homemade pizza nights. If it were up to me, we'd have pizza weekly, but Brian loves burgers and fries, so we've compromised to alternate Pizza Night and Burger Night on Saturdays. I have to be satisfied with just a couple times a month. Sigh.
But even though I love pizza, the same pizza sauce with pepperoni toppings can get pretty boring. Am I right?
Well, the answer to boring homemade pizza nights is this Greek style pizza, my friends. It is my absolute favorite.
The Greek flavors of feta and kalamata olives are some of the ingredients that I use a lot because they are SO good. You'll find them in this amazing shrimp & orzo dish, this Mediterranean scramble, and these freezer-friendly breakfast wraps.
It's these ingredients that pretty much makes this pizza the best. It's also super easy and actually quicker than ordering a pizza, thanks to this anyone-can-make pizza crust. Not to mention about 1/3 of the price. For real.
Chicken Pesto Greek Style Pizza
1. The first step to making pizza from scratch is to make a batch of quick and easy pizza dough. Then let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes while you grab your other ingredients.
Roll it out in a pan (or a pizza stone) that's been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. You can use a regular cookie sheet like I do here - use whatever you have. You can build up thick edges like I do, or roll it totally flat like my daughter prefers.
That's another reason to make your own- you can tailor it to your tastes.
2. Pre-bake your crust for about 8 minutes. I always pre-bake when I'm using a lot of toppings like this pizza, because I've had crusts that were very done on the edges, but still raw in the middle. This step ensures an evenly baked crust even when loaded with toppings.
3. After the prebake, spread a layer of pesto over the dough. You can use store bought or homemade pesto but homemade will be cheaper, since there's a secret ingredient in it and it's made with garden basil.
4. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella next and then evenly distribute chopped, cooked chicken over the cheese. TIP: freeze cooked chicken in 1-2 cup baggies from store-bought or slow cooker rotisserie chicken, just for recipes like this.
5. Next up are the vegetables: canned quartered artichoke hearts, sautéed mushrooms, chopped sweet onion, home-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil and kept this way), and sliced kalamata olives.
TIP: when using dried tomatoes on things like pizza that cook hot and quick, it's important to have them on a bottom layer, or at least pushed into the sauce and cheese, to keep them from burning.
6. After the vegetable layer, all that's left is to sprinkle on some feta cheese and freshly grated Parmesan.
TIP: I learned a trick with pizza that makes a big difference- always end your toppings with a bit of cheese (usually Parmesan) to help all the toppings stay on after it's cooked. It's much easier to eat.
7. Pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the crust is brown and the toppings are cooked and browned.
8. Transfer the pizza from the pan to a large cutting board and slice with a pizza cutter or knife. When using a cookie sheet, cut 12 narrower pieces - 6 on each side - so that every piece has some crust. TIP: large cookie sheets are a great way to feed a crowd.
All that's left is to enjoy!
This pizza is so good, it seriously makes me want to go over my one-piece-portion-control-limit (this is definitely one of the times where I put aside leftovers with my name on it). Oh, yeah, and it was this pizza that finally prompted me to buy a toaster oven because leftover pizza heats up almost like it's fresh-from-the-oven again.
Who knows? Maybe I'll convert Brian yet to an every-week pizza night, as long as there are variations of Greek style pizza on the menu!
Chicken-Pesto Greek Style Pizza
Ingredients
- One batch Quick and Easy Pizza Dough
- cornmeal for the pan
- 2/3 cup prepared pesto here's an easy, frugal pesto recipe
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 ½ cups cooked chopped chicken
- 1/2 cup quartered artichoke hearts
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough and let it rest 15 to 20 minutes.
- Start oven heating to 425 degrees. Prepare a medium size baking sheet or a pizza pan/stone by lightly sprinkling with cornmeal.
- Roll and press the dough to fit the pan, building up the edges if you desire a thicker crust, or just rolling flat for a thinner-style.
- Prebake the rolled-out crust for 8-10 minutes. If the crust develops a bubble (or two), just gently push down on them with a spatula to deflate after removing from the oven.
- Spread the partially baked crust with pesto, sprinkle with mozzarella, and distribute the chicken evenly over the crust.
- Add all the vegetables in even layers, starting with the dried tomatoes so they are towards the bottom.
- Top with the feta and Parmesan cheeses.
- Bake in the 425 degree oven for 8-12 minutes more or until the crust is nicely browned and the cheeses are melting and browning.
- Transfer to a large cutting board before cutting into serving pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: this recipe was originally published in 2012 and has been updated with larger photos, clearer formatting and printable recipe. Enjoy!
Other family favorite recipes you may like:
Quick and Tender Hamburger Buns
Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Soy Sriracha Marinated Chicken
