Friday night is always pizza night in our house. Sometimes that means a homemade pizza. Sometimes that means we order in. And sometimes that means we just pop a frozen pizza in the oven, but pizza is always on the menu on Fridays!
This means I’ve had a lot of pizzas in my lifetime, and I can safely say that one of my favorite pizzas is this classic Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pizza. We’ve been making it since the early days of our marriage, when I happened to stumble on a recipe for Turkey Alfredo pizza in an issue of Cooking Light. We pretty much never have turkey breast just kicking around (except right after that one particular turkey-tastic holiday), so we made the swap for chicken, tweaked a few other items, and we’ve been loving this combo ever since.
Is alfredo pizza the same as white pizza?
Not quite—alfredo sauce tends to be richer, made with heavy cream, butter, and Parmesan. White pizza sauce is more of a bechamel, made with flour, milk, and butter.
If you are pinched for time, you can always use store-bought sauce for the alfredo, but I really enjoy making my easy version (in the recipe below) at home. It doesn’t take long and tastes great!
What ingredients do I need for chicken alfredo pizza?
To make the alfredo sauce, you’ll need:
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Nutmeg
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
For the rest of the pizza, you’ll need:
- Your favorite pizza dough.
- Frozen chopped spinach.
- Shredded cooked chicken. A rotisserie chicken is our favorite shortcut for a pizza like this, but you can also use whatever leftover chicken you have on hand or bake a few chicken breasts to shred.
- Lemon or lemon juice
- Garlic
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Crushed red pepper flakes. These are optional, but we like the little bit of heat they add.
What kind of pizza dough do I need?
We always keep either this homemade whole grain pizza dough or this almond-flour pizza crust mix on hand. But if you are short on time or energy, many grocery stores also sell whole grain pizza dough in their refrigerated sections.
Want more easy pizza recipes like this one?
Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pizza
This Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pizza is what Friday pizza night dreams are made of. Make it completely from scratch, or take a few shortcuts to get the pizza onto your plates a little faster.
Ingredients
- 1 batch of your favorite pizza dough (about 1 pound)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 475°F. Pat the prepared dough into a large circle on a pizza pan or baking sheet, allowing the edges to be a little thicker than the middle.
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To make the alfredo sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute, and then gradually whisk in the cream and milk. Add the nutmeg and a little salt and pepper.
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Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
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Spread the sauce on the pizza dough, leaving about a one-inch border around the edges.
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Mix the spinach, chicken, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Spread the mixture out evenly over the sauce. Top with the mozzarella and crushed red pepper flakes, if using.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
Notes
When you are short on time but still want freshly baked pizza, try picking up fresh dough from the pizza station at a grocery store, like Whole Foods. At home, place the dough in a bowl greased with olive oil and cover with a kitchen towel. Set the bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes, then proceed with the recipe. While you’re at the store, you can pick up a rotisserie chicken to use for the shredded chicken, too.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 248Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 362mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 13g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
