An updated recipe for pesto pizza featuring bacon-basil pesto on top of a crisp homemade pizza crust, with salty bacon, chicken and freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella.

This post is brought to you by Aero Garden ULTRA and Kitchen PLAY.

Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com Perfect for pizza night!

I’ve never been one for getting into gardening. Every year I have big dreams of a garden full of fresh veggies and fruit, but every year passes without me getting beyond the dreaming stage. It could be the idea that I have to actually get dirty or deal with bugs, neither of which I care for. Sure, I’ve grown flowers here and there but never any giant colorful gardens, just simple and hardy varieties that need very little help. When I was given the opportunity to try out Aero Garden ULTRA, I jumped at the chance. Grow my own fresh herbs (veggies or fruit) at home… in the winter?! I was curious and excited to see it in action.

Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com Perfect for pizza night!

Not only was it easy to put together but it was a cinch to use! It’s basically dummy-proof with the machine walking you through everything from the setup to when to add water and even regular nutrients. The really cool thing was checking on the basil everyday. The kids and I were always excited to check in on their progress and as they got bigger and bigger, the kids were more in awe! I was too!

Aero Garden - bakedbyrachel.com

Seriously guys, it’s a snow covered 20 degrees in New Hampshire and I have fresh basil growing in my basement. How cool is that? The above photo is from early on, before the basil got big.

I knew immediately what I wanted to make with my fresh basil. Pizza! We have weekly pizza nights so it was fitting to finally share a new variety that is totally different than any other I’ve shared so far. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be a fan. But I was blown away by this bacon-basil pesto pizza. So good! It’s seriously a pizza like no other.

Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com Perfect for pizza night!

Forget your run-of-the-mill boring pesto. This one has bacon, which makes it that much more amazing! A bacon-basil pesto on top of a crisp homemade pizza crust, with bacon, chicken and freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella (remember, whole milk is the key to an amazing pizza!). Add a dash of pepper for the final finishing touch. Trust me, this is a must make pizza!

If you’d like to try your hand at growing herbs and veggies in your home, any time of the year, AeroGrow will be running its ‘12 Days of Deals’ for the holidays with discounts and special bundles for the season. Plus, get up to 20% on everything storewide when using promo code ‘Holiday20’ in the shopping cart at checkout.

Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com Perfect for pizza night!

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Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza

Prep Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 3 plus
An updated recipe for pesto pizza featuring bacon-basil pesto on top of a crisp homemade pizza crust, with salty bacon, chicken and freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella.

Ingredients
 

Dough:

  • 1 C water
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 - 3 C all purpose flour

Pesto sauce:

  • 2 C basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 C bacon
  • 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 - 1/2 C olive oil

Additional ingredients:

  • Whole milk mozzarella, shredded
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 2-3 slices bacon
  • Ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Prepare dough: In a measuring cup, combine warm water (115-120°F) with active dry yeast and sugar. Allow yeast to proof.
  • Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and salt. When yeast is ready, turn mixer on low and slowly drizzle in liquid. Increase mixer speed and continue mixing until dough comes together. Add additional flour as needed until dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm location for at least one hour.
  • In a medium skillet, cook 6-7 slices of bacon (or more as desired). Finely chop of half of the bacon for the pesto sauce, while reserving the rest for topping. In the same skillet, cook chicken breast over medium heat until cooked through. Shred chicken and set aside.
  • Add basil leaves and garlic to a food processor. Blend together until only fine pieces remain. Add Parmesan cheese. Blend until combined. With food processor running on low, slowly drizzle in enough olive oil until a spreadable consistency is reached. Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Stir in bacon.
  • Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Gently stretch and shape dough to desired size. Add to a cold oven. Heat oven to 425°F. When oven is ready, remove pizza crust.
  • Spread bacon-basil pesto sauce in an even layer. Top off with shredded mozzarella, followed by bacon, chicken and finally a sprinkle of ground black pepper.
  • Bake pizza for 15-20 minutes or until desired crispness is reached. Slice and serve.

Notes

Recipe serves roughly 3-6, yields 1: 10-inch pizza.
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pizza

More pizza recipes to try:
Broccoli and chicken Alfredo garlic bread pizza
Loaded mashed potato pizza
Perfect pepperoni pizza
Deep dish Chicago style pizza
Garlic bread pizza
Bacon and barbecue chicken pizza
Breakfast pizza
Buffalo chicken pizza

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Discolsure: This is a sponsored post. I was provided with product and compensated for my time. As always, all opinions are my own.