The best thing about homemade pizza is all the possibilities. You can mix and match your favorite pizza toppings to make a pie you can’t find on a restaurant menu—like this chicken Alfredo pizza.
This white pizza turns a typical pasta dish on its head. We take a semi-homemade approach and use a prebaked thin pizza crust. There are so many good premade pizza crusts, and we don’t always have time to wait for the pizza dough to rise on a busy weeknight.
The Alfredo sauce, though, we make from scratch. Sure, you can absolutely use jarred sauce, but we promise you won’t be sorry if you make a homemade version. This rich sauce is surprisingly easy, especially when you do it the old-fashioned way like we do here.
Ingredients for Chicken Alfredo Pizza
- Prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust: We usually use a store-bought pizza crust. If you want to make homemade thin-crust pizza dough, you’ll need to par-bake the dough. Roll it out and prick it all over with a fork. Par-bake it in the oven for a few minutes until it just turns golden.
- Cooked chicken: Cubed cooked chicken breast has a nice, chewy texture that works great on pizza. You could also use shredded chicken from a leftover rotisserie bird. If you’d prefer to start with raw chicken breasts, use one 6-ounce chicken breast to make 1 cup of cubed, cooked chicken.
- Baby portobello mushrooms: This type of mushroom is more robust than its cousin, the white button mushroom. Slice them thin, and you won’t have to pre-cook them before adding them to the pizza.
- Baby spinach: This leafy green wilts beautifully on pizza. To substitute mature spinach, give it a good wash and a quick chop.
- Heavy whipping cream: To make the Alfredo sauce, we use heavy whipping cream instead of lower-fat dairy like milk or half-and-half. Heavy cream naturally reduces into a luscious sauce without requiring a thickener, such as cornstarch or flour.
- Parmesan cheese: Parmesan gives the Alfredo sauce a nutty flavor. The melted cheese also adds richness and body, helping the sauce achieve a creamier consistency.
- Mozzarella cheese: Shredded mozzarella is a classic pizza topper. It gives the pie a golden-brown, bubbly finish.
Directions
Step 1: Make the Alfredo sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the heavy whipping cream. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the minced fresh parsley. Cool slightly.
Editor’s Tip: After reducing the cream, the sauce should be nice and thick. If it’s not to the desired consistency, check out the tips for thickening sauce in our guide to making easy Alfredo sauce.
Step 2: Top the pizza
Place the prebaked pizza crust on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread the Alfredo sauce onto the crust.
Top with the cooked chicken, sliced mushrooms, baby spinach and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 3: Bake the pizza
Bake at 450°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
Recipe Variations
- Make it low-carb: Swap in a cauliflower pizza crust to make low-carb chicken Alfredo pizza. (Our recipe also happens to be gluten-free.)
- Change the cheese: Parmesan or Romano cheeses are typical for Alfredo sauce, but you can get creative and use any melting cheese. To make the sauce creamier, add cubes of cream cheese. Or, add fun flavors with blue cheese, feta or goat cheese crumbles.
- Make a veggie Alfredo pizza: Skip the chicken and make this a vegetarian pizza. Add thinly sliced red onions, marinated artichoke hearts, finely chopped tomatoes and/or caramelized onions.
- Lighten it up: Use regular milk to create a lighter version of Alfredo sauce. Make a roux with 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour. After about two minutes, when the mixture is foamy and bubbling, slowly add a cup of milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, for about two minutes, or until thickened. Then, stir in the cheese as directed.
Can you make chicken Alfredo pizza ahead of time?
Yes! You can prepare the Alfredo sauce one to two days beforehand. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Whisk the sauce vigorously before using.
How do you store chicken Alfredo pizza?
Leftover chicken Alfredo pizza is good for up to four days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat leftover pizza on a preheated baking sheet in the oven or a skillet on the stovetop.
Can you freeze chicken Alfredo pizza?
We don’t recommend it. Unfortunately, when made without a roux, cream-based sauces don’t hold up well in the freezer. The sauce can separate, which would make the pizza quite messy.
Chicken Alfredo Pizza Tips
What is white pizza sauce made of?
We top our chicken Alfredo pizza with a white sauce made of heavy whipping cream, butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. However, there is no universal white sauce for pizza, so white pizza sauce recipes can vary. You can use creamy cheese such as mascarpone or ricotta, or keep it simple and use flavored oil as the base.
How do you thicken Alfredo sauce for chicken Alfredo pizza?
We thicken Alfredo sauce by reducing heavy cream. Heavy cream contains around 36% butterfat (compared to milk’s 2 to 5% or half-and-half’s 10 to 18% butterfat content). That means the water can evaporate when the cream simmers and leave behind a deliciously thick sauce.
