Easy Pesto Chicken Flatbread Recipe (Better Than Pizza!)

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A rectangular Lemon Artichoke Pesto Chicken Flatbread topped with melted cheese, juicy chicken chunks, and fresh herbs, served on a wooden board.

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4.75 from 4 votes

Easy Pesto Chicken Flatbread Recipe (Better Than Pizza!)

This Pesto Chicken Flatbread features homemade dough topped with artichoke lemon pesto, tender chicken, and smoked gouda cheese. Perfect for dinner or entertaining with gourmet flavors in every bite!

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Total Time1 10

Servings: flatbreads

Calories: 2398kcal

Author: Barbara Schieving

Ingredients

2 ½ - 3 cups bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoon 1 package Red Star Quick Rise or Platinum Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water 120° to 130°
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup cooked chicken diced
2 cups shredded smoked gouda cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

Artichoke Lemon Pesto

6.5- ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts drained
⅓ cup parmesan cheese
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cloves garlic minced
pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour, yeast, and salt. Add warm water and oil to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Switch to the dough hook and gradually mix in remaining flour to make a smooth dough, add more or less flour as necessary. Knead for 5 minutes.
Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough doubles, about 45 minutes.
While dough is rising, preheat oven to 450°F with a pizza stone on the center rack.
Punch the dough down, and divide dough in to 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Let dough rest five minutes covered. Use your hands to flatten each piece of dough in to large oval shape about ¼ inch thick on a piece of parchment paper.
Spread 3 tablespoons pesto on each oval. Top with chicken, gouda and Parmesan cheeses.
Bake each flatbread on the pizza stone until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese is melted and starting to brown about 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley when you remove the flatbread from the oven.
Artichoke Lemon PestoPulse all ingredients in a small food processor until well blended.

Notes

Dough consistency matters: The dough should feel slightly tacky but pull away from your fingers. Too sticky means add more flour; too dry means add water one tablespoon at a time.
Pizza stone is key: Preheating the stone for a full 30 minutes ensures a crispy bottom. If you don't have one, use an inverted baking sheet preheated the same way.
Customize your toppings: Swap gouda for mozzarella, add sun-dried tomatoes, or use shredded rotisserie chicken for even faster prep. The pesto also works great on pasta or sandwiches.

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