Keto Pizza Crust (no cauliflower, no yeast)
Patricia @ ButterYum
It seems like just about everyone is reducing their carb intake these days. It's true, even my husband has been eating low-carb. It's also true that my husband's favorite food is pizza - which we all know is most definitely not a low-carb food. That is, until now.
Probably the most popular low-carb pizza crust recipe floating around out there is made with cauliflower that has to be grated, cooked, strained, and squeezed with every ounce of your strength before you can use it. And I bet you didn’t know cauliflower contains a lot of carbs. But the recipe I'm going to share with you today is much easier to make, and it has NO carbs! Also, it’s a great no-yeast pizza crust even if you’re not counting carbs! Alright, let me show you how to make it.
You'll need 3 simple ingredients to make this crust - eggs, grated parmesan or romano cheese, and...
The magic ingredient.... high quality canned chicken!
After trying several brands, we decided we like Kirkland Signature from Costco the best.
See how the chunks of chicken are nice and big? Some lower quality brands of chicken are mushy and pasty - try to avoid mushy and pasty chicken. Anyway, drain the water from the can. This nifty tool will keep your hands dry and clean while draining all that juice from the can. I also love using this safety can opener to eliminate sharp can edges.
Use a spatula to gently press the chicken to remove any last drops of water. What started out as a 12.5-ounce can of chicken really ends up being about 7.5 ounces of drained chicken.
Spread both cans of drained chicken out on a parchment lined sheet pan, breaking up large chunks. Place in a preheated 350F oven for about 10 minutes to dry the chicken a bit.
After the chicken comes out of the oven raise the temperature to 500F. Notice how the color of the chicken has deepened. Allow the chicken to cool for several minutes before proceeding.
When the chicken is cool, combine it with the eggs and cheese. I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade attachment to do this, but you can mix it by hand.
See how nicely the stand mixer and BeaterBlade does the job?
Update: one of my readers suggested processing the mixture in a food processor, which makes it easier to spread. This is now our preferred method.
Divide the chicken mixture in half and use your fingers to press it into two 6x9-inch rectangles right on the same parchment lined sheet pan (below).
Update: We now spread each portion on its own half sheet pan so we can press it out as large (and thin) as possible. Bake each crust individually.
When the oven temperature reaches 500F, prebake the crusts for 10 minutes.
Remove the crust from the oven and add the usual toppings. Tomato sauce....
PS - here's a link to my San Marzano Tomato Sauce. If time is an issue, here’s a link to my Busy Weeknight Marinara.
Mozzarella cheese...
And for this particular pizza, I added some sauteed onions and mushrooms. Sometimes I like sausage crumbles and green peppers. My husband especially likes pepperoni on his. Add whatever pizza toppings you like!
Return the pizza to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the mozzarella cheese is bubbly and brown.
Cool for 5 minutes before cutting with a pizza wheel.
I know you're wondering about the bottom crust so here's a quick shot - not bad, eh?
Like traditional pizza crust, this recipe is crisp around the edges, chewy in the center, and it gets firmer as it cools. It truly is the very best non-traditional pizza crust we’ve tried. We really love it and I hope you will too.
Items used to make this recipe:
(affiliate links)
half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3SWhfRb
parchment paper https://amzn.to/3r5IbjG
pizza peel https://amzn.to/3T1FUUF
pizza wheel https://amzn.to/3U5fPp8
stand mixer https://amzn.to/3sUVQxb
beaterblade attachment https://amzn.to/3h06os9
food processor https://amzn.to/3TgDOk1
sieve https://amzn.to/3sU2Vhz
can strainer https://amzn.to/3uyLLbt
safety can opener https://amzn.to/3siNf5O
Low-Carb Keto Pizza Crust
makes 8 servings
Ingredients
25 ounces canned premium chicken in water, drained
3 large eggs
3 ounces grated parmesan or romano cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F, line a half sheet pan with parchment, and place oven rack in upper third position.
Drain canned chicken and spread out on parchment paper, breaking up large clumps.
Bake chicken for 10 minutes, then remove from oven to cool for several minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 500F (see note below).
Combine precooked chicken, eggs, and cheese well (do this in a stand mixer, or even better, use a food processor).
Divide chicken mixture in half and press each out into a large rectangle on two parchment-lined half sheet pans; bake for 10 minutes.
To make pizza: top crusts with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings (meats should be precooked). Bake in 500F oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Note
Cook’s Illustrated has spoken with parchment paper manufacturers and they report it is safe to use parchment above the suggested temperature range (even as high as 500F) for up to 30 minutes. The paper will not release toxic chemicals or catch on fire, but it will turn very dark brown and become quite brittle
adapted from ketoconnect.com
