It's True, You Can Make A Crispy Pizza Crust Out Of ... Canned Chicken?

Most would argue that pizza is never better than the kind that comes from a pizzeria, but some people don't have much choice. If a gluten allergy prevents you from consuming the crust or you're committed to following a keto diet, you usually have to resort to making pizza at home if you want to indulge. Unfortunately, carb-free or gluten-free pizzas typically rely on ingredients that can have textural issues. Cauliflower crust, for example, can easily crumble or turn out soggy, while crust made from gluten-free flour can be dry and dense. What you need instead is canned chicken.

Though chicken is probably the last thing you'd think to substitute flour for, it works surprisingly well as a pizza crust and is crispy, too. It isn't by any means indistinguishable from real pizza dough, but it's tasty and does the job. And as a bonus, it's also high in protein. Even if you're simply craving pizza at home and don't have the traditional ingredients, it can still serve as a reliable alternative.

Pizza crust made with canned chicken doesn't form a dough. Instead, as TikToker Jackie Hartlaub demonstrated in a viral video, it forms a mushy mixture that you need to press into the shape of a pie crust. The recipe involves combining a can of chicken with egg, grated parmesan cheese — ideally the kind in the green canister — plus seasoning of your choice. Once mixed, it can be transferred to a lined baking tray and flattened into a pizza crust. For optimal results, warm the chicken slightly so it's hot enough to begin melting the cheese, but not hot enough to cook the egg. This will ensure the components bind together like a dough rather than falling apart.

When opting for a chicken-based pizza crust, it's best to stick to using canned chicken or leftover chicken, as it's drier and will result in a crispier pizza crust. It is possible to make it with fresh chicken, however it may need a longer cooking time to dry out for a crust-like texture.

Store-bought canned chicken doesn't have the best reputation because it often lacks the flavor of freshly cooked chicken. However, when it comes to making a carb-free pizza crust, this blandness comes as an advantage. Crust made out of almond flour has a distinct nuttiness, while crust made out of pure parmesan cheese results in a pizza with a heavy cheese-on-cheese flavor. Canned chicken is more of a blank slate because the combination of the bland chicken, egg, and parmesan cheese won't overwhelm your pizza.

Some commenters on the viral TikTok said that canned chicken and grated parmesan can taste salty together, so you may want to get canned chicken with no added salt or low in sodium. But aside from a few complaints about saltiness, most people seem satisfied with the taste and texture, and even those who said it doesn't taste 100% like the real deal still had positive things to say about it.