In partnership with Cabot Creamery Cooperative
The seasons are changing and summertime here in Colorado seems to be waning. We still have some hot days but the new cooler weather is making us think of comfort foods to share with our family. This recipe for Chicken Parm Pizza on the Traeger, covered in melty Cabot Creamery Cooperative cheese, is a fun and different twist on a cozy favorite. Cook it up on your grill today!
CHICKEN PARMESAN AND PIZZA- MAKE IT BOTH
You may be thinking that chicken parm and pizza are usually siblings on an Italian bistro but in this recipe you marry them to make the ideal delicious couple. Stick with me… because it’s not as simple as chicken parm atop a pizza (although that would be delicious).
Rather, we use ground chicken blended with cheese as the base of this “pizza”, fry it on the Traeger until cooked through and crisp on the outside. Then we topped it with marinara sauce and lots of Cabot mozzarella and put it back on the Traeger until the cheese melts and begins to turn golden brown.
What you end up with is an amazing nearly-keto friendly bite that has all the memorable flavors of both chicken parmesan and pizza. It’s amazing!
CHICKEN IS YOUR CRUST
This recipe uses ground chicken, breadcrumbs, cheese and egg to make the “crust” for the pizzas. Mixed together with herbs and spices, the chicken is then formed into discs and frozen between layers of parchment paper until firm.
DON’T FORGET THE CHEESE
What makes this recipe so delicious is the cheese throughout. By adding cheese to the chicken crust ingredients, you end up with a very tasty and moist result. We used Cabot’s Shredded Mozzarella cheese in this cook–both in the crust and on top– and it was amazing. The cheese that Cabot makes is flavorful, has a nice balance of moisture and comes conveniently shredded and bagged for easy use. In addition, there are no fillers in this cheese, which means we’re getting cheese that is mild-flavored, semi-soft and has incredible texture.
Mozzarella, made from whole milk, is known for its easy melting and this is just what we needed in this recipe. We wanted our Chicken Parm PIzza, baked on the Traeger, to be piping hot with melty cheese in every bite– and that’s just what we got!
FREEZE THE CHICKEN UNTIL NEARLY FROZEN
It’s imperative that you make this recipe with adequate time for at least an hour in the freezer. The chicken blend, while full of great ingredients like cheese and breadcrumbs, is inherently going to be soft and somewhat hard to handle.
Use sheets of parchment paper as you’re forming the chicken rounds– do it right on the paper– and then put those in the freezer flat until they are almost frozen through. With this recipe, you’ll have two opportunities to ensure the chicken is cooked through, so getting it as frozen as possible is really important.
BREADED AND FRIED
Once the chicken mixture is frozen in discs, you’ll want to get a pan of vegetable oil piping hot on the Traeger’s auxiliary induction burner. Dip the chicken in egg wash and then more breadcrumbs and carefully slide the chicken disc into the hot oil.
Fry it until golden brown, turning once if you’re able, and then carefully remove the chicken from the oil and drain on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Breading station 
Shallow fry in vegetable oil
NOW MAKE IT PIZZA!
Once the chicken discs are cooked and golden brown, now is the time to make them into pizza. Chicken Parm pizza, coming right up.
Preheat the Traeger Grill to 375* and place the chicken patties on a cookie sheet. Top each chicken crust with marinara sauce (Rao’s is our family favorite). You can also use pesto sauce (check out my cookbook for a recipe for that) or another sauce of your liking.
MORE CHEESE, PLEASE
Top the sauce with lots of Cabot’s shredded mozzarella cheese and some of my Garlic Junkie seasoning. Then put the tray in the hot Traeger and cook the chicken parmesan pizzas until the cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden brown.
We used three different sauces– traditional marinara, spicy marinara and homemade pesto 
A trio of pizzas before cheese 
Top each chicken parm pizza generously with Cabot cheese
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Cabot Creamery Cooperative Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Ground chicken breast
- Italian Breadcrumbs
- My Garlic Junkie Seasoning blend
- Egg
- Marinara or pizza sauce of your preference (pesto, etc.)
- Basil
- Balsamic glaze
- Pizza toppings (pepperoni, veggies, etc) optional
WHY COOKING CHICKEN PARM PIZZA ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
This recipe for chicken parm pizza works perfectly on the Traeger grill because both steps of the process– the frying and then the baking– can happen on the same grill which keeps your kitchen cool and your dinner hot.
By using the auxiliary induction burner on the Traeger Timberline XL for the frying process, you keep the splatter and mess of shallow frying the chicken patties out of the house. In addition, it cuts down on the lingering scent of fried food that is often present after cooking indoors.
The Traeger grill gets super hot and works as an incredible convection oven when fueled with wood pellets. We cranked up the heat for this cook to get the cheese melted through and beginning to turn golden brown. The end result is tender and flavorful chicken parm pizza that doesn’t dirty a pan in the house! Traeger for the win!
STEP-BY-STEP
- In a bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic junkie, ½ cup of the Cabot shredded mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of the breadcrumbs.
- Add one egg, beaten, and mix well to combine.
- Prepare a cookie sheet or cutting board with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Using your hands, divide the chicken mixture into three balls and place one ball on the paper.
- Flatten the chicken mixture into a round disc.
- Use a pot lid to make an even circle, if desired.
- The chicken should be about ½ an inch thick.
- Repeat with remaining chicken and then place all discs in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.
- While the chicken cools, prepare a deep cast iron dutch oven with about 1.5 inches of vegetable oil.
- Preheat the oil over medium heat on the Traeger Timberline XL induction burner.
- While the oil heats, prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- In two bowls, prepare the breading for the chicken.
- One bowl should have beaten egg, the other seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Remove the chicken from the freezer and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Dip the frozen chicken in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs, turning to coat.
- One-at-a-time, slide the breaded chicken disc into the hot oil.
- Allow the chicken to fry 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Flip the chicken carefully to cook the other side.
- Remove the chicken from the oil using a slotted spatula.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 375*.
- Arrange the fried chicken pieces on a cookie sheet.
- Top each chicken crust with marinara sauce, toppings (if desired) and lots more shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the chicken parm pizzas in the Traeger for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (165*) and the cheese is melted and turning golden brown.
- Top each chicken parm pizza with chopped basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze and enjoy!
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
Here are some similar recipes that might meet your fancy after trying this chicken parm pizza on the Traeger!
Products used in this cook:
- Our family loves using Cabot Creamery Co-operative’s amazing suite of cheeses and their shredded mozzarella cheese works particularly well in this kind of recipe. Not only does the quality of the cheese stand out, but the distinct and slightly nutty flavor of the cheese comes through really well with this combination of ingredients. Not only are we using amazing ingredients in our cooking, but we are using products made by a certified B-Corp that has an intent focus on sustainability, land stewardship, and being good community citizens. As a B-Corp, Cabot Creamery Cooperative has hung their hat on being positive contributors to community and environmental problems. As an elementary teacher, getting to partner with a company like Cabot means that I’m demonstrating to my students how corporate citizenship can make a positive impact!
- Traeger grill– We use our grill to cook everything from steaks and roasts to dessert and sides. It is versatile and imparts some great wood-fired flavor in everything we cook!
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Chicken Parm Pizza on the Traeger
Equipment
- Traeger grill
- Cast iron pan or skillet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Spatulas
- Cookie sheet and wire rack
- Cutting board
- Pizza cutter or knife
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups Cabot Creamery Cooperative Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 1.5 cups Italian Breadcrumbs divided
- 5 tbsp My Garlic Junkie Seasoning blend
- 3 Eggs
- 3 cups marinara or pizza sauce of your preference pesto, etc.
- Handful of fresh basil
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
- Pizza toppings pepperoni, veggies, etc optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic junkie, ½ cup of the Cabot shredded mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of the breadcrumbs.
- Add one egg, beaten, and mix well to combine.
- Prepare a cookie sheet or cutting board with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Using your hands, divide the chicken mixture into three balls and place one ball on the paper.
- Flatten the chicken mixture into a round disc.
- Use a pot lid to make an even circle, if desired.
- The chicken should be about ½ an inch thick.
- Repeat with remaining chicken and then place all discs in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.
- While the chicken cools, prepare a deep cast iron dutch oven with about 1.5 inches of vegetable oil.
- Preheat the oil over medium heat on the Traeger Timberline XL induction burner.
- While the oil heats, prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- In two bowls, prepare the breading for the chicken.
- One bowl should have beaten egg, the other seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Remove the chicken from the freezer and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Dip the frozen chicken in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs, turning to coat.
- One-at-a-time, slide the breaded chicken disc into the hot oil.
- Allow the chicken to fry 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Flip the chicken carefully to cook the other side.
- Remove the chicken from the oil using a slotted spatula.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 375*.
- Arrange the fried chicken pieces on a cookie sheet.
- Top each chicken crust with marinara sauce, toppings (if desired) and lots more shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the chicken parmesan pizzas in the Traeger for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (165*) and the cheese is melted and turning golden brown.
- Top each chicken parmesan pizza with chopped basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze and enjoy!
This looks fantastic! Gonna try this soon!
Thanks! It’s a tasty twist on two family favs.