This chicken alla vodka pizza is a combination of crunchy chicken, crispy crust, and creamy vodka sauce. It quite literally, does not get any better than this.
Here are some other appetizers you should serve at your next party: Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters, Air Fryer Garlic Parm Wings, or Baked Italian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms.
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Grilling Pizza
Vodka pizza was always one of my wife's favorites growing up, so I knew I had to finally make her this pie. My parents and my wife's parents were friends before she and I even met. They would have pizza nights and my father-in-law would make pizza and my dad would make Italian Sausage Bread or Veggie Stromboli!
You don't need a pizza stone or a pizza oven, or anything special for this recipe. This can all be done in your oven or on your grill on a sheet pan. I prefer to use my grill for pizza but the oven will work just fine.
The grill is great for pizza because it can mimic the heat of a pizza oven. The grill gets super hot so you can get the crust nice and crispy and cooked really quickly.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Pizza Dough. We usually use a sourdough pizza recipe. But to keep it simple, just follow Roberta's pizza dough recipe or this NY pizza dough recipe. You can also just get dough from the supermarket. I try to use a 2-pound dough for pizzas on a sheet pan.
Vodka Sauce. The vodka sauce is the same as our Spicy Vodka Sauce without the calabrian peppers.
Chicken Tenderloins. If you don't have tenderloins, you could cut chicken breasts into chunks instead. When preparing chicken tenderloins, you have to remove the tendon before breading.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
How to Make Vodka Pizza
I'll separate the instructions into 3 pieces to make it easy.
Chicken Tenderloins
Step 1: Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, and garlic powder. Chop tenderloins into 1-inch pieces. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the tenderloins to the eggs. One at a time, transfer the tenderloins to the breadcrumb mixture, coat them with breadcrumbs, and set aside.
Step 2: Add olive oil to a saucepan and bring to medium-high heat. Fry the tenderloins in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Fry each side for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Set fried chicken on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
Vodka Sauce
Step 3: Add the pancetta to the cold pan. Bring a saucepan to medium heat. Fry until the fat renders and the pancetta becomes golden brown. It should take about 8-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta and set it aside.
Step 4: Stir in the shallots and saute until soft. Add in the tomato paste and combine everything. Allow the tomato paste to caramelize for 2 minutes.
Step 5: Pour in the vodka to deglaze the pan. Scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan for the flavor. Reduce the vodka until it is almost completely absorbed by the shallots. Pour in the peeled tomatoes and gently break them apart with a wooden spoon.
Bring the tomatoes to a boil. Return everything to a simmer, add in the basil and salt, and return the pancetta to the sauce. Simmer for 25 minutes then remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream.
Assembling and cooking the pizza
Step 6: Preheat the grill to high. Let the heat get up to 600 degrees. Or if you're cooking in the oven preheat to 450 degrees.
Roll out your pizza dough to the desired shape. Place the dough on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Add 1-2 ladles of sauce to the dough and spread it around. Then add the chicken. Top with mozzarella cheese.
Step 7: Place the baking sheet right on the grill and cook on the grill for 5-7 minutes or in the oven for 12 -16 minutes.
In the summer, we are a pizza-once-a-week household. Making pizza is a family activity, plus, everyone loves pizza. We LOVE experimenting with different flavors and ingredients, but vodka sauce pizza has always held a special place in our hearts. The sauce is so creamy and it matches perfectly with crunchy fried chicken tenderloins and crispy sourdough crust.
When the weather changes in the winter we switch from pizza to stromboli and make Pepperoni Bread (Stromboli)!
Pro-Tips
- Always fry pancetta or guanciale starting from a cold pan. Bring the pan to medium heat and fry slowly to render the fat and create a crispy texture.
- You can cook the pizza in the oven, but I prefer to cook pizza on the grill because it gets so hot, similar to a pizza oven. So if you grill it, put the grill on high, and let it preheat until it's 500-600 degrees. Place the baking tray directly on the grill. Check every few minutes until the bottom crust starts browning.
Recipe FAQs
Place the pizza in the oven and then preheat to 375 degrees. Once the oven is preheated the pizza will only need another 2-3 minutes until it is ready.
Yes, you can cook it in the oven at 450 for 12-16 minutes. The pizza crust will be much crispier cooked on the grill and will cook much faster.
Yes, but the alcohol will cook off in the sauce. You could skip the alcohol if you wanted to.
More Recipes You'll Find in a Pizzeria
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Alla Vodka Pizza
Equipment
- 2 large saucepan
- 1 baking tray
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough
- 1-2 cup mozzarella
- ½ cup parmesan
Vodka Sauce
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup vodka
- 1 28 oz can peeled tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 basil leaves
- ½ cup heavy cream
Chicken Tenderloins
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Start by removing your pizza dough from the refrigerator and bringing it to room temperature.
Vodka Sauce
- Add the pancetta to a cold pan, bring to medium heat, and fry until the fat renders and the pancetta becomes golden brown, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta and set it aside. Stir in the shallots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and combine everything. Allow the tomato paste to cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the vodka and deglaze the pan, scraping off all the brown bits. Reduce the vodka until it is no longer liquid and the mixture is mostly tomato and shallots. Pour in the peeled tomatoes and gently break them apart with a wooden spoon. Bring the tomatoes to a boil and then return to a simmer. Add in the basil and salt and return the pancetta to the sauce. Simmer for 25 minutes then remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream.
Chicken tenderloins
- Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, and garlic powder. Chop tenderloins into 1-inch pieces. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the tenderloins to the eggs. One at a time transfer the tenderloins to the breadcrumb mixture and coat and set aside.
- Add olive oil to a saucepan and bring to medium-high heat. Fry the tenderloins in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Fry each side for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Set fried chicken on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Toss the chicken in a cup of vodka sauce.
Assembling and cooking the pizza
- Preheat the grill to high or the oven to 450 ℉
- Roll out your pizza dough to the desired shape and place it on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Add 1-2 ladles of sauce to the dough and spread it around. Then add the chicken. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cook on the grill for 5-7 minutes or in the oven for 12-16 minutes.
Notes
- Always fry pancetta or guanciale starting from a cold pan. Bring the pan to medium heat and fry slowly to render the fat and create a crispy texture.
- You can cook the pizza in the oven, but I prefer to cook pizza on the grill because it gets so hot, similar to a pizza oven. So if you grill it, put the grill on high, and let it preheat until it's 500-600 degrees. Place the baking tray directly on the grill. Check every few minutes until the bottom crust starts browning.
Vinny
One of my favorite pizza toppings. You're going to love this one!