Enjoy the tastiest Low Sodium Chicken Margherita Pizza on your next pizza night! It has all the wonderful flavors of a traditional margherita pizza with chicken as a delicious addition.
Learning to make low sodium pizza is a game changer if you live a low sodium lifestyle. Most pizzas are extremely high in sodium due to the combination of the sodium in the pizza dough and high-sodium toppings like cheese, sausage, and pepperoni. This Chicken Margherita Pizza is a low sodium pizza-lover’s dream!
Margherita pizza is a Neapolitan pizza traditionally made with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil on a thin, crispy crust. I love it because it’s made without tomato sauce, which allows the flavors of the ingredients to stand out. It’s perfectly delicious in its traditional form and even better and more filling with chicken.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough: You can use a low sodium store-bought dough (if you can find one, please share) or make my Homemade Low Sodium Pizza Crust.
Chicken Breasts – I use thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts because the thinner pieces cook faster, but you can cut standard-sized chicken breasts instead.
Grape Tomatoes – Grape tomatoes are my favorite choice for this recipe because I always have them on hand, and they maintain their shape even after they’re sautéed.
Fresh Mozzarella – Look for fresh mozzarella in a ball or log (some are even pre-sliced) wrapped tightly in plastic, not in water. Mozzarella stored in water can cause your pizza crust to bake up soggy. If you use mozzarella stored in water, pat it completely dry with a paper towel before adding it to your pizza.
Swiss Cheese – I use Swiss cheese in many recipes because it’s low sodium and melts like mozzarella.
Shredded Mozzarella: Choose the lowest sodium shredded mozzarella you can find. Mixing the mozzarella with the shredded Swiss cheese gives you all the melty cheese pulls without excess sodium.
Fresh Basil Leaves – Fresh basil is the traditional topping for a margherita pizza, but a generous sprinkle of dried basil is also delicious. Add the dried basil as soon as the pizza comes out of the oven. The heat will warm the basil, enhancing its flavor.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – This is optional but delicious if you like spicy. Like the basil, add this while the pizza is still piping hot.
Tools
How to Make Low Sodium Chicken Margherita Pizza
Roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch circle or use your fingers to gently press the dough into a pizza pan. Place the rolled dough onto a baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza pan. Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes while you prep the toppings.
Season the chicken with half the Italian seasoning, salt-free seasoning, and all of the pepper.
Sauté the chicken in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until it’s cooked through, then stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Cook just until the tomatoes begin to soften.
Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle it evenly with the shredded cheese. Top this with the chicken, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella pieces. Sprinkle the pizza with the remaining Italian seasoning and salt-free seasoning. Bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese melts.
Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle it with basil and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Slice and serve!
Chicken Margherita Pizza Variations
This pizza, like most others, is easy to adapt to suit your tastes, time, and pantry. Don’t have time for a homemade crust? Pick up a ball of dough from your grocery store. Look for a dough with the lowest sodium possible, or buy a low sodium pre-baked crust. Check out my list of the Best Low Sodium Store Bought Pizza Crust here.
If you use a pre-baked crust, your cooking time will be a few minutes less than the recipe calls for. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and the crust is as crispy as you like it.
If you don’t have grape or cherry tomatoes, you can slice one or two Roma tomatoes instead. Just sauté them gently until they are heated through. High-quality canned crushed tomatoes like San Marzano tomatoes are the most common substitute for fresh tomatoes, but those can be high in sodium, so be sure to check the label. (DeLallo San Marzano tomatoes contain 65 mg sodium per ½ cup.) One cup of drained, no-salt-added crushed tomatoes will also work wonderfully.
Mixing up the seasonings is another simple way to personalize this pizza. Spice it up with Tony Chachere’s No Salt Creole Seasoning, or use a salt-free Lemon Pepper seasoning for a brighter bite. (Omit the additional pepper in the recipe if you go this route.) My All-Purpose Salt-Free Seasoning Blend is my personal favorite.
Low Sodium Chicken Margherita Pizza FAQs
How much sodium is in this recipe?
One slice of this pizza contains 92 mg sodium.
What’s the difference between shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella?
Fresh mozzarella contains more water than shredded mozzarella. It’s often sold packed in water to maintain moisture. Fresh mozzarella typically has much less sodium per ounce than dried or shredded mozzarella because the salt used to remove moisture from the cheese isn’t necessary. One ounce of fresh mozzarella can contain as little as 65 mg sodium per ounce. One ounce of shredded mozzarella typically contains 180 mg sodium.
Can I use cooked chicken on this pizza?
Yes! This is an excellent way to use leftover cooked chicken. If you’re using cooked chicken, toss the cooked chicken in the pan AFTER you sauté the garlic and tomatoes. Your cooking time will remain about the same to ensure the crust is fully cooked and nice and crispy.
More Pizza Recipes
Love low sodium pizza? Check out my Low Sodium Pizza with Italian Sausage & Peppers and my super easy Homemade Low Sodium Pizza Crust.
Low Sodium Chicken Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Homemade Low Sodium Pizza Crust or 1 lb ball low sodium pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 thinly-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (8 oz)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon, divided, Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon, divided, salt free seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
- ¼ cup shredded Swiss cheese
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
- Optional, crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Roll pizza dough on a lightly-floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Use your fingers to gently press dough into pizza pan or place dough on a large baking sheet. Place dough in freezer for 10 minutes. (This helps prevent dough from shrinking when baked.)
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
- Season chicken with half the Italian seasoning, half the salt free seasoning, and all of the pepper. Add to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.)
- Stir in garlic and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to soften, 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over pizza crust. Top with chicken, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle with remaining italian seasoning and salt free seasoning.
- Bake pizza until the crust is crisp and golden brown and the cheese has melted, 15-20 minutes.
- Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle with basil and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you don’t have time to make a pizza crust from scratch, cheese the lowest sodium crust you can find.
I love the Shredded Gruyere & Swiss cheese from Aldi, but any Swiss cheese will be delicious. Be sure to check the label for the sodium content.
Nutrition Facts
Low Sodium Chicken Margherita Pizza
Serves: 8
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 slice
|
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|---|---|---|
| Calories | 196 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 8 g | 12.3% | |
| Saturated Fat 3 g | 15% | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 29 mg | 9.7% | |
| Sodium 92 mg | 3.8% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 19 g | 6.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 2 g | 8% | |
| Sugars 0 g | ||
| Protein 13 g | ||
| Vitamin A 7% | Vitamin C 11% | |
| Calcium 13% | Iron 15% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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