Pizza Jerky

When we first bought our current food dehydrator, Pepperoni Jerky was one of the very first things we made.

Sure, it was super basic - store bought pepperoni, dehydrated into a vaguely “jerky” form. It was shelf stable, and a great way to sort of scratch the pizza craving itch while out on road trips.

It got me thinking, though... what if I designed a recipe for a jerky that REALLY tasted like pizza - rather than a component of pizza.

Today, I’m happy to share the recipe that resulted... one that quickly became one of our favourite jerky recipes yet!

It starts with a base of ground chicken, as it’s mildly flavoured and provides a neutral base for all the pizza flavours we add.

From there, the ingredients might not be traditional jerky ingredients, but they get the job done: pizza sauce, pureed pepperoni, and herbs.

In the end, it creates a traditional ground jerky... that absolutely tastes like pizza. It’s also super easy to make!

Anyway, enough backgrounder... let’s look at what you’ll need to put on a batch of homemade pizza jerky for yourself!

Equipment

There are two specialized pieces of equipment that I use for making jerky, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups:

A Food Dehydrator

While you *could* make homemade pizza jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. (Really, more for something specialized ... like pizza jerky!)

I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch (varying by recipe) - let’s average that out to 12. That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a food grade caulking gun that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Ingredients

With only 2 exceptions, the ingredients in this Pizza jerky recipe are super simple - you probably even have them on hand!

As for those last two, they may be specialty, but I use them in pretty much all of my jerky recipes. They’ll definitely get used, if you’re a jerky fan!

Some notes for you:

Lean Ground Chicken

Use the highest quality ground chicken you can when making chicken jerky.

While fresh or frozen will usually work in my jerky recipes, I recommend using fresh in this one, just due to the amount of liquid ingredients we’re adding.

Thawed, previously-frozen ground chicken can end up a bit more “watery”, and dry down to a thinner jerky than fresh ground chicken does, in my experience... and that’s before adding all of the hot sauce!

If you want to make your own ground chicken, trim some boneless skinless chicken breasts - plain chicken - and run them through a food processor or meat grinder until well broken down.

Lean chicken breast meat will have a better shelf life than higher fat dark meat will - fat can go rancid.

Finally, if you want to make turkey jerky, feel free to use the same amount of lean ground turkey. For that matter, you can swap the meat our for whatever kind of ground meat you prefer!

Liquid Smoke

As with all of my jerkies, you’ll need some Liquid Smoke - a little goes a lot way!

I only use a small amount in this pizza jerky recipe, to give it a traditional “jerky” flavour - it’s not at all overpowering, just an accent.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market. It’s not something you’ll normally cook with, but it’ll last a long time - a little goes a long way!

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages - and is what gives beef jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It does this by preventing the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

A couple of things to note:

1. Prague Powder is pink, but it is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier pizza chicken jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Pepperoni of Choice (Ideally sliced)
Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
Ground Black Pepper
Plain Tomato Sauce
Dried Oregano
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dried Thyme
Dried Basil
Salt

... as always, I don’t really have anything to add, when it comes to these last few ingredients!

How to Make Pizza Chicken Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

Chop your pepperoni.

Measure the tomato sauce, pepperoni, water, garlic powder, dried herbs, liquid smoke, salt, black pepper, and Prague powder into a mini food processor.

Blend until the pepperoni is basically pureed, and a thick paste forms.

In a medium mixing bowl - using freshly washed or gloved hands - mix the pepperoni paste and dried pepper flakes into the ground chicken.

Be sure to mix it REALLY well - for best results, it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it.

Use a spoon to load the mixture into a jerky gun, taking care to avoid creating air bubbles.

Line your dehydrator racks with the cut parchment paper, then pipe your jerky strips out onto them, leaving some space in between each.

Return to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours. (Actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken strips.)

To test for doneness, remove a piece of pizza jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

Pizza Flavoured Chicken Jerky Storage

Your homemade Pizza Jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week or so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of ground chicken jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening..

More Homemade Ground Chicken Jerky Recipes

Here are a few more tasty ways to make jerky from ground chicken:

Buffalo Wing Chicken Jerky
Chipotle Chicken Jerky
General Tso's Chicken Jerky
Gingerbread Chicken Jerky
Honey Garlic Chicken Jerky
Italian Sausage Jerky
Jalapeno Ground Chicken Jerky
Jerk Chicken Jerky
Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Shawarma Chicken Jerky
Spicy Garlic Chicken Jerky
Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky
Sriracha Chicken Jerky