Pizza Jerky - Pizza Flavoured Ground Chicken Jerky

A pile of pizza flavored chicken jerky on a cutting board, with some fresh basil.

5 from 1 vote

Pizza Jerky - Pizza Flavoured Ground Chicken Jerky

This Pizza Jerky Recipe is a fun one - it's a ground chicken jerky that's loaded with pizza flavour, courtesy of pepperoni & lots of herbs!

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Total Time4 15

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose

Servings: Servings

Calories: 70kcal

Equipment

1 Jerky Gun
1 Food Dehydrator

Ingredients

1 lb Lean Ground Chicken
¼ cup Plain Tomato Sauce
¼ cup Finely Chopped Pepperoni
1 tablespoon Water
2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes Optional
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
¼ teaspoon Prague Powder #1 Cure

Instructions

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.
Measure the tomato sauce, pepperoni (the finer chopped, the better!), 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 the pizza jerky strips out onto them, leaving some space in between each.
Dehydrate in a food dehydrator at 165 F for 2 hours.
Once two hours has passed, remove the pizza jerky strips from the parchment, flip them over, and place them directly onto the wire rack.
Return to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours. (Actual time will depend on the thickness of the pizza flavoured jerky strips.)
To test for doneness, remove a piece of 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!)
Allow pizza chicken jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Notes

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.

Nutrition