June 1, 2026 · white-pizza
Chicken, Bacon & Ranch
Cooked on our Ninja Woodfire
The crowd-pleaser we weren't going to put on the site. Herby ranch base, roasted chicken, crispy bacon, scallions. It always goes first.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 7 min
- Total
- 27 min
- Servings
- One 10–12 inch pizza
We resisted putting this one on the site for a while. It doesn’t fit the aesthetic. It’s not regional. It’s not something you’d find at a New Haven apizza institution.
It’s also one of the first pies to disappear at a pizza night.
The ranch base is the key — made from scratch, heavy on dill and chives, tangy enough to hold its own against the smoky bacon and the richness of the chicken. Don’t use bottled ranch dressing. The ratio matters, and it takes four minutes to mix. Once you’ve had it on a properly browned crust, the bottled version won’t seem like the same thing.
It’s earned its spot in our rotation.
Notes
On the mozzarella: Low-moisture here, not fresh. Fresh mozzarella releases too much water for a pie that already has a creamy base — you’ll get a soggy center. Part-skim low-moisture shredded mozzarella is the right call.
On the chicken: Rotisserie chicken from a grocery store works as well as anything we’ve tried from scratch. The bake is short and the chicken isn’t raw, so what matters is that it’s well-seasoned going on. Pull it from the bone while still warm and season with salt.
On the ranch: The scratch ranch takes four minutes. The difference between it and bottled is significant enough that it’s not worth the shortcut here. If you only have bottled, thicken it slightly with a tablespoon of sour cream and add fresh dill if you have it.
On the kids: This is the pizza kids actually eat. If you’re hosting pizza night with children, make this one first.
Related
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make the ranch base
Combine all ranch ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste — it should be tangy, herby, and well-seasoned. This base is thicker than pourable ranch dressing; it should hold its shape on the dough. If it's too thick to spread, add another small splash of buttermilk. This keeps in the fridge for 4–5 days. We always make a double batch.
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Cook the bacon and prep the chicken
Cook the bacon until genuinely crispy — not chewy, crispy. It's going on a hot stone and needs to survive the bake without turning to rubber. Drain on paper towels, then crumble into pieces. If using rotisserie chicken, shred the meat and season lightly with salt and pepper. If cooking from scratch, a simple roast or poached breast works. Either way, the chicken should be pre-cooked — it won't have enough time to cook through on the stone.
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Stretch and oil
Stretch your dough and lay it on a well-floured peel. Brush the surface lightly with oil.
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Preheat and par-bake
Preheat the Ninja Woodfire to 550°F for about 20 minutes and confirm the stone reads around 540°F with an infrared thermometer. Launch the oiled dough bare and par-bake it for about 1 minute 30 seconds.
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Top the shell
Pull the shell back onto the peel. Spread the ranch base evenly across the surface, leaving a ¾-inch border. Scatter the shredded mozzarella over the ranch. Distribute the chicken and half the scallions. Add the bacon crumbles. Finish with the Parmigiano and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Don't overload the pie. This one has several components, and the instinct is always to add more of everything. Resist. A crowded pie takes longer to bake and the crust suffers.
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Bake
Slide it back onto the stone and bake for about 5 minutes without turning. The mozzarella should be fully melted and beginning to brown, and the crust deeply golden underneath. Because this pie has a creamy base, check the underside before pulling — it can look done on top while the bottom needs another minute.
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Finish
Off the peel, scatter the remaining raw scallions across the top. The contrast between cooked and fresh scallion is subtle but right. Optional: a thin drizzle of extra ranch base, straight from the bowl, across the finished pie. This is not subtle. People will comment on it.
Gear we used
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Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven (OO101)
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La Baleine fine sea salt
What we call for in the ranch base.