This delicious Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread Pizza is an easy 30-minute meal! This simple lunch or weeknight dinner even makes a great party appetizer.

This delicious Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread Pizza is an easy recipe that the whole family will love! An inexpensive loaf of French bread quickly becomes an amazing pizza with ranch dressing, juicy chicken, and crisp bacon. The best part – A 3-minute pre-bake step makes sure the bread never gets soggy! You will love using this easy method to make great meals with all your favorite pizza toppings!

Ingredients

Here is a quick rundown of what you will need for this French bread pizza recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card near the bottom.

French bread – You want the fresh loaf from the bakery section but not a baguette. The big French loaves are about a foot and a half long, around 4″ wide. If you do not find one, try a loaf of Italian bread – This is a little softer and wider, but it works in a pinch. Do not try a baguette; it does not make a great pizza crust because of all the air pockets.
Unsalted butter, Extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasoning, Garlic powder, Red pepper flakes – This gets brushed all over the bread before baking a thin cheese layer. This creates a super flavorful barrier between the bread and sauce, preventing the bread from becoming soggy.
Ranch dressing – This replaces your average tomato pizza sauce! If you prefer, you could replace about 1/4 cup of the ranch with marinara if you want to include more of a tomato flavor.
Shredded mozzarella – Feel free to use a pizza mix that includes parmesan if you’d like! You can always switch it up with different cheeses if you like.
Cooked chicken – This can be grilled, air fried, pressure cooked, baked, or slow cooked. Thin slices gives the easiest “pizza bite” texture, but feel free to use shredded if that is what you already have. I used chicken breast because it is what I had, but thighs or meat from a rotisserie works just as well.
Crumbled bacon – This can be leftover bacon from breakfast or even the canned bacon bits when you’re in a rush. Thick cut bacon makes great meaty bites and works well if you need to go light on the chicken. Sundried tomatoes would be a great, tangy substitute if you want to be pork-free.
We love topping these with some garnishes for the best flavor, texture, and appearance! We love grated parmesan cheese, sliced green onions, chopped fresh herbs, and more red pepper flakes. These are optional but highly recommended.

How to Make French Bread Pizza

You can create a great homemade pizza without messing with a finicky homemade pizza dough! Here is a step-by-step guide to creating the BEST French bread pizza that doesn’t get soggy in the middle.

Prep

butter, olive oil, and seasonings in a ramekin to be melted for the french bread pizza

Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl melt butter, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes (I microwaved in two 30-second bursts, stirring between the each). Set aside for now. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside for now as well.

Slice & flatten bread

a serrated bread knife slicing a french bread loaf in half horizontally on a wooden cutting board

two halves of french bread on a cutting board

First, slice the loaf of bread horizontally, like a hotdog bun except sliced all the way through. You want these two pieces to be as even as possible. Once cut, lay them on the baking sheet with the cut-side facing upwards. Use another baking sheet or heavy cutting board to gently press down on the bread. This flattening achieves two things: it prevents the bread from curling up during the baking process, and it ensures the pieces are of relatively equal thickness for even cooking.

Brush with oil & add cheese

a silicone brush adding a thin layer of seasoned garlic butter to both loaf halves

two loaf halves covered in garlic butter and a thin layer of mozzarella cheese

Once flattened, brush the garlic butter mixture over the entire length of the cut bread. Both pieces should be well covered. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the bread, creating a thin layer over the bread.

Prebake

Place the pan of bread in the oven and bake for just 3 minutes. Once the cheese is bubbly and the bread is just barely toasted, remove it from the oven. This step creates a barrier between the bread and the toppings, preventing it from becoming a sad, soggy pizza. You do not want to give it much time at all or the bread may get too browned later.

Add toppings

french bread halves coated in ranch dressing on parchment paper

Once you have prebaked the cheesy bread, begin layering your ranch dressing, sliced chicken, bacon bits, and mozzarella cheese. If you prefer the crispiest bacon ever, place it on top of your cheese (but watch that it does not burn).

Bake

Return the pan back to the oven, this time cooking for 10-12 minutes. Once the edges of the bread have browned to your liking and the cheese is perfectly bubbly, remove from oven. Garnish with any fresh herbs, parmesan, or red pepper flakes and let it cool for 3-5 minutes before slicing.

What to Serve with French Bread Pizza

We love to enjoy this pizza with refreshing side dishes like Caprese Salad (or this simple arugula salad) or Instant Pot Artichokes for the perfect mixture of hearty and light. To add more veggies to the meal, try kid-friendly, cheesy options like Cheddar Roasted Broccoli or Loaded Radishes. When enjoying as a movie snack at home, add some Jalapeno Poppers and a Grape Salad!

Storage and Freezing:

You should store this homemade pizza in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days. This works great for portioning out leftover lunch servings!

You can freeze baked or unbaked French bread pizzas for easy meal prep! If you are making it with intentions to freeze and reheat later, it is best to undercook it by 2-3 minutes. This helps prevent overbrowning later.

If you have already cooked your pizza, allow it to cool completely before wrapping with multiple layers of foil or plastic wrap. Date it, store in a freezer bag, and enjoy within 3 months. To reheat from frozen, first bake at 325 degrees F for about 5 minutes, then at 425 degrees F for 3-5 minutes or until warmed throughout and the cheesy is bubbly.

If you have prebaked and assembled your pizza and would like to freeze it BEFORE baking, simply freeze the assembled pizzas on a baking sheet for 3-4 hours. Once frozen, wrap tightly with multiple layers of plastic or foil and store in a freezer bag. It is best to cook these straight from the freezer–Start by baking at 325 degrees F for 10-15 minutes (to thaw it), then increase the temperature to 425 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.

a slice of chicken bacon ranch French bread pizza being dipped into marinara sauce

Reheating Tips:

AIR FRYER: Preheat to 350, heat 1-3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Best for individual portions when you want it super quick.
OVEN: Preheat to 350, heat 7-15 minutes (cover with foil if getting too browned). Best when cooking from frozen or serving a crowd.
MICROWAVE: Microwave for about 1 minute at 50% power. The bottom of the crust will lose some crunch and be a bit chewy, but this is the quickest.

Substitutions and Suggestions:

Need to speed it up? Use rotisserie chicken and bacon bits.
Swap out the ranch dressing for a homemade pizza sauce, pesto sauce, or even BBQ sauce for a refreshing twist!
Make it a meat lovers by using instead of ranch, then using pepperoni, sausage, and any other protein you have in the fridge. Add more fiber by adding fresh basil and spinach. Get controversial and make it a ham and pineapple pizza! Consider throwing on some veggies like mushrooms, red onions, bell peppers, artichokes, or olives for more nutrients.
This is perfect for kids’ sleepovers; just give each kid a section of the prebaked French bread and let them add their own toppings!
Need a low-carb, gluten-free portion? Just make these Parmesan Chaffles, add your toppings, and bake for 3-5 minutes! We’ve even used spaghetti squash as a pizza base before (great when you need to keep it low-calorie and increase your veggie intake).

a hand grabbing a slice of chicken bacon ranch French Bread Pizza on a wooden serving board

If you like this easy snack, you’ll love these party appetizers