If you love the Costco‘s legendary chicken bake but not always have the chance to go to one of their stores to buy one just before your lunch, we got exciting news for you: the secret of how to make this dish at home.
Now, you can bring that delicious food right to your kitchen with just five simple ingredients. And here’s the kicker: if you’ve got an air fryer, you can whip up a batch of four in about 20 minutes, or roughly 30 minutes if you’re going the trusty oven route.
Chef Erin Johnson is the author behind this delicious recipe
Erin Johnson, the culinary mastermind behind this recipe from the blog Probably in the Kitchen, points out that Costco bakes their bakes in a commercial convection oven blazing at 600 degrees, which makes replicating the exact results at home a bit of a challenge.
However, the air fryer comes pretty darn close. But wait, there’s more. Johnson also lets us in on a little secret: this homemade chicken bake recipe is the bomb when it comes to using up leftover chicken. So, next time you find yourself with extra grilled or rotisserie chicken lying around, this is your moment. Plus, these bakes are perfect for taking to work or when you’re on the go.
Costco-Style chicken bake just needs five ingredients
The beauty of this Costco-style chicken bake recipe is its simplicity, requiring just five ingredients. You can even go the extra mile by using pre-cooked chicken and bacon, as well as store-bought pizza dough to keep prep time to a minimum.
So, all you need to grab is a container of pizza dough, some Caesar dressing, two cups of cooked chicken (sliced, diced, or shredded), a cup of crumbled bacon, and shredded Italian cheese. Sure, shredding your own cheese might save you a few bucks when cooking at home, but in this case, don’t hesitate to snag a bag of the pre-shredded stuff from your local deli to expedite the process.
While you’re rounding up your ingredients, take a moment to preheat your chosen cooking vessel, be it the trusty air fryer or your faithful oven. For the air fryer, set it to a toasty 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re rocking the oven, crank it up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Get that dough ready
To prep your dough for these mouthwatering pocket-style baked wonders, simply roll it out into a sizable rectangle using a rolling pin. The key here is to maintain an even thickness across the entire rectangle, ensuring that the edges aren’t thicker than the center.
Be mindful not to roll it out too thin—you don’t want the dough to give way under the pressure of the fillings or while baking, allowing all that goodness to spill out. Once your dough is looking fine and dandy, slice it into four equally-sized rectangles and move on to the next step.
Pile on the good stuff
Now, it’s time to bring the flavor. Start by generously spreading about two tablespoons of caesar dressing on each rectangle, leaving a smidge of space around the edges. Next, layer on the chicken, followed by the bacon and cheese, in that order.
Aim to divvy up roughly a quarter of each ingredient onto each piece of dough to ensure that every bite is a flavor-packed delight. Spread those ingredients right over the caesar dressing, but remember to keep those edges clear to make sealing the bake a breeze.
Roll, Seal and Top
Roll up and seal each of your chicken bakes by folding the long edges of the rectangle over the top of the fillings and pressing the edges together in the middle.
Then, seal the ends by firmly pressing the dough along the sides. With your bake pockets securely sealed, brush a touch more caesar dressing on the top of each one, followed by a sprinkling of the remaining cheese.
Fry them up and dig in.
Now that your chicken bakes are ready for the oven or air fryer, pop them in and let the magic happen. In the air fryer, they’ll be good to go in about six minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re using the oven, give them quite longer, around 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Either way, watch for that golden brown crust to take shape. When they’re ready, serve them up while still hot.
Feel free to plate them alongside a fresh side salad. These chicken bakes are known to be quite filling, so you won’t need much. But adding a few veggies or a freshly tossed salad on the side never hurt anyone.