Sourdough Chicken and Pesto: calories and sugar by portion and age

Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto, whole sourdough pizza with garlic sauce base, fior di latte mozzarella, chicken, chestnut mushrooms, onion and pesto drizzle in a takeaway pizza box, nutrition and calories

Boone’s analysis puts a whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto at 98% of an adult’s daily calories, 270% of the daily salt limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 4.9 teaspoons of free sugar.

How many calories are in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto? A whole pizza is 1,959 kcal, with 65g of fat (19g saturated), 19g of sugar and 8.1g of salt. 1 slice is 245 kcal.

Build a full meal with our nutrition calculator

Use the Boone meal calculator to build a full meal rather than view this item on its own. Add a pizza, a side, a dessert and more, then choose your age and sex for a more accurate view of how Sourdough Chicken and Pesto fits into a day.

Nutrition information

Nutrition information: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto (1 slice / whole pizza (8 slices))

Energy	245 kcal / 1,959 kcal
Fat	8.2g / 65g
of which saturates	2.4g / 19g
Carbohydrate	33g / 265g
of which sugars	2.4g / 19g
Fibre	1.7g / 14g
Salt	1g / 8.1g
Protein	10g / 82g

Nutrition figures are Papa John's UK published data (October 2026). Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

A whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto contains 1,959 kcal, which is 98% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake. It provides 65g of total fat, of which 19g is saturated, 19g of sugar, 8.1g of salt, 14g of fibre and 82g of protein.

The saturated fat content of 19g represents 94% of the adult daily guideline of 20g.

Papa John's gives the weight as 628g, which works out at 312 kcal per 100g.

Sugar in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

A whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto contains 19g of free sugar (4.9 teaspoons). High sugar

The NHS free sugar limit is 30g per day for adults, 24g for children aged 7 to 10, and 19g for children aged 4 to 6. Free sugar excludes the sugars naturally present in milk and whole fruit.

Free sugar by portion: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Portion	Adult (female) 30g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 30g	Age 7 to 10 24g	Age 4 to 6 19g
1 slice	2.4g 8%	2.4g 8%	2.4g 8%	2.4g 10%	2.4g 13%
Whole pizza (8 slices)	19g 65%	19g 65%	19g 65%	19g 81%	19g 102%

Teaspoons: 4.9 tsp

Boone calculates these percentages from Papa John's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under. For guidance only.

Salt in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

A whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto contains 8.1g of salt. High salt

Children have lower salt limits: 3g per day for ages 4 to 6, 5g for ages 7 to 10.

Salt by portion: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Portion	Adult (female) 6g	Adult (male) 6g	Age 11 to 17 6g	Age 7 to 10 5g	Age 4 to 6 3g
1 slice	1g 17%	1g 17%	1g 17%	1g 20%	1g 34%
Whole pizza (8 slices)	8.1g 135%	8.1g 135%	8.1g 135%	8.1g 162%	8.1g 270%

Calories in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

A whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto contains 1,959 kcal. High calorie share

Daily calorie needs vary by age and sex.

Calories by portion: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Portion	Adult (female) 2,000 kcal	Adult (male) 2,500 kcal	Age 11 to 17 1,936 kcal	Age 7 to 10 1,553 kcal	Age 4 to 6 1,291 kcal
1 slice	245 kcal 12%	245 kcal 10%	245 kcal 13%	245 kcal 16%	245 kcal 19%
Whole pizza (8 slices)	1,959 kcal 98%	1,959 kcal 78%	1,959 kcal 101%	1,959 kcal 126%	1,959 kcal 152%

Saturated fat in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

A whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto contains 19g of saturated fat. High saturated fat

The saturated fat guideline is 20g a day for women and 30g for men, and lower for children.

Saturated fat by portion: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Portion	Adult (female) 20g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 20g	Age 7 to 10 18g	Age 4 to 6 16g
1 slice	2.4g 12%	2.4g 8%	2.4g 12%	2.4g 13%	2.4g 15%
Whole pizza (8 slices)	19g 94%	19g 63%	19g 94%	19g 105%	19g 118%

Free sugar vs total sugar

Where the sugar comes from: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

All 19g counts as free sugar. Papa John's does not separate naturally occurring sugar from added sugar, so Boone counts the full figure. Sugars from tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, honey drizzles, dough and added sugar are free sugars; any from whole vegetables, pineapple or cheese would not be, so this may slightly overstate it. That is 4.9 teaspoons.

NHS daily free sugar limits: 30g for adults and children 11+, 24g age 7 to 10, 19g age 4 to 6.

Ultra-processed food: what is really in it

Processing: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Boone cannot classify this item, because Papa John's does not publish full ingredient lists for its dough, sauces, cheese or toppings.

NOVA classification is read from an ingredient list. Papa John's names the toppings on each item and the allergens in each component, which is more than many chains publish, but that is not enough to count additives, separate raw ingredients from manufactured ones, or say whether an item is ultra-processed. Boone does not estimate a NOVA group, because a guess presented as a classification would be worse than saying nothing.

Where Papa John's does publish a full list (its wheat-free base, its sourdough base and its vegan Sheese) it is shown in the ingredients section above.

Ingredients

Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto is assembled from 7 components. Papa John's names each topping and the allergens in each component, but it does not publish full ingredient lists for its dough, sauces, cheese or toppings, so Boone cannot count ingredients or additives.

Components: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Sourdough base

WHEAT flour (WHEAT flour, calcium carbonate, niacin, iron, folic acid, thiamin), water, sourdough starter cultures (sourdough yeast, sourdough bacteria, RYE flour, yeast), rapeseed oil, salt, yeast.

Garlic sauce base

Allergens not listed separately by Papa John's; included in the pizza allergens below.

Fior di latte mozzarella

Allergens: milk.

Chicken

Allergens: wheat, soya, mustard.

Chestnut mushrooms

Allergens: none listed.

Onion

Allergens: none listed.

Pesto drizzle

Allergens: milk.

Component allergens from the Papa John's UK Allergen and Nutritional Information Guide (valid from 1 October 2026). Recipes change, so always check with the store before ordering if you have an allergy.

Allergens at a glance

Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto contains wheat, rye, soya, mustard and milk.

Allergen information: Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto

Allergen	Status
Wheat	Contains
Rye	Contains
Barley	Not present
Oats	Not present
Sesame	Not present
Soya	Contains
Milk	Contains
Eggs	Not present
Fish and shellfish	Not present
Molluscs	Not present
Celery	Not present
Mustard	Contains
Lupin	Not present
Sulphites	Not present
Peanuts	Not present
Tree nuts	Not present

Contains = declared by Papa John's as an ingredient allergen. May contain traces = Papa John's or its supplier flags a risk of cross contact. Papa John's makes food by hand in stores that handle milk and wheat, and all pizzas and many sides pass through shared ovens and equipment, so it cannot guarantee any item is free from any allergen, including its wheat-free base, which is not suitable for coeliacs. From the Papa John's UK Allergen and Nutritional Information Guide (valid from 1 October 2026).

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto?+

Boone calculates that a whole pizza of Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto is 1,959 kcal, which is 98% of an adult’s 2,000 kcal daily reference intake and 152% of the daily intake for a child aged 4 to 6. 1 slice is 245 kcal.

How much sugar is in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto?+

A whole pizza contains 19g of sugar, all of which Boone counts as free sugar, or about 4.9 teaspoons. That is 65% of an adult’s 30g daily limit and 102% of the 19g limit for a child aged 4 to 6.

How much saturated fat is in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto?+

A whole pizza contains 19g of saturated fat. Boone calculates this as 94% of the daily guideline for an adult woman and 63% for an adult man, because the guideline differs by sex: 20g and 30g.

How much salt is in Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto?+

A whole pizza contains 8.1g of salt. Boone calculates that as 270% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 135% of an adult’s 6g limit.

Is Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto classed as less healthy?+

Under the government’s 2018 nutrient profiling model Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto scores 12. The model classes a food scoring 4 or more as less healthy, so this item would be. The 2018 model is published but not yet used for advertising rules.

Is Papa John's Sourdough Chicken and Pesto ultra-processed?+

Papa John's does not publish a full ingredient list for food made to order, and UK law does not require it to, so Boone cannot assign a NOVA group to this item.