We love love LOVE pizza! Seriously we make it all the time. I usually prepare all the toppings and let the kids each make their own mini pizza’s so everyone can personalize their own. THEN I make a few big ones for the big kids (adults). This is my very favorite pizza recipe and my go to. You can bake it or grill it, I bake in the winter and grill in the summer. It’s delicious both ways!
Sauteing Chicken is kind of an art, you want to get a nice browned chicken without drying it out, especially since you’ll be baking the chicken even more. So my tricks are to 1. start out with thawed chicken, not partially frozen. 2. have the pan and oil nice and HOT when you add the chicken. 3. don’t stir the chicken too often, let it sit and get that beautiful browning. 4. Drain as you go with a paper towel so they saute not boil!
My secret for this pizza is to partially bake the pizza dough before adding the toppings. The reason I do that is the pizza dough takes 10-12 mins to bake at 425 degrees, and I find that the chicken dries out too much for my liking and the spinach goes black. By partially baking the dough it doesn’t dry out the toppings as much. BUT you CAN top it and bake it all at once if you prefer. When you grill though you’ll grill the dough half way, flip it, top it and finish.
two more tips – 1. never add too much sauce, it’s an easy to think you need more, but if you add too much it makes it either too goopy with the toppings kind of floating all over, or the top of the pizza doesn’t cook evenly with the underside. No one wants raw dough.
and 2. My last tip is not to over crowd the toppings. When you have less topping options, like just pepperoni, you can use more pepperoni, but when you have so MANY toppings, like this pizza, you actually use much less of each topping. When you add too many toppings it tends to not cook evenly
- pizza dough recipe makes 2
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 C milk
- 1/3 C heavy cream
- 1/2 C fresh grated parmesan
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch white pepper
- 1 1/2 chicken breasts cubed
- 2 bunches Green onions sliced
- 4 tsp garlic
- 3 slices Thick cut Bacon cooked and chopped
- 2 oz mushroom chopped
- 2 oz Spinach - sliced
- 4 oz Artichoke hearts chopped
- 1 1/2 C Mozzarella shredded
- 3/4 C fresh grated parmesan
Start the pizza dough - while it's rising you can prepare all the toppings
in a sauce pan melt the butter
whisk in the flour and cornstarch until smooth and cook for a few moments
while whisking slowly add the milk and cream - whisk until smooth
bring the mixture to a boil and take off the heat
add the parmesan, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese is melted
Sautee the chicken breasts in olive oil with salt and pepper. (tip- Start with a HOT pan and don't mix it too often to get a nice golden color)
- Add the green onions and garlic to the pan the last few minutes to slightly sautee
place a Pizza Stone to the oven for baking
- Preheat oven to 425 (or preheat grill to medium heat)
- Roll out the pizza dough and prick it with a fork all over (two 12 inch circles) - bake 5-6 mins (or grill 3-4 mins with the lid closed)
spread the sauce onto the dough, it should cover it completely but be thin. (if your grilling Flip the dough first and work quickly)
Now spread the toppings over the top - I start with the chicken, onion and garlic mixture, then add the mushrooms, spinach,artichoke hearts and bacon bits
- Top with a thin layer of the cheese (you don't need to use it all)
- Put it back in the oven and bake another 5-6 mins, until the edges and cheese are golden (or close the lid on the grill and cook another 3-4 mins)
I actually like to pre-bake the pizza dough circles for 6 mins - THEN add the toppings and bake another 6 mins. The reason I do this is I don't want to dry out the already baked chicken or other ingredients or over bake the cheese. Or of course under bake the crust while trying not to over bake the toppings. Just a personal preference!
So I want to hear from you! What are your favorite pizza toppings, and what fun pizza’s do you like to make at home! We often do a Friday night Pizza night to go with our Movie Nights and popcorn desserts – so I could use more recipe ideas!
Pizza Recipes
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