Chicken Alfredo Pizza

We absolutely LOVE this pizza!  This is a Neely recipe that like everything else I do, I saw on Food Network.  This pizza is awesome.  Normally I add spinach to the pizza too but the store didn't have any decent looking spinach so this night it was without.  But I'm leaving the recipe to include the spinach because it really is amazing with it.  My kids prefer regular old pepperoni pizza but this is definitely one of my husband's favorites.

 

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 pizza dough, store-bought (or recipe below)
2 cups baby spinach, well washed and dried
1 cup grated mozzarella
Olive oil for brushing crust

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Adjust racks to the middle of the oven. Put pizza stone in the oven to preheat while you begin the sauce.  Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill pan and grill until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and dice. Set aside.


Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste. 


Flour your work surface and roll the pizza dough into a large circle.  Place your dough on parchment paper so you can easily move it into and out of the oven. Ladle the sauce to cover the bottom of the pizza. Evenly top with the baby spinach, grilled chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 10-15 minutes. I use a pizza paddle to slide my pizza in and out of the oven easily. 

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe:

1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp.)

1 tsp. sugar

1 c. warm water

2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil

3 c. flour, plus more for dusting

Add yeast and sugar to warm water and let stand 5 minutes.  Add flour and salt to food processor. Add oil to yeast mixture, stir and then slowly pour into flour mixture in food processor.  Use plastic blade on food processor.  Once dough ball forms, knead a few times onto lightly floured surface.  Place in well oiled bowl and let rise 1 hour.   Divide in half and cover the half you aren't working with.  Place flour on your work surface and roll out the dough into a large circle.  I like to tuck my edges under to form the crust.  I then poke holes with a fork to prevent bubbles and I always bake on a preheated baking stone at 500 degrees.  (Makes 2 large pizzas)