Chicken Alfredo & Pesto Pizza
I love a good homemade pizza. The possibilities are endless when it comes to toppings. This pizza for example started off as your typical, Chicken Alfredo pizza. But, I decided to mix it up just a bit by adding a thin layer of pesto, black olives and topping it off with baby spinach leaves. I do believe this could qualify as a "comfort pizza." You can use store-bought pizza dough or make your own. I made my crust from scratch, and for this particular pizza, I used Bobby Flay's super-simple pizza dough recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Pizza dough
- 1-2 small boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced and cooked (depends on how much chicken you want!)
- Salt and Pepper (for seasoning the chicken)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 - 1 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce (see below)
- 3-4 tablespoons of prepared pesto (see below)
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 handful of baby spinach leaves
Directions:
Season your chicken with salt and pepper, cooking it in olive oil until cooked through. Drain and place in a medium size bowl. Stir in 1 cup of Alfredo sauce until chicken is completely covered. Set aside.
Once you've rolled out your dough, lightly drizzle it with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Add a thin layer of pesto followed by your chicken. You can add a little extra Alfredo sauce but be careful not to add TOO much, otherwise you'll have a runny pizza!
Follow the baking instructions for the dough you're using. I cooked mine around 10-12 minutes at 500 degrees.
Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Directions
Melt butter in medium saucepan with olive oil over medium/low heat. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth. When sauce has thickened add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth, stirring frequently! Once sauce is smooth, you're ready to apply to your pizza dough!
Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 Tbs. pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 to 3 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
- 10 to 15 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
- 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1⁄2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1⁄4 cup grated pecorino cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
In a blender or food processor, combine the pine nuts and garlic. Process to chop coarsely. Add about half of the basil and process to chop coarsely. Add the remaining basil, the parsley and olive oil and process until a thick green sauce forms. If the sauce is too thin, add more basil or parsley; if it is too thick, add more olive oil.
Add the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Process briefly. Pour into a glass jar or other container and top with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the surface from discoloring. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 1 1⁄2 cups.
Pesto recipe from Williams-Sonoma
