Friday, July 30, 2010

Grilled-Chicken Alfredo Sauce Pizza



Grilled-Chicken Alfredo Sauce Pizza
As shared from the Kitchen of Once Upon a Plate

Makes one 13-inch pizza (or two smaller pizzas)

Note: I assemble my pizzas on a wooden or metal pizza peel dusted with cornmeal to facilitate transferring the pizza to the hot baking stone in the oven. Alternately you can assemble your pizza on large baking sheet (turned upside down), and dusted with cornmeal for transfer to the hot oven. You can spread the Alfredo sauce directly on the raw dough, but I usually pre-bake my pizza crust for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the toppings, and that's what I did this time as well.

For the chicken:
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast (half of a full breast), brushed with oil, salted, peppered then grilled until just done. Cool, then chop or shred into small bite-sized pieces. (Or you may use leftover, cooked chicken for the topping.)

For the "Alfredo" sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, 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


The toppings:

The "Alfredo" sauce
Cooked chicken
1 cup grape tomatoes, red and yellow
1 cup grated mozzarella, fresh or aged
fresh basil leaves, or baby spinach leaves; washed and blotted dry
Olive oil, for brushing crust

approximately 1 pound pizza dough, (your choice- whole wheat or white flour dough)
shaped into a 13"-diameter disc, or two smaller discs if you prefer.
cornmeal or seminola flour for dusting the pizza peel

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to the middle position with pizza stone on the rack. Preheat oven to 450* (F) Allow to heat for at least 30 to 45 while assembling the pizza.


Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir just until fragrance is released. Add the flour and stir for a minute or two until flour is cooked and just beginning to color, watch carefully (do not brown.) Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and taste for salt. Season lightly with salt if desired, and pepper.

Generously dust pizza peel or inverted baking sheet with cornmeal (or seminola). Place pizza dough on top, ladle desired amount of Alfredo sauce on top, covering nearly to the edges. Sprinkle basil, or spinach leaves over, then tomatoes, grilled chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of pizza with olive oil, and sprinkle entire pizza with a little coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

With a quick, confident jerking motion move the assembled pizza to the hot baking stone. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional basil or spinach leaves. Allow to cool for a moment, then slice and enjoy.

Offer grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes when serving, if desired.


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