***Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Pompeian Olive Oil and Smiley 360 but all the opinions are 100% my own.*** Like most families, we love pizza and have pizza night about once a week. There are some absolutely amazing family owned pizza places here in my small town, but I also like making homemade pizza when I can. I love experimenting and switching things up a bit, so often times, I venture beyond your typical pepperoni or cheese pizzas. I love making white pizzas especially, since my husband doesn't really care for tomato based sauces. Recently, I received some Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil to try out. I use olive oil in my recipes almost daily since it adds so much flavor to any meal and is an incredibly versatile ingredient. But this time, the family wanted pizza, and I am not about to argue with them! I wanted to make a pizza that screamed gourmet, so I started looking through or refrigerator and pantry to see what I had available. I noticed I had everything I needed to make a Chicken Alfredo pizza, as well as my almost famous homemade pesto. So I had a brilliant idea....Why not try it together?! I am so glad I did, because this pizza turned out absolutely fantastic. So much flavor, and it is deceptively simple to prepare if you use pre-made pizza crust and Alfredo sauce. I cook from scratch most of the time, but there are days that I like to take the easy route, too! The Recipe :Chicken Alfredo Pizza Topped With Homemade Pesto Ingredients: Pre-made or homemade pizza dough. (This time, I used pre-made pizza dough, found in the refrigerated section near the biscuits.) 1 cup Alfredo Sauce, homemade or pre-made. (I used pre-made Alfredo, found in the deli section of the grocery store. This is refrigerated, not jarred. Although jar sauce will work, too!) 1 cup freshly sliced mushrooms of choice 2 cups mozzarella cheese or pizza blend cheese 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 2 chicken breasts 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 2 teaspoons Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon butter Desired pizza toppings such as black olives, fresh tomato slices,peppers, etc. 1/2 cup fresh or pre-made Pesto 1.Brush a pizza stone or pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2.Place pizza dough onto the pizza stone or pan. 2.Add remaining teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter to a large pan or skillet. 3.Season thinly sliced chicken breast with salt and pepper to taste. 4. Add chicken to pan and cook on medium/high heat until cooked through. Add sliced mushrooms to pan. 5.Add Balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes to the chicken and mushroom mixture. Cook for a few minutes until the Balsamic vinegar reduces. 6.Remove chicken mixture from heat. 7.Spread Alfredo sauce onto pizza dough. Top with the Parmesan cheese. 8.Using a slotted spoon, add the chicken and mushroom mixture to the pizza. 9.Top with remaining pizza cheese and toppings. 10.Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until pizza crust is browned and cheeses are bubbly and melted. Remove pizza and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. 11.Using a piping bag, drizzle the pesto on top of the pizza. 12.Cut, serve, and prepare to be in gourmet pizza heaven! For the Pesto: 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves 2 cloves fresh garlic 1/4 cup pine nuts 2/3 cup Pompeian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Romano cheese 1. Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until well blended and you have a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper. 2.Transfer to bowl or jar and stir in the fresh cheese. (For this pizza, I put the pesto into a Zip-lock baggie and cut the corner to make an instant "pastry bag" for piping the pesto onto the pizza.) This pesto freezes well, too! Step by Step How To :Be sure to have your ingredients ready! I left the Pesto in the fridge, but got out most of my other ingredients so they were nearby and I could quickly grab them as needed. As you can see, I went the lazy route the other night. I usually make my own Alfredo sauce and pizza dough, but sometimes, I like the convenience of pre-made products, especially when I am trying to watch The Voice and X Factor on our DVR! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put your pizza dough on a pizza stone or pan that has been brushed with a little Pompeian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Next, in a pan or skillet, cook thinly sliced chicken breast in 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon Olive Oil. (Yes, really...Do use both. The flavor is amazing!) Once chicken is cooked through, add sliced mushrooms, Balsamic Vinegar, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic. Cook for just a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the Balsamic vinegar reduces. This is when the family will wander into the kitchen asking what smells so fabulous. And the pets will probably end up at your feet, too. Remove the chicken and mushroom mixture from the heat, but guard it so people and pets don't gobble it up prematurely. Spread the Alfredo sauce onto the pizza crust and top with some grated Parmesan cheese. I like a certain Parmesan cheese blend available at our grocery that has roasted garlic in it. Regular Paremsan cheese will work well, too. Now it's the fun part...Topping the pizza! Using a slotted spoon, add the chicken and mushroom mixture to the pizza. I highly recommend using a slotted spoon because it won't add the extra liquids from the Balsamic reduction to the pizza. You want the flavor from it, but no one likes a swampy, soggy pizza! Then add the cheese and any other pizza toppings you'd like. This would be absolutely fabulous with fresh tomato slices, baby spinach, or roasted red peppers. Sadly, I didn't have these on hand, so I just added black olives. I love black olives! Bake the pizza at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. You will know when it's done because the crust will be beautifully browned and the cheese will be nice and melty and bubbly. Yum! Then, add your pesto to a piping bag. I am not a baker, so of course, I don't own one. I got creative and simply added my pesto to a Zip-Lock bag, sealed it, and cut off a small corner. I guess my husband's MacGuyver obsession has taught me a thing or two about making do with what's at hand after all! Using your piping bag or Zip-Lock bag full of pesto, pipe the pesto on top of the pizza. I absolutely adore the flavor of fresh pesto, so I added quite a bit to ours. You can really use as little or as much as you'd like. Trust me, this pizza is definitely worth trying. It has a very gourmet feel to it, and is so easy to prepare. My family devoured it in record time, with the exception of my teen who claims to be allergic to mushrooms and olives. I had a nice slice paired with a crisp salad of field greens and feta with a drizzle of Italian dressing. Simply delicious!
Here are some great offers from the folks at Pompeian as well as a chance to win a $200 Gift Card! $1.00 coupon for any Pompeian Olive Oil: http://bit.ly/1dKqYUK
What are your favorite ways to switch up plain pizza? I'd love to hear your ideas!
2 Comments
10/6/2013 04:05:09 am
I have never been a fan of Commercially made Chicken alfredo Pizza. But I have to say, You have made it sound Super delish... I will be trying your home made version.. I love all of the ingredients you've put on the pizza... Would love if you could check out my post on my blog for my Pompeian Post (click on my name to see it if you like)
Reply
Brandy Nelson
10/6/2013 04:12:52 am
Thanks, Rachel! I normally like doing everything from scratch, but this short-cut version turned out to be pretty amazing. I am headed to check out your recipe now!
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
PR Friendly Mama!
I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
June 2023
|