Pesto Chicken and Artichoke Pizza
Just like so many others these days, I’ve been scrounging around my kitchen for something to cook for dinner. Anthony and I are extremely fortunate to live close to the grocery store that is mostly stocked (except for flour, of course).
This week while digging through the pantry, I had a craving for pizza. I didn’t want to go to the store so I dug through our freezer, pantry, and refrigerator to find ingredients. I ended up with a can of artichoke hearts, a frozen tub of pesto, and a lonely chicken breast from a few nights prior. I whipped up some dough and boom, dinner was born.
Pesto Chicken and Artichoke Pizza
Ingredients
1 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pesto
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
1 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, water, and honey. Stir and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes until it becomes bubbly.
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt and add it to the bowl with the water and yeast. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and mix, using a dough hook attachment, until the dough forms a ball that isn’t too sticky.
Grease a bowl with cooking spray or olive oil. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the greased bowl, rolling it around a bit to coat the surface with oil. Cover the bowl and set it somewhere warm to rise until it is doubled in bulk - about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 500 while the dough rises. IF you’re using a pizza stone, preheat it now as well.
Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and sear on each side until the chicken gets a nice golden color. If the chicken isn’t cooked all the way through, that’s OK.
When the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and stretch it to the size of whatever you’re cooking on - pizza stone, cookie sheet, etc. carefully transfer the dough to your cooking vessel.
Spread the pesto over the entire crust, then the chicken, artichokes, and top with shredded cheese. Place the pizza in the oven and reduce the heat to 450. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
