Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Pizza

STORY

There are two reasons I love making pizza at home: 1. I am not limited to the “traditional” toppings provided by local shops, and 2. I don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices at the “artisanal” pizza bistros. I also like that I  get to use up leftover ingredients (I have a thing about not throwing away good food, but I hate eating the same thing night after night).  Pizza makes every ingredient new and exciting. For instance, I used cilantro I had leftover from my Chicken and Mint Salad, half a packet of goat cheese leftover from my Beet, Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad, some of my Red Sauce (blended until veggies are undetectable) and of course, some chicken from my Weekly Chicken.

Some notes on this recipe, a pizza stone and peel are great to have, but if you don’t have these tools, all is not lost. You may use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet with a sprinkling of olive oil and a good spatula.

Also, home made pizza dough is the sort of thing that needs to be made ahead of time. 24 hours ahead of time (which is why I say you can use store-bought dough for this one). Though it requires a heavy duty mixer (see my tools section if you don’t have one), and isn’t difficult to make, and it freezes very well. I haven’t yet posted a pizza dough recipe, but I’ve used this one, and this one.

PS: Sorry for the delay in this recipe. My basement flooded!

RECIPE

• Prep Time: 10 – 15 minutes
• Bake Time: 15 – 17 minutes
• Total Time: 25 – 32 minutes (faster than delivery!)

TOOLS

• 1 sauce pan
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 rolling pin
• 1 fork
• 1 pizza stone – or a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet
• 1 pizza peel – or a good strong spatula
• 1 oven

INGREDIENTS

For Caramelized Onions

1 tsp of olive oil

1/4 onion (sliced)

salt and pepper to taste

For Pizza

1/4 cup of flour (for rolling out pizza dough)
1 ball of pizza dough (store bought is fine, and I’ll post a pizza dough recipe soon)
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
1/4 cup of red sauce
1/2 package of goat cheese (cut into rounds)
1/4 cup of cooked chicken
1 tbsp of cilantro (chopped)
1/8 tsp of cumin seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Place pizza stone, or well-seasoned cast iron skillet sprinkled with olive oil in oven and preheat oven to 450°F (230° C ).
2. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a sauce pan, and heat to medium-high temperature.
3. Once oil is hot, add 1/4 sliced onion to pan and sauté until translucent. (If you like, sprinkle salt and pepper over onion to taste.)
4. Remove onion from pan and put aside.
5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour on your counter or tabletop, and rolling pin.
6. Using the rolling pin, roll out the pizza dough, until it’s the desired thinness (be sure to work the dough well by turning it over).
7. Once the dough is shaped to your liking, prick dough using a fork all over (this helps prevent any air bubbles that may occur during baking).
8. Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over dough.
9. Spread 1/4 cup of red sauce, 1/2 package of goat cheese (cut into rounds), 1/4 cup of chicken, caramelized onions, 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro, 1/8 tsp of cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper over pizza dough.
10. If you are using a pizza stone, shimmy the pizza onto a pizza peel and carefully place onto the stone in the oven.
11. If you are using a cast-iron skillet, remove skillet from the oven (drizzle with olive oil), and carefully wedge pizza onto the skillet.
12. Bake for about 15 -17 minutes.
13. Once pizza is ready, carefully remove pizza stone or skillet from the oven, and place on a platter using a spatula or a pizza peel.
14. Cut and eat, and eat.

(Photo Credit: Matthew G. Piccolo)