You can have too much of a good thing. Living in Chicago, a city known for its famous – and famously fatty – type of pizza, I know how quickly you can tire of deep dish, extra-cheesy pizza. The alternative type of pizza – a thin crust that can taste like a cracker under melted cheese – isn’t always appealing, either.
My solution? I left my hometown!
Though Chicago-style pizza can be great, I wanted to try the specialty pizzas of other cities. I love barbecue sauce, so I was excited to taste BBQ Pizza, popular thoughout the West Coast and Southwest.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
- 1 onion
- medium chedder cheese, to taste
- 1 package pizza dough
Instructions
- Assemble your dough. On a wire cookie rack over a tinfoil lined cookie sheet, cook the chicken at 350 degrees F until juices run clear.
- Saute onion in butter or olive oil. Cut chicken into small cubes, pour on BBQ sauce, toss on the chedder cheese, onion & chicken breast and bake at 450 degrees F for about 10 minutes, thicker dough, longer time.
If you like, you can substitute alfredo sauce for barbecue, and still top with blackened chicken breast – not as tangy and Southern, but a delicious variation nonetheless.
Another non-tomato-based pizza is East Coast White Pizza, which is simply topped with olive oil, garlic, and a small sprinkling of cheese. (Talk about a change of pace from Chicago-style pizza!) The following White Pizza recipe is a little less minimalist.
White Pizza with Chicken, Basil, and Olive Oil Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 pizza crust (or use your own favorite crust recipe)
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 3/4 to 3-1/4 cups flour
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 boneless chicken breast
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
- Cheddar cheese, shredded, to taste
- Swiss cheese, shredded, to taste
- dash of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water; add oil and salt, and then gradually stir in flour. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Let dough rest about 10 minutes, and then pat into a large baking sheet. (Crust should be on the thin side, not deep-dish style.)
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Slice chicken breast thin and cook in skillet along with onion, garlic, and cayenne until chicken is cooked through. Add mushrooms and basil and cook another minute or two.
- Brush entire empty crust generously with olive oil. (This is key not only to the taste but also to making the crust crispy.) Sprinkle with shredded cheeses and add rest of toppings from the skillet. Bake at 375 degrees F until crust is golden (10-12 minutes).
Want to experiment with other styles of pizza? Try some of the recipes here.
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