White Chicken Pizza Plus Homemade Pizza Dough

Does Friday night feel like pizza night to anyone else?  Whenever I plan my menu for the week, I’m always tempted by pizza on Friday night.  It just feels right.  While getting takeout or delivery is inticing, homemade pizza can actually be very simple.  As always, I like being able to control the ingredients and add a lot more veggies.

I’m sharing two recipes with you, both of which I use all the time.  This pizza dough is fairly foolproof, and I love the short rising time.  The white sauce on the pizza adds a cheesy element, so you don’t need a ton for the topping, which cuts down on calories and sodium.  Enjoy!

White Chicken Pizza (Serves 3-4)

½ batch of pizza dough (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces
1 bell pepper, sliced
½ red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
¾ cup skim milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1. Prepare pizza dough per recipe. While dough is par-baking, prepare toppings and sauce.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add bell pepper and onion to pan; sauté until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add to plate with chicken.

3. Heat butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper when melted; cook 1 minute. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture is thickened and begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. Stir in ½ cup parmesan until melted.

4. Spread sauce over par-baked pizza crust. Top with chicken, peppers, and onions. Sprinkle mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan evenly over the top. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes, until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information: (Amount per Serving)

Calories: 327
Protein: 26 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 64 mg
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 511 mg

Recipe notes: You could easily use some leftover chicken or grill the chicken as well. Make sure to chop it into small enough pieces for the pizza; big chunks are hard to eat. You can mix up the vegetables however you like. Fresh tomatoes are also great on this pizza. You could skip cooking the vegetables before putting on the pizza, but they don’t get fully cooked on the pizza.

Homemade Pizza Dough (Makes 2 pizzas)

1 tablespoon yeast (instant or active dry)
1 ½ cups warm water (110-120 degrees F)
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting

1. Dissolve yeast in water. Stir in 2 cups of flour. While mixing, add in salt, olive oil, and enough of remaining flour that dough forms a ball that is tacky but not overly sticky. Knead for 5 minutes.

2. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into desired shape. Place onto baking pan that has been lightly greased (if desired) and dusted lightly with cornmeal.

3. Preheat oven to 400. Pizza dough will “rise” during this time.

4. Par-bake for about 7 minutes. You may need to prick the dough with a fork if it starts to bubble up too much.

5. Top with desired toppings and bake for 12-15 minutes more.

Recipe Notes: I usually use a mix of white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. It works equally well with all of one kind of flour, too. This does have to roll out fairly thin, but it isn’t a crispy, cracker-like thin crust. I have an “air-bake” pizza pan, but I still use the cornmeal. Along with par-baking, the cornmeal helps prevent the pizza from sticking to the pan.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light and a family recipe

Low-iodine adjustment: The pizza dough works for low-iodine. Red sauce with the chicken and vegetables would work. But no cheese, which may kind of defeat the point of pizza.