TL/DR – Chicken Pizza with Spinach Pesto. A versatile basic pizza with added nutrition in a tasty, bright green spinach pesto. This pizza has garlic undertones that make a great base for any toppings. –
I don’t know what percentage of the population dislikes pizza sauce like me, but I always change up the sauce when making pizza at home. To make spinach pesto for this recipe, process fresh baby spinach with pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
I sometimes use store bought pizza dough or fresh dough from the local Italian restaurant, but for this recipe I tried Stonefire Artisan Thin Pizza Crust from the makers of my favorite naan bread. I am wary of pre-made baked goods, but this product exceeded my expectations. It has absolutely no chemically aftertaste that store bought baked goods tend to have. It can be frozen and put into the oven directly from the freezer, or used fresh.
Chicken pizza at home is a great way to use leftover chicken. This recipe calls for thin slices of leftover grilled chicken, but any leftover chicken that is not soggy will work.
A couple of tips: for a nice, crispy crust, place the pizza on parchment paper on a flat cookie sheet, then slide the paper with the pizza onto the middle rack. Slide it carefully back onto the cookie sheet to remove it from the hot oven. Also, pat the fresh mozzarella as dry as possible with a towel before using it as a topping. If it releases moisture after baking, dab the pizza gently with a napkin to remove it.
For other easy weeknight pizza ideas, check out Olive Tapenade Naan Pizzas or Tomato Pesto Naan Pizzas.
Chicken Pizza with Spinach Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 3T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 c baby spinach leaves, packed but not tightly
- 1/4 c pine nuts
- 1/2 t kosher salt
- dash of black pepper
- 1 regular sized Stonefire Artisan Thin Pizza Crust or fresh pizza dough
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1 c thin slices of leftover chicken, either grilled, baked or rotisserie style
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Step 2 Add the spinach, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to a small food processor.
- Step 3 Process until a smooth paste has formed, scraping down the sides once.
- Step 4 Place a piece parchment paper on a cookie sheet, preferably with no rim, then place the pizza crust on top.
- Step 5 Spread the spinach pesto evenly across the pizza crust and top with the cheese and chicken.
- Step 6 Carefully slide the pizza on the parchment paper into the oven directly on a middle rack and set the cookie sheet aside for removal.
- Step 7 Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Step 8 Remove the pizza by carefully sliding the parchment paper with the pizza back onto the cookie sheet.
- Step 9 Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve immediately.
