ChefChiTown
The secret ingredient? MY BALLS
I make this every once in a while and everybody loves it. You don't have to make your own pizza dough and you don't have to make your own pizza sauce; you can use pre-made if you like. But, I'd recommend making them yourself because it tastes sooooo much better than what you'll buy at the grocery store.
Grilled Chicken, Bacon & Artichoke Pizza
Ingredients
(For Dough)
Flour, 32 oz
Instant Yeast, 1/3 oz
Salt, 1/3 oz
Garlic Powder, 1 tsp
Water, 10 oz (warm)
Olive Oil, 1 oz
(For Pizza Sauce)
Crushed Tomatoes, 24 oz
White Wine, 1/2 C
Onion, 1/4 C (small dice)
Garlic, 8 cloves (minced)
Dried Oregano, 3 TBL
Basil, 1 TBL (fresh, chiffonade)
Thyme, 1/2 TBL (fresh, leaves only)
Red Wine Vinegar, 1/2 TBL
Sugar, 1/2 TBL
Salt, TT
Pepper, TT
Olive Oil, 1 TBL (for cooking)
(For Toppings)
Chicken Breasts, 2 each
Bacon, 3 strips (lardon)
Red Pepper, 1 each
Artichoke Hearts, 1 C
Goat Cheese, 10 oz
Fontina, 6 oz (shredded)
Preperation
- Start by making the pizza sauce. You can make this a few days ahead if you'd like. I would actually recommend making it beforehand, as the flavors will have more time to meld together.
- In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sweat the onions and garlic until the onions become soft and translucent.
- Add the white wine and sugar and continue to cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes are heated through.
- Using either a stick blender or a countertop blender, puree the mixture until smooth. If you use a countertop blender, add the sauce back into the same pot before you continue to the next step.
- After the mixture has been pureed, add the dried oregano, basil, thyme and red wine vinegar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then immediately drop it down to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, being sure to stir the sauce every few minutes to keep the tomatoes from burning.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too acidic, add a pinch more sugar until it is to your liking.
- Once the sauce is done, put it into a container and store in the refrigerator until you need it.
- Next, prepare the pizza dough.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (if it doesn't go up that high, set it as high as it will go).
- In a stand mixer, combine flour, yeast, salt, garlic powder and water. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes, being sure that everything has thoroughly combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and slowly add the oil. Mix for an additional 5 minutes.
- If needed, add more flour. The dough should be soft, yet very resistant when squeezed and it should be barely sticky to the touch.
- Remove dough from the mixer and form into a ball. Place into a large bowl and cover with a towel. Place the bowl into a warm area and allow it to sit for 30-45 minutes, until the size of the dough has doubled in volume.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place it on a counter top. Punch down the dough, using your knuckles, being sure to remove all of the air bubbles. During this process, the dough will literally deflate, losing a lot of its volume.
- Roll the dough back into a ball, rub the outside of it with oil and place back into the bowl, being sure to cover it with a towel. Place it back in a warm area and allow it to rest for an additional 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has proofed, roll it into your desired size of a pizza crust.
TIP: While the dough is proofing, prep the ingredients for your toppings.
- To prepare your toppings, do the following. Preheat your grill to high heat, anywhere between 375-400 degrees.
- Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper. When the grill is heated, grill the chicken breasts until completely cooked through.
- Also, take your red pepper and throw it on the grill as well. Char each side of the pepper until the skin has literally turned black.
- Once the red pepper is completely charred, put it into a bowl and cover it with saran wrap. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, remove it from the bowl and rinse under cold water, scraping the charred skin off with your fingers. Seed the pepper and cut into 1" strips.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the grill and set aside. When it has cooled down, cut it into 1" strips.
- Cut the bacon strips into 1" strips and cook in a saute pan until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside to drain on a paper towel.
- Time to make the pizza.
- If you have a pizza stone, use a pizza stone. If not, you can always use a lightly floured (using corn meal would be better) baking sheet.
- Place the pizza dough on either a pizza stone or a baking sheet.
- Ladel your desired amount of sauce on top of the dough, being sure to evenly spread it around.
- Evenly spread the chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts and red pepper on top of the sauce.
- Crumble the goat cheese evenly all over the pizza and then top everything with the shredded fontina.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the pizza dough has gotten a crisp crust on the outside.
- Cut into slices and eat.
*EDIT
Instead of cooking the pizza in the oven, you can also cook it on your grill. It adds another dimension of flavor that I find to be great, especially for this pizza. Just make sure that your grill is heavily oiled (to prevent the dough from sticking) and cook it just like you would in the oven, only without using a pizza stone or baking sheet; just put the pizza directly on top of the grill grates. Then, prepare it quickly (adding the sauce, toppings and cheese), close the lid and wait for it to bake. Enjoy.
Grilled Chicken, Bacon & Artichoke Pizza
Ingredients
(For Dough)
Flour, 32 oz
Instant Yeast, 1/3 oz
Salt, 1/3 oz
Garlic Powder, 1 tsp
Water, 10 oz (warm)
Olive Oil, 1 oz
(For Pizza Sauce)
Crushed Tomatoes, 24 oz
White Wine, 1/2 C
Onion, 1/4 C (small dice)
Garlic, 8 cloves (minced)
Dried Oregano, 3 TBL
Basil, 1 TBL (fresh, chiffonade)
Thyme, 1/2 TBL (fresh, leaves only)
Red Wine Vinegar, 1/2 TBL
Sugar, 1/2 TBL
Salt, TT
Pepper, TT
Olive Oil, 1 TBL (for cooking)
(For Toppings)
Chicken Breasts, 2 each
Bacon, 3 strips (lardon)
Red Pepper, 1 each
Artichoke Hearts, 1 C
Goat Cheese, 10 oz
Fontina, 6 oz (shredded)
Preperation
- Start by making the pizza sauce. You can make this a few days ahead if you'd like. I would actually recommend making it beforehand, as the flavors will have more time to meld together.
- In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sweat the onions and garlic until the onions become soft and translucent.
- Add the white wine and sugar and continue to cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes are heated through.
- Using either a stick blender or a countertop blender, puree the mixture until smooth. If you use a countertop blender, add the sauce back into the same pot before you continue to the next step.
- After the mixture has been pureed, add the dried oregano, basil, thyme and red wine vinegar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then immediately drop it down to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, being sure to stir the sauce every few minutes to keep the tomatoes from burning.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too acidic, add a pinch more sugar until it is to your liking.
- Once the sauce is done, put it into a container and store in the refrigerator until you need it.
- Next, prepare the pizza dough.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (if it doesn't go up that high, set it as high as it will go).
- In a stand mixer, combine flour, yeast, salt, garlic powder and water. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes, being sure that everything has thoroughly combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and slowly add the oil. Mix for an additional 5 minutes.
- If needed, add more flour. The dough should be soft, yet very resistant when squeezed and it should be barely sticky to the touch.
- Remove dough from the mixer and form into a ball. Place into a large bowl and cover with a towel. Place the bowl into a warm area and allow it to sit for 30-45 minutes, until the size of the dough has doubled in volume.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place it on a counter top. Punch down the dough, using your knuckles, being sure to remove all of the air bubbles. During this process, the dough will literally deflate, losing a lot of its volume.
- Roll the dough back into a ball, rub the outside of it with oil and place back into the bowl, being sure to cover it with a towel. Place it back in a warm area and allow it to rest for an additional 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has proofed, roll it into your desired size of a pizza crust.
TIP: While the dough is proofing, prep the ingredients for your toppings.
- To prepare your toppings, do the following. Preheat your grill to high heat, anywhere between 375-400 degrees.
- Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper. When the grill is heated, grill the chicken breasts until completely cooked through.
- Also, take your red pepper and throw it on the grill as well. Char each side of the pepper until the skin has literally turned black.
- Once the red pepper is completely charred, put it into a bowl and cover it with saran wrap. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, remove it from the bowl and rinse under cold water, scraping the charred skin off with your fingers. Seed the pepper and cut into 1" strips.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the grill and set aside. When it has cooled down, cut it into 1" strips.
- Cut the bacon strips into 1" strips and cook in a saute pan until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside to drain on a paper towel.
- Time to make the pizza.
- If you have a pizza stone, use a pizza stone. If not, you can always use a lightly floured (using corn meal would be better) baking sheet.
- Place the pizza dough on either a pizza stone or a baking sheet.
- Ladel your desired amount of sauce on top of the dough, being sure to evenly spread it around.
- Evenly spread the chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts and red pepper on top of the sauce.
- Crumble the goat cheese evenly all over the pizza and then top everything with the shredded fontina.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the pizza dough has gotten a crisp crust on the outside.
- Cut into slices and eat.
*EDIT
Instead of cooking the pizza in the oven, you can also cook it on your grill. It adds another dimension of flavor that I find to be great, especially for this pizza. Just make sure that your grill is heavily oiled (to prevent the dough from sticking) and cook it just like you would in the oven, only without using a pizza stone or baking sheet; just put the pizza directly on top of the grill grates. Then, prepare it quickly (adding the sauce, toppings and cheese), close the lid and wait for it to bake. Enjoy.
