Pass it On Week 4: Chicken Pesto Pizza

Well, it's my fourth and final week of Pass it On.  Whether you passed these recipes on or not, as long as you cooked more this week then you did the week before, then I'm happy!  Just get out there and do some of your own healthy home cooking!

You may remember me mentioning a pizza place down the road from us, that Chris and I venture to on occasion.  (if not, that's ok too!!)  They have this killer pesto pizza that we each and every time we go.  We are definitely creatures of habit!  We go in there with every intention of trying something new and each time, we end up with the same thing.  It's just that good!  This is my attempt at recreating the master piece we so very much enjoy!  It definitely did not look as pretty...they squirt the pesto on at the end in this wonderful spiral pattern that I just couldn't duplicate.  I also did not get the dough stretched out like I could/should have.  AND I under cooked the dough just a tad big (Ugh, don't you hate it when you do that?)...BUT.. if I had another shot or two I just KNOW I could perfect it!

Anyway, I could ramble all day, but I won't.  I made this pizza on the grill.  You can use the oven if you prefer.  I'd recommend using a baking stone if you have it, and bake it at about 450-500 degrees.  This is a fun recipe to pass on too.  You can get the whole family involved in the creating process. 

Chicken Pesto Pizza (on the grill)
Ingredients:
1 ball of your favorite pizza dough (or 1/2 of this simple pizza dough recipe here.)
4 oz pesto 
2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into small pieces
1 cup pizza sauce 
1-2 cups shredded cheese (your choice, I used an Italian blend)
olive oil 

Directions:

Preheat grill (or oven) to 400 degrees.  Gently roll out or stretch the dough to desired shape/size (i did about a 12-14" round).  Brush both sides with olive oil.

  

At this point you can either place the dough directly on the grill or you can do what I do and pull out a piece of aluminum foil big enough to hold the dough, spray it with non stick cooking spray and place on a cookie sheet.  When ready to put on the grill just slide the aluminum foil off of the sheet onto the grill, when you are ready to take it off, slide it right back onto the cookie sheet.  Grill on one side for about 5-8 minutes, you want that side crispy and nicely browned (you want the dough cooked half way through, but you don't want to burn it, so keep on eye on it).

Remove from grill and flip over.  Spread the sauce on top of the cooked side of dough, layer the cooked chicken, then the cheese and return to the grill for 2 minutes.  Add the pesto in a circular-type pattern and cook until the crust is brown on the bottom and the cheese is melted.  Enjoy!