This is such an easy, tasty pizza to make. I got the basic idea from a Pampered Chef recipe and tweak it every time to make it my own. It's a real favorite at our house.
Basic Ingredients:
Pizza crust - I use Pillsbury's Thin Crust Pizza dough in a tube
1 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce - I use Bartolli's original most of the time, sometimes I get different flavors
1 chicken breast
5-6 bacon slices
bag of baby spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Mozarella cheese, grated
Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
Optional Ingredients:
sauteed mushrooms (I would love to add these but Steve doesn't like them)
sauteed onions
sun-dried tomatoes
sauteed sliced garlic
Directions:
1. Unroll the pizza crust on to a greased pan or stoneware. Bake for 6-7 minutes at 400 degrees (or according to package instructions). You don't want to fully bake the dough, just getting it started.
2. Crisp the bacon. I don't cook the bacon in slices. I take the whole chunk out of the package and then slice a couple inches off the end. This creates little "ribbons" of bacon. This is what I throw into the pan. You want it crispy but not overcooked. Remove from pan and set on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra grease. Put in the fridge to help it stay crispy.
3. Drain most of the bacon fat out of the pan, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Cut the chicken breast into small bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, then throw into the hot bacon fat. You don't have to cook it in bacon fat if you're being healthy - just do whatever you normally do to cook chicken pieces. When the chicken is brown but not overcooked, remove from pan, and put with the bacon in the fridge.
4. By this time, the dough should be out of the oven and cooled a bit. Don't turn off the oven. Empty the spinach into a large microwavable bowl and add a splash of water. Sometimes, I add the minced garlic to the spinach. I did last night and even though most of the garlic didn't end up on the pizza, the spinach really kept the garlic flavor. Microwave for 2 minutes or until wilted. Drain the spinach and throw out the excess liquid.
5. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the alfredo sauce into a medium-sized bowl. I season with a little black pepper, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on your heat tolerance), and all the bacon. Sometimes I put the minced garlic in the sauce, too. Last night, I didn't, it went into the spinach.
6. Time to assemble the pizza. Spread the sauce over all the pizza dough, leaving a 1/4" edge around the outside. Plop the spinach evenly around - I do my best to not have too big of clumps but cooked spinach is hot and clumpy. Sprinkle the chicken all over. If you choose to add any of the additional ingredients, sprinkle them evenly over the pizza, too. Cover with a thin layer of Mozzarella cheese followed by a thin layer of Parmesan cheese. Usually, I'm all about lots of cheese, but this works better with just a thin layer.
7. Place pizza in hot oven and cook for 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted and crust is nice and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes or you'll burn your mouth on the alfredo sauce. Trust me.
8. Serve with a garden salad or steamed veggies.
Last night, this really hit the spot. Steve had cooked the bacon and chicken before I got home, so it didn't take long to make the rest of the pizza. You gotta love a quick, easy meal that tastes really good.
Basic Ingredients:
Pizza crust - I use Pillsbury's Thin Crust Pizza dough in a tube
1 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce - I use Bartolli's original most of the time, sometimes I get different flavors
1 chicken breast
5-6 bacon slices
bag of baby spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Mozarella cheese, grated
Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
Optional Ingredients:
sauteed mushrooms (I would love to add these but Steve doesn't like them)
sauteed onions
sun-dried tomatoes
sauteed sliced garlic
Directions:
1. Unroll the pizza crust on to a greased pan or stoneware. Bake for 6-7 minutes at 400 degrees (or according to package instructions). You don't want to fully bake the dough, just getting it started.
2. Crisp the bacon. I don't cook the bacon in slices. I take the whole chunk out of the package and then slice a couple inches off the end. This creates little "ribbons" of bacon. This is what I throw into the pan. You want it crispy but not overcooked. Remove from pan and set on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra grease. Put in the fridge to help it stay crispy.
3. Drain most of the bacon fat out of the pan, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Cut the chicken breast into small bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, then throw into the hot bacon fat. You don't have to cook it in bacon fat if you're being healthy - just do whatever you normally do to cook chicken pieces. When the chicken is brown but not overcooked, remove from pan, and put with the bacon in the fridge.
4. By this time, the dough should be out of the oven and cooled a bit. Don't turn off the oven. Empty the spinach into a large microwavable bowl and add a splash of water. Sometimes, I add the minced garlic to the spinach. I did last night and even though most of the garlic didn't end up on the pizza, the spinach really kept the garlic flavor. Microwave for 2 minutes or until wilted. Drain the spinach and throw out the excess liquid.
5. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the alfredo sauce into a medium-sized bowl. I season with a little black pepper, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on your heat tolerance), and all the bacon. Sometimes I put the minced garlic in the sauce, too. Last night, I didn't, it went into the spinach.
6. Time to assemble the pizza. Spread the sauce over all the pizza dough, leaving a 1/4" edge around the outside. Plop the spinach evenly around - I do my best to not have too big of clumps but cooked spinach is hot and clumpy. Sprinkle the chicken all over. If you choose to add any of the additional ingredients, sprinkle them evenly over the pizza, too. Cover with a thin layer of Mozzarella cheese followed by a thin layer of Parmesan cheese. Usually, I'm all about lots of cheese, but this works better with just a thin layer.
7. Place pizza in hot oven and cook for 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted and crust is nice and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes or you'll burn your mouth on the alfredo sauce. Trust me.
8. Serve with a garden salad or steamed veggies.
Last night, this really hit the spot. Steve had cooked the bacon and chicken before I got home, so it didn't take long to make the rest of the pizza. You gotta love a quick, easy meal that tastes really good.