Chicken Antipasta Pizza

Pizza is such an easy recipe to change and suit your needs, toppings can be seasonal or colorful, vegetarian, or full of meat.  This pizza is a good combination of both.  Originally I made it using just the antipasta vegetables but decided it really needed something else.  At Costco they sell very yummy inexpensive rotisserie chicken that I've posted about previously and we had one in our fridge we hadn't used yet.  The pesto was also from Costco and bought two bottles when it was on sale so I used on right away and froze the second one.  We had just one bottle left in the freezer. I took out the frozen one and thawed in the refrigerator over night before adding to the chicken.  If you are looking to change up your Friday night pizza then this is the recipe for you, it's a good blend of flavors.  

I made a video of myself preparing the pizza and used that in place of the many photos I normally have in a post.  Let me know if you prefer the video or photographs for the recipe steps.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

7 cups Hi-Gluten Flour (Bread flour may be substituted)
2 3/4 cup Warm Water
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tbs Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 Tbs Kosher Salt
1 Tbs Honey

Process:

Warm up water in microwave for 40 seconds.  Add yeast to water, salt, honey, and olive oil in a stand mixer mixing bowl.  Allow mixture to activate(rest) for 5 minutes.

Add flour and blend with dough hook on medium until a smooth ball forms.

Place dough in bow greased with olive oil.  Allow to rest in refrigerator overnight before using for pizza.

Chicken Antipasta Pizza

Ingredients:

1/4 of Prepared Pizza Dough

3/4 cup Shredded Rotisserie Chicken Breast

2 Tbs Pesto

1 cup Shredded Provolone & Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 cup Marinara Sauce

2 Tbs chopped Kalamata Olives

2 Tbs chopped Artichoke Hearts

2 Tbs chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes

Olive Oil

Parchment Paper

Process:

Mix pesto with shredded chicken in small bowl, refrigerate while dough rests on counter.

Preheat a pizza stone or baking steel in oven set to 525 F for at least 1 hour before baking pizza. 

Section off a ball of pizza dough and roll it in olive oil on a piece of parchment paper large enough for a 12 inch pizza.  Rest for two hours on counter.

Press the dough with fingers and use knuckles under dough to stretch the dough into a thin disk with a thicker outer edge.  

Ladle on sauce in a thin layer leaving the outer inch crust without marinara.

Sprinkle on shredded cheese then the other toppings, ie chicken, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and sun dried tomatoes.

Using a pizza peel or inverted cookie sheet move the pizza to your stone or steel.  Bake for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and under carriage of pizza has brown spots.  

Place pizza on a cooling rack for 3 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms seemed like a great challenge, and one I haven't tried yet.  I have read and heard so many times how portobello mushrooms are meaty and a healthy alternative for beef. My guiding cultural influence for this recipe was Greece.  I live in a very Greek neighborhood and can easily buy Greek ingredients.  Plus, I love using feta in recipes.  I made this recipe completely without any meat and with whole grains.  

 Full of flavor, fiber, and fabulous Greek ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 Portobello Mushrooms
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1/4 cup Artichoke Hearts without liquid
4 cloves of Garlic
4 Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1 cup Hulled Barley
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
Olive Oil

Pour barley, water, and salt into a medium size sauce pan with a lid.  Heat over high until it reaches

 a boil, reduce heat to low.  Cover with lid.  Cook the barley for 40 minutes.  Check for tenderness 

and turn off heat.  If some water still remains, cover with lid and let sit for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are over, check if any more water remains.  If you still have water, 

strain the barley over the sink and return to the pan.

Preheat Oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

 Rinse the mushrooms, remove stems, and spoon out the gills (the black inside of the mushroom).

 Rub olive oil on the outside of the mushrooms and place on small cookie sheet.

Cut the feta into small 1/2 inch cubes, slice green onions, cut artichoke hearts into small pieces, and press the garlic.  Gently squeeze the tomatoes to remove seeds and cut into small pieces.

Gently stir 1 cup of cooked barley, feta, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, and artichoke hearts
in a small bowl.

 Toast the pine nuts in a small non-stick pan over medium heat until lightly browned.

Scoop about 3/4 cup filling into each mushroom cap and sprinkle pine nuts on each of the
stuffed mushrooms.  Drizzle some olive oil on each stuffed mushroom.

 Place stuffed mushrooms into oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

4 Portobello Mushrooms
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1/4 cup Artichoke Hearts without liquid
4 cloves of Garlic
4 Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1 cup Hulled Barley
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
Olive Oil

Process:

Pour barley, water, and salt into a medium size sauce pan with a lid.  Heat over high until it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low.  Cover with lid.  Cook the barley for 40 minutes, check for tenderness and turn off heat.  If some water still remains, cover with lid and let sit for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are over, check if any more water remains.  If you still have water, strain the barley over the sink and return to the pan.

Preheat Oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

Rinse the mushrooms, remove stems, and spoon out the gills (the black inside of the mushroom).

Rub olive oil on the outside of the mushrooms and place on small cookie sheet.

Cut the feta into small 1/2 inch cubes, slice green onions, cut artichoke hearts into small pieces, and press the garlic.  Gently squeeze the tomatoes to remove seeds and cut into small pieces.

Gently stir 1 cup of cooked barley, feta, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, and artichoke hearts in a small bowl.

Toast the pine nuts in a small non-stick pan over medium heat until lightly browned.

Scoop about 3/4 cup filling into each mushroom cap and sprinkle pine nuts on each of the stuffed mushrooms.  Drizzle some olive oil on each stuffed mushroom.

Place stuffed mushrooms into oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!