Chicken Mushroom Pizza
I like the idea of baking pizza when my friends are coming over. It’s simple, delicious and they love it. But there are two things you have to consider. First, after tasting homemade pizza you simply can’t go back, and neither can your friends. So, they’ll ask you to make pizza all the time. Not that I don’t like this, but just be prepared. Second, if you are Italian you’re used to thinking parsimoniously about the toppings. However, everybody else in the world loves the sensation of abundance in their toppings. That’s why I always make at least two pizzas. One simple and more Italian pizza, like a classic margherita. And another more generous American-style pizza. Abundance is not bad if you keep in mind the Italian philosophy. You know: the excellence of the ingredients. Ingredients
Pizza dough (use half of one of these recipes)
6 oz cremini mushrooms
3 chicken breasts
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
6-8 Tbsp tomato sauce
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 little bunch basil
Salt, pepper
Olive oil
Prepare the pizza dough. Cut the chicken into really thick slices. Add some apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic, and let the chicken chunks marinate for about 30 minutes. In a saucepan sauté the mushrooms with some olive oil (about 1 Tbsp). The secret for brown and tasty sautéed mushrooms is a very hot saucepan and mushrooms that are cleaned but not washed. When the mushrooms are ready, set them aside and using the same saucepan sauté the chicken until nice and golden brown. If you want, after sautéing the chicken, add ½ cup of white wine and then add the tomato sauce. By doing this you’ll capture all the flavors. Just remember that I always use the simplest tomato sauce (tomato puree or passata di pomodoro). Also remember that anything you’ll put on your pizza has to be cooled before. Now, when the dough is ready and shaped, and ready to bake, add the tomato sauce, the grated cheeses, the mushrooms and the chicken. Bake in a 450 preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Of course, add some fresh basil and a touch of olive oil before serving.
Tip
I really don’t know how to count chicken breasts. So, when I say two chicken breasts, I mean all the chicken breasts you can get from one chicken.
