Three Cheese Chicken Spinach Pizza
NOTE: Dear friends, I’m going to update this recipe within a few days and post it this week (11-9-16). Tune in for an even better version. <3
Why yes, you can have an amazing pizza with wine sauce and chicken! Fry you up some spinach to top that baby with and you’ll be shakin’ a tail feather!
Get ready for this one cause it’s DE-LISH!
I couldn’t wait to share this recipe. The first time my crew and I had it we were so surprised at how GOOD it turned out. This time around, I added the fried spinach to top it off with and it was SUPER YUMMY!
Alright friends, get that skillet out and heat up some oil. I’m gonna introduce you to spinach like you’ve never had it. Before we get started, I’ll just throw out a couple of warnings… #1 Make plenty! Because you’ll want to munch and munch and munch. So, make extra, you know, for the pizza.
#2 Make sure you’ve got plenty of protection on when you fry your spinach up because it will splatter. A LOT! Spinach has a high water content and you know what happens when you put any amount of water in hot oil. Right?
Perhaps a fridge door will help?
Hahahahahahaha!! I don’t care how many times I watch that video, it makes me laugh out loud every time! ~ because that’s exactly how I feel every time I fry something in flamin’ hot oil.
Okay. Let’s get to work.
So, with frying spinach, you’ll only do a few pieces at a time. As long as you’ve got your oil hot enough, it takes literally 5 seconds to cook. Just work in small batches. Toss in about five or six pieces, wait five seconds and fish them out with a slotted spoon
or a fork. You’ll know they’re done when they stop sizzling and turn brown like this.
Just like most fried foods, you’ll lay them on a couple layers of paper towels to let the grease drain off.
You can have these crunchy little morsels of green deliciousness by themselves, mixed in with your favorite pasta dish or whatever you like. They are excellent toppers for pizza, too! Just fry ’em up and set them aside. (And try not to eat ’em all, I dare ya!)
Now for our pizza today, we need some cooked, sliced up chicken breast. I have all the recipe details for the seasonings and cooking down in the print out below but if you happen to have a some chicken already cooked up and sitting in the fridge, by all means use it up for your pizza. You’ll need one to two chicken breasts for each pizza, depending on how big your chicken breasts are.
After you’ve cooked your chicken, there’s no need to clean the pan or start with a different one. I’ve watched a bazillion ka-jillion cooking shows and chefs and I’ve learned that that stuck on goo is actually some of the most flavorful stuff EVER. To me, it’s the best part of whatever it is you’ve cooked in that pan. So I take advantage of it and keep on a cookin’ in it until I get every last bit out, which is what I’m showing today with our sauce.
For this luscious sauce you’ll start out with a little butter melted in your skillet. Add some shallots and saute until soft. Then add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add a little flour to the mix and cook for another minute. The flour is what’s going to thicken the sauce.
Now the good stuff! And watch how my pan gets cleared of all the stuck on stuff at the bottom of the pan.
When you add the Chardonnay, you’ll want to use a good sturdy wire whisk to stir and scrape the pan. This is where the flavor starts blending into the amazing sauce you’re making. Can you tell I get all excited here?
See? Told you it’d come off. You believed me, didn’t you?
The next step is to add a little milk. I know some of you folks out there wince at dairy because of intolerance so I’m just gonna say if you need to skip the milk, that’s okay. Replace the milk with water or a dairy alternative at this point and it’ll be fine. And skipping the mozzarella for this pizza won’t hurt anything either.
For the final touch on our sauce, we’ll add some nice, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Now we’re ready to construct one of the most glorious pizzas I’ve ever had. Wait. Where’s your dough?
Pizza Dough from Scratch Plus Fresh Tomato SauceAh, there it is. 🙂
Go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Just like you would a regular ol’ pizza, pour the sauce on and spread with a spatula over the dough.
The cheeses we’re using for this one are mozzarella, fresh grated Parmesan and freshly grated fontina. You can use whatever combination of cheese you prefer but I wouldn’t skip that Parmesan. It just makes everything come together so nicely.
Decorate your pizza with the chicken and top with that yummy spinach. (if you have any left)
Pretty, no?
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the outside crust is golden brown.
Now that’s a good lookin’ pizza pie right there!
I know. You want a bite!
You’re in luck be cause the recipe is right here for you to print out. Once you make this one, you’ll definitely make it again and again because it really is that good.
I do hope you’ll enjoy!
Make it a great day and as always, keep it delicious! Till next time ~ much love, Connie
Ingredients
- Peanut oil for frying (can use vegetable oil)
- 2 C fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and thoroughly dried
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 C dry white wine (chardonnay)
- 1 1/2 C whole milk
- 1/4 C freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 prepared pizza dough
- 1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 C freshly grated fontina cheese
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large zip top baggie or bowl. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika over the chicken. Mix well and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a medium skillet, pour enough peanut oil in to equal about quarter inch. Heat the oil over med/hi. Test with a pinch of flour. If the oil sizzles when the flour is tossed in, it's ready.
- Carefully add 5-6 spinach leaves at a time. Fry for about 5 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Continue until all the spinach leaves are cooked.
- To cook the chicken, heat a large skillet on med/high. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook until browned on both sides. The internal temp of the chicken should be 165 degrees F. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
- For the sauce: Using the same pan the chicken was cooked in, heat 1 tbsp butter over med/high heat. Add the minced shallot and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook one minute. Add the flour and cook for one minute more.
- Using a sturdy wire whisk, stir in the chardonnay wine, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan until they are all unstuck and everything is well blended.
- Stir in the milk and simmer over med/low until thickened (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 C of the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Assemble the Pizzas:
- Place the dough on a pizza pans or baking stones. Pour half the sauce on each and spread with a spatula. Divide the remaining cheeses in half and sprinkle onto each pizza. Top each pizza with half the chicken and half the fried spinach.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the outside crust is golden brown.
Notes
Recipe by Connie Murray @Happybellyfoodie.com
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