From BBQ Chicken to Chicken Pizza

I’m just not willing to waste anything that’s good.  If the prices of food were not enough to make me feel this way, knowing that there are people who go hungry certainly is.

We’ve stopped making pizza regularly since we are trying to eat less cheese, but I think very occasionally, with low-fat mozzarella, it’s probably okay, especially if we can knock each other away from the table in time to not eat five or six pieces each. 

Yesterday we had some very good BBQ chicken.  It was all white meat, so I knew it would be awesome on pizza.  I had about a quart container of it left over–not enough to feed six of us as a main dish but enough to do something with.  It was really, really good chopped up and put onto homemade pizza crusts with garlic-flavored tomato sauce and freshly minced garlic.  Yum. 

NOTE:  This pizza can actually be even healthier.  Sometimes I sautee spinach leaves in olive oil with fresh garlic, just long enough to wilt them good, and we add those too.  Also, thinly sliced roma tomatoes are great!

For the dough I use a recipe from a packet of Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast.  I double the recipe and get four thin pizzas from it.  I checked out the Fleischmann website Breadworld, which is great, by the way, but I did not find this particular recipe, so I’ll share it here.

PIZZA DOUGH

• 1 envelope Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
• 1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
• 2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil (I use olive)

Soften yeast in warm water, in a mixing bowl.  Add 2 cups flour, salt and oil.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth, about 4-6 minutes.

Place in greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.  Punch dough down.  Pat dough into a greased large pizza pan.  Top with desired toppings.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until done.

The above recipe is calling for the dough to make just one thick pizza crust.  I use the same recipe for two thin crusts, doubling the recipe to make four crusts.  I roll them out and bake them on a flat pan with toppings of choice.  It makes a FANTASTIC pizza crust.  Being thin, it doesn’t need to bake as long as stated above.

For sauce on the crust, one 8-ounce can of Hunt’s tomato sauce flavored with basil or garlic, etc. will be enough sauce for two pizzas.  This makes a really good pizza sauce that doesn’t compete too strongly with the toppings.

Lynn