Virginia Caballero
Ordering takeout from a pizza restaurant is certainly enjoyable, but sometimes you just feel like cooking at home. This pesto and chicken pizza is entirely homemade from the crust to the sauce, and it's just as delicious as the specialty pies from your local pizzeria.
Ingredients (for the crust):
Ingredients (for the pesto):
Ingredients (to top the pizza):
Directions:
To make the crust, start by combining the water, yeast, and sugar. Let this mixture rest for 5 minutes or until it starts to look foamy. Add 2 cups flour, the oil, and the salt. Mix for 1 minute to form a soft dough, and then stir in the remaining cup of flour. Knead for 5 minutes in your mixer with a dough hook or for 8 minutes by hand.
Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl with plenty of space for the dough to expand. Cover the bowl, and place it in a warm place to rest for 1 hour.
While the dough is resting, prepare the pesto. Combine all of the pesto ingredients in your food processor, and process until smooth. Make sure you keep going until there are no more big chunks of garlic or basil remaining.
You can also prepare the chicken while the dough rises. Season the chicken breast with the salt, pepper, and garlic. Place it in a baking pan, and bake for 30 – 35 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the oven, let it cool slightly, and then pull it apart into shreds.
Once your dough has risen, shape it into a ball, and then place it on a baking sheet to rest for another 20 minutes. Stretch the dough out into a 14-inch circle or into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Then, spread it with the pesto and sprinkle on the cheese and prepared chicken.
Bake your pizza in a 400 degree F oven for 20 – 25 minutes. The cheese should be melted and bubbly, and the crust should be golden brown on the bottom. Enjoy!
Finding the problems inside your restaurant isn't always easy, especially if you are close to your employees. However, a few years ago I could tell that things weren't going well, and that I needed to do more to improve food quality. I started carefully evaluating every aspect of my restaurant, and before I knew it, I found little changes that made a big difference. This blog is all about making your restaurant a little bit better--one change at a time. You never know, the changed you make today might become the profits that you will make tomorrow. Check out the rest of this blog to learn more.