Pesto Chicken Pizza

Everybody loves pizza!

If you like pesto and are looking for a lighter pizza or new pizza recipe give this one a try. Early in the week I cooked several chicken breasts in the crock pot, steamed some broccoli, sautéed mushrooms and blended up a batch of home made pesto. I made enough of these ingredients for two meals so I had plenty on hand to make a pesto chicken pizza. I also added sliced red onions and chopped tomatoes. This pizza tastes great with just the chicken so if you have picky eaters less may be better.

Use your imagination and add more toppings or less.

Hey it’s your pizza, own it and enjoy it!

Use individual pizza’s and invite your guests to top their own pizzas. Cheers!

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 12 inch pre-made 100% whole wheat thin pizza crust

• 2 cooked chicken breasts or 2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite size pieces

• 1 cup of fresh diced tomatoes

• 1 8 oz package of mushrooms, sliced (You can use uncooked mushrooms or if you have cooked mushrooms in the fridge they work just as well)

– You can use pre-sliced mushrooms or slice yourself. Always clean the mushrooms first, rinse and dry with a paper towel

• ¼ red onion sliced

• 1/2 to ¾ cup of Pesto Sauce, Freshly made (recipe is on my blog) or purchase at your local market

• 8 oz (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh is best, or pre-shredded Italian or mozzarella cheese, your choice

• Options to add:

– 1 cup of fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces or frozen broccoli, 1 cup thawed

– 1 6 oz jar of Artichoke hearts, drain the juice and discard

– 1 6 oz can of sliced black Olives, drain the juice and discard

– Today I am adding broccoli that I cooked and served with another meal yesterday

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

• In a mixing bowl lightly coat the cooked pieces of chicken in ¼ cup of the pesto sauce

• Place the pizza crust in a pizza pan or baking stone (or follow the directions on the package of the pizza crust)

• Spread the remaining ¼ cup of pesto on the pizza crust, covering the entire crust (you can use a cooking brush or spatula) Feel free to use more pesto

• Sprinkle crust with 3/4 cup of cheese; spread the mushrooms, chicken, red onion, broccoli and tomatoes. Top with remaining cheese

– Use any your imagination and add the toppings that you like

• Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 10 minutes

• Turn on the broiler and set the timer to broil for 4 minutes, I like the cheese to lightly brown- Watch closely so you do not to burn

• Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Slice into 8 slices or smaller if you are serving as an appetizer. Enjoy!

Just cook something! Cheers! Kary~