CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (recipe below makes 2 crusts)
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
½ cups Barbecue Sauce
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Salt For Sprinkling
16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
½ whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
Chopped Cilantro, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
1-½ cup Warm Water
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
⅓ cups Olive Oil
Directions:
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Pizza Popcorn

Ingredients:
2 1/2 quarts popped popcorn
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce mix (optional)

Directions:
Melt butter in a small saucepan; add remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Pour butter over popcorn and mix well. As you are mixing, add in the Parmesan. Pour into a jelly roll pan and bake uncovered, at 250 degrees F for 10 minutes.

NOTE: 1/3 to 1/2 cup unpopped kernels makes 2 1/2 quarts popped

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
Zest of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:
1 package of cream cheese, (8 oz.)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
Optional: 1/2 tsp coconut extract
Optional: Zest of 1 lemon

Fresh fruit:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Kiwi
Peaches
Blackberries
Pineapple
Banana
Mango
Canned mandarin oranges

Directions:
Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Sift flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed, using the mixer. Mix just until combined. Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least an hour to chill the dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface then press into a lightly greased pizza pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. You want the crust to be just a light golden brown. Let the crust cool.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
pizza dough
1lb chicken breasts, cut into small cubes*
1/2 cup Frank’s hot sauce
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 scallions, chopped on a bias
Blue cheese crumbles
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the Frank’s and butter in a small saucepan. Add the chicken and heat over medium until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.Roll out the dough and place on a pizza pan or sheet pan. Top with a little mozzarella cheese. Add the blue cheese, spread into a thin layer. Scatter a few scallions on top. Using a slotted spoon add the chicken, being careful not to put on too much of the Frank’s (it will get soggy/greasy). Add just a few dashes of the Frank’s here and there on the pizza, then top with more mozzarella cheese and the remaining scallions.Bake the pizza for 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
*I chose to boil my chicken first, shred it, then toss it with the melted butter/Frank’s mixture.

Pizza Bites

Ingredients:
2 cans refrigerated pizza dough
1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz thin sliced pepperoni
2 tsp Italian seasoning (combine oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
pizza or marinara sauce

Directions:
Prepare pizza dough and roughly chop pepperoni.If you are going to bake some (or all!) right away preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 3 pie pans.If using refrigerated pizza dough: roll one dough out into a large rectangle and cut into 24 pieces. Don't make them as rectangular as I did (see below). I should have made them more square, it would have made them easier to fold around the filling. Repeat with 2nd pizza dough. If using homemade dough just pinch off walnut sized pieces as you go.In each dough piece place a couple pieces of chopped pepperoni and a tablespoon of cheese. Seal dough around meat and cheese and place seam side down in pie pan.Repeat, placing approximately 16 dough balls in each pie plate. Once assembled, combine oil and spices and brush over the dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Now you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze or you can bake right away.When ready to bake: bake at 400°F for 16-20 min. Serve with warm pizza or marinara sauce.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup warm water

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

***Topping***

3 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 tablespoons brewed tea

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili oil

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 1/2 tablespoon green onions

1/2 pound chicken breast, cut in 1/4-inch strips

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped.

Directions:
For the dough: In a small bowl, dissolve the honey in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir until it dissolves. Let the yeast mixture stand for 5 minutes, until a layer of foam forms on the surface.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Stir the flour into the wet ingredients, until all the flour is incorporated. If its too dry, add more water.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 15 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and put in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a moist towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1-1/2 hours).

For the topping: Combine peanut butter and next 7 ingredients (to sesame oil) in a blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.

In the meantime, season chicken strips with red pepper and salt. Sauté in 2 tablespoons olive oil, until done (about 7 minutes).

Coat chicken with 2 tablespoons peanut sauce. Set aside in the refrigerator. Punch the dough down, and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll out each portion into an 9-inch flat circle. Spread 1/4 cup peanut sauce over the surface of each of the doughs. Distribute 1/2 of the cheese over the sauce. Repeat with other pizza. Distribute 1/2 of the chicken over the cheese. Repeat with other pizza. Place the pizzas in the oven (on top of pizza stones). Bake until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbling (8-10 minutes). Remove pizzas from the oven and sprinkle each with carrot and cilantro.

Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:
pizza dough
pesto sauce
kosher salt
mozzarella cheese
tomatoes
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees
Press the pizza dough into a pan to desired thickness. Cover with pesto sauce. Layer mozzarella cheese, then sliced tomatoes, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until crust is brown.