(our baby sister)
Steph's Version
(Roswell, GA)
the young, sassy, charistmatic one
When I was asked to be a guest chef on Val and Jen's blog, I immediately
thought, "Did you guys mean to choose me or was this an accident?",
because almost every time I choose to cook I pretend I know what I am doing and
eventually it backfires. Once I got that part out of the way, I figured this
time I should probably follow the recipe. In doing so, we all decided that
Chicken Alfredo Pizza was the best meal to create. In my mind, as long as I do
not burn anything and add some salt to it, it should taste just fine. Well, it
took me a long time to realize how wrong I was. So, this go around, I decided I
should probably follow the rules and in turn outshine my sisters who have been
mastering the culinary arts for years.
Admittedly, I was nervous and I doubted my ability to recreate this
recipe. However, I was determined to prove everyone wrong and show that I could
live up to the expectations. In short order, I had all of my supplies ready to
build my masterpiece. I purchased a premade thin pizza crust, because I figured
that I would more than likely ruin the dough if I made it from scratch.
From
there, I started on my chicken breast. As I was pounding the meat down to a
thinner strip, I found myself dancing to the sound of the beat from my mallet
hitting the breast. I never realized how powerful I could feel over hammering
down some meat. It was quite exhilarating. Next, I seasoned the chicken and
started cooking it over the stove. The recipe did not call for much seasoning
on the meat, so I did not add anything extra.
Once the meat was cooked through,
I put it aside to slice it down to size and add it as a topping to the pizza.
Then, I began working on my sauce. In truth, I had not prepared myself enough
to create the sauce so I had to ask my mother to lend a hand. I am so thankful
that she knows how to jump right into a recipe and help me to create something
I had never attempted before.
The recipe had called for some red pepper flakes
to be added to the sauce and immediately I thought, “Why would I put red pepper
flakes in an alfredo sauce? That is just wrong.” To my surprise, it actually
tasted quite delicious with that little kick of spice.
Once the sauce was
ready, I began to spread it over the pizza crust as my base. I then layered on
some fresh spinach, chicken, and topped it all off with a nice helping of
mozzarella cheese.
Since the pizza dough was premade, I only needed to cook my creation for
a good ten minutes. The moment it was ready to serve I was overwhelmed with
such satisfaction that I could not bear to hold it in. I began taking several
pictures and boasting on what I was able to accomplish. The prep work took very
little time and as I kept moving forward I noticed this meal was easier to make
than I had anticipated. The final product gave me inspiration to start cooking
and baking more. The only thing I would change from my rendition of this recipe
is to make the pizza dough from scratch.
This experience was eye opening and helped me to realize that I cannot
start off thinking I can do something until I have learned how to do it the
right way. I am overjoyed to have such amazing sisters who have accomplished so
much in their lives and continue to involve me in their growth. Thank you Val
and Jen for allowing me to be a part of this week’s sisterly bond through food.
I hope I can have the opportunity to try another recipe very soon.
Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8 (unless you eat a lot)
Ingredients:
1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 (16-ounce) ball pizza dough, store-bought
2 cups baby spinach, well washed and dried
1 cup grated mozzarella
Olive oil, for brushing crust
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust racks to the middle of the oven. Put pizza stone in the oven to preheat while you begin the sauce.
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill pan and grill until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and dice. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste.Flour your work surface and roll the pizza dough into a 13-inch diameter. Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and put the dough on top. Ladle the sauce to cover the bottom of the pizza. Evenly top with the baby spinach, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top with another handful of spinach. Slice and serve.
Jen's Version
(Acworth, GA)
the older, spoiled, funny one
What a fun blog week! I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous asking Steph to be a guest chef. Steph cooks to the beat of her own drum, or measure of her own spoon if you will. She will look at a recipe, that most likely she decided to cook 30 seconds previously, and will execute regardless of having all of the ingredients. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just very hit or miss. I became confident the meal would be good when I saw her selection. That and when I knew I would be cooking my own version...
Kidding. But seriously.
So like all cooking days of my life, I made two different versions. A kid-friendly version that was almost identical to the recipe, minus the grape tomatoes and a Jen version. This consisted of all my favorite parts of a pizza blended in with the chosen recipe. A pizza to me has to have two things: a good crust and great toppings. That's all. The sauce is important to me, but when the toppings are delicious, you can get away with a so-so sauce. In this case, we had it all.
I started off with grilling some chicken, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika. I'm really sold on the McCormick grinders. I use them at least twice a day.
I have never made Alfredo sauce. My husband despises it, so I've just never had a reason. And boy have I been missing out! It's relatively easy and the girls LOVED it. I mean, not that I'm surprised. Butter, heavy cream, cheese...not a whole lot not to like. Unless your my husband. But then you're just weird.
Mmmh butter. Butter is better.
The butter and garlic are doin their thang.
Stirring in the cream (while taking a one handed picture on an iPhone, which may be the hardest thing ever)
Look at that beautiful, thick, creamy Alfredo sauce!
Remember when I used my waffle maker recently, that I got as a wedding present but never used until 5 years later? No? Well, here's another gift I got for getting married that has been collecting dust. My pizza stone. I think this was use 3.
Note: Due to laziness, this has been in the oven ever since and used probably 15 more times. Now it looks 15 years old.
This is the girls version. I topped a Mama Mia's pre-made thin crust pizza for them. They do not appreciate pizza crust like I do, so they get the average stuff.
This was my version! I get the upgraded Naan flat-bread, added veggies and cheese plus a kick of buffalo sauce. It was absolutely delicious. I'm not sure I've heard of a buffalo chicken Alfredo pizza before, but if I had a pizza place - I would totally serve this.
I want to personally thank Stephanie for joining in on our blog fun - what a great recipe to add to my collection!
Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8 (unless you eat a lot)
Ingredients:
1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 dash Paprika
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 Naan Flat Breads
2 cups baby spinach, well washed and dried
1 cup grated mozzarella
Olive oil, for brushing crust
*Modified adult version included 2 Tbls. Frank's hot sauce to toss grilled chicken in and sliced tomatoes, cheddar and goat cheese to add to pizza toppings
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust racks to the middle of the oven. Put pizza stone in the oven to preheat while you begin the sauce.
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill pan and grill until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and dice. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste.
Flour your work surface and roll the pizza dough into a 13-inch diameter. Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and put the dough on top. Ladle the sauce to cover the bottom of the pizza. Evenly top with the baby spinach, tomatoes, grilled chicken and the mozzarella (and any additional toppings you want to add). Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top with another handful of spinach. Slice and serve.
Val's Version
(Denver, CO)
the oldest, bossy, outgoing one
I'm the oldest of 4 and I can honestly say, my sisters are my best friends. I love my little brother too, but there's just something extra special about a sisterly bond. I'm lucky to not only have 1, but 2! We are so alike, yet so totally different. Outside of the normal mushy similarities, there is one thing we all love … to eat!
This month kinda flew by, so Jen and I didn't really prepare for our Guest Chef. And to tell the truth, Steph didn't come to top of mind. Maybe we pick on her cause she's the younger one - or maybe we're just mean, but we don't typically look at Steph as domesticated. She's getting there. But, not totally ;)
It was time to be brave and ask Steph to come up with a recipe for the last week of May (yes - we are a tad behind on updates - Jen's fault). Her standard go to is Chicken Alfredo so this was a fun twist on a traditional fav. And it was soooooo yummy! You can really add whatever you want. The sauce is light and has a very boastful flavor. We went the gluten free route
Who has time to actually make dough from scratch? Not this girl.
I preheated the oven and let the pizza stone get hot.
I seasoned a bunch of chicken tenderloins (cause they're cheaper and cook faster) and cooked them on the stove top. Next time I may have the hubs grill 'em up to get that added crisp.
Slice up your chickity chicken and set aside so you can focus on the sauce.
The aroma was life changing.
Take the time to really stir the sauce and let the seasonings blend and compliment each other.
Let that simmer and prepare your other toppings. We did some turkey bacon, organic spinach and cherry tomaters.
Since I went with a GF crust that was pre-made, it didn't take long to roll out. Maybe I should have put more effort into it. Epic fail on getting it into an actual circle.
Spread with alfredo sauce and decorate with your toppings. Then of course you have to put a blanket of cheese on top!
Slide your pizza stone into the oven and bake, bake, bake it up. When brown and bubbly, top with additional spinach and serve while it's hot.
We completed this dish with some berries and a crisp salad mixture. And of course, chased it down with the Sam Adams Summer Ale!
Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8 (unless you eat a lot)
Ingredients:
1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (next time, we'll cut this back to 1/2 tsp)
1 tablespoon all-purpose GF flour, plus more for work surface
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
16 oz GF pizza dough, store-bought
2 cups baby spinach, well washed and dried
1 cup grape tomatoes, red and yellow
4 slices of Turkey Bacon, fried and crispy
1 cup grated mozzarella
Olive oil, for brushing crust
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust racks to the middle of the oven. Put pizza stone in the oven to preheat while you begin the sauce.
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill pan and grill until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and dice. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste.
Flour your work surface and roll the pizza dough into a 13-inch diameter. Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and put the dough on top. Ladle the sauce to cover the bottom of the pizza. Evenly top with the baby spinach, grape tomatoes, turkey bacon, grilled chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top with another handful of spinach. Slice and serve.
