Homemade Chicken Parmesan Pizza

Homemade Chicken Parmesan Pizza: Love at first bite. This homemade pizza a household favorite and begins with a homemade crust and ends with oven roasted chicken. You won’t feel guilty about going back for seconds. 

When I was in kindergarten, I had this friend who told me she wished she had three sets of parents because then she could have pizza for every meal. I never fully understood her reasoning behind that, because, even if you did have three sets of parents, what are the odds they would all choose pizza on the same day?

Pretty slim, I would say.

However, she did have an underlying point there.

Pizza is awesome.

I really, really, really love pizza. Almost as much as I like cake. Or cookies. Or bark. Or, well, any dessert. Have you noticed I have a giganticly massive sweet tooth? 🙂

When I was in New York, I had it multiple times. Pizza, I mean. (I had dessert multiple times too, but the amount of sugar I ate isn’t really necessary to discuss…)

Back to the pizza, I mean, really, how could you pass it up when it was just down the street and around the corner from the apartment you were staying at?

You really couldn’t.

But you want to hear the sad thing?

I haven’t had pizza since.

It was such a sad discovery that it went to the top of my baking list (everyone has a baking list, right?).

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of pretty much all pizza: frozen, delivery, restaurant, homemade, deep dish, thin crust, etc., etc. But, there is something about eating a fresh, homemade piece of pizza. I like knowing what ingredients are on my pizza, I like the freedom of creativity, and when I’m in the mood for it, I like making homemade dough.

Yeast used to intimidate me. It took me a very, very long time before I worked with yeast. It used to seem time-consuming and not worth the effort. But once I actually tried to use it, I realized it’s not that bad. Sure, depending upon the recipe it can be time-consuming, but it’s totally worth the effort.

Making Homemade Dough:

Because yeast is a living organism, you do have to be exact when working with it. If the yeast has expired, there is a good chance that it has died and will be inactive.

The most important part about working with yeast is temperature. If the recipe (like this one does) calls for the yeast to be dissolved into warm water (105-115 degrees), make sure you check the temperature. From experience, I know that dissolving the yeast in too hot of water will kill it and too cool of water won’t awaken it.

To begin, mix 1/8 tsp of sugar into 1 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees). Next, you dissolve one packet of yeast (2 1/4 tsp) into the water by sprinkling the yeast over the water. Allow it to stand 5-7 minutes, or until the yeast/water mix has become foamy and bubbly (all technical terms here, obviously 🙂 ), also known as “proofing.”

In a standing mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix 3 cups of flour with 1 1/2 tsp salt. Slowly add in the proofed yeast to the flour mix. Lastly add in 1 Tbsp of olive oil and mix until the dough comes together. If the dough is way too sticky to touch, incorporate in another 1/4-1/2 c of flour. If it’s not, form the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl (either oiled with olive oil or cooking spray) and cover with a damp cloth.

Place the dough in a warm area (I usually place it in a preheated and then turned off oven) and allow it to double in size, about 1 hour to 1 1/2.

This is what the dough looks like after it has risen (you can see the air pockets). At this point, punch the dough down and allow it to rise again for about 1/2 hour.

Roll out the dough into a 13″ circle. Roll the outside edge of the dough to make a crust and a 12″ pizza. The crust should look like this:

In order to ensure the crust’s done-ness, I prebake the crust for five minutes.

From there, rub the dough with olive oil. Spoon on the sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you want. For this chicken parmesan pizza, I oven roast the chicken first, then sprinkle it on in the last couple minutes of baking (so the chicken won’t get too dry).

Do not be intimidated by the number of steps 🙂 This recipe is very simple–I promise 🙂

Print

Homemade Chicken Parmesan Pizza

Prep Time

3 hrs

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

3 hrs 10 mins

 

Making pizza from scratch is so simple! This homemade chicken parmesan pizza is rich, comforting, and comes together so easily!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken Parmesan Pizza

Servings: 10 slices

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 -3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1 packet active yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
• 1 cup warm water (105-115)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Pizza

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup oven cooked boneless chicken breast (seasoned with salt and pepper, sliced)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1 1/2- 2 cup mozzarella cheese, depending upon cheesy preference
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper
• 1 large tomato
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp basil

Instructions

Dough

1. To make the dough, in a standing mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix 3 cups of flour and the salt together.
2. Mix sugar and warm water together.
3. Dissolve the packet of yeast into the warm water by sprinkling the yeast over the water. Allow it to proof for 5-7 minutes, or until the yeast/water mix has become foamy and bubbly.
4. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour while mixing on low.
5. Add in the oil.
6. Mix until dough comes together. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add in the remaining flour 1/4 to 1/2 c at a time.
7. Form dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl (either olive oil or cooking spray). Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm area so the dough can double in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.*
8. Once doubled, punch the dough down and allow it to rise for 30 more minutes, or until ready to use.

Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface in a 13" circle.
3. To form the outside crust, roll the edge of the pizza in about an inch and crimp the edges.
4. Bake the dough for about five minutes.
5. Brush olive oil over the crust. Sprinkle oregano, basil, and salt all over the crust.
6. Spread pizza sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with cheese. Spread bell peppers and tomatoes over the cheese.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Add chopped chicken and bake for 2 more minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
8. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*In order to create a warm environment for the dough, I preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Place the dough inside, turn off the oven, and keep the door open for about a half hour. Then close the door so you can trap the air inside of the oven for the rest of the time.