A quick and easy recipe, but unique in the simple fact that it's pizza. You can change the toppings around any way you want! Honestly, who could ever get tired of pizza?
By Jasmine Smith Published: March 1, 2023
PICTURE THIS: It's a random Tuesday night, and you've had a long day at work. You're halfway through the recipe you've made 1000 times, and suddenly you forget the next step! Next thing you know, you end up on some random blog looking for step 7 out of 10. You have to scroll through five paragraphs of the blogger's backstory, and the origin of tomatoes before you find what you're looking for. Now your spinach has wilted into a pile of nothing.
Long story short, let's cut to the chase. The recipe & ingredients can be found immediately below. Keep reading along if you'd like the detailed steps for making this yummy pie! 😋
Pesto Chicken Pizza (Ingredients)
1 (12-inch) Pizza Crust (I used Pillsbury Dough)
1 Cup Pizza Sauce
1/2 Cup Pesto Basil Sauce
Marinated Chicken Breast (2 Cutlets)
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1/4 White Onion
Chopped Spinach*
Mozzarella Cheese*
Parmesan Cheese*
* The asterisk means to measure with your heart. I definitely don't have any concrete measurements for a lot of the ingredients in my recipes, which y'all will see as more recipes are posted along the way. You know what they say, your ancestors will tell you when to stop seasoning/measuring.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°. You definitely want the oven to be super hot or you're gonna end up with sad & soggy pizza. That's a bad way to go out. Spread the pizza dough on the greased cast iron skillet, and pre-bake the dough for 8 minutes. Once complete, set the dough aside.
**Optional: drizzle seasoned melted butter over the crust prior to popping it into the oven for a golden brown crust.
Photos 1 & 2 are of the dough spread out on the well-greased cast iron skillet. I used butter along with a butter knife to evenly spread the butter over the entire pan, including the sides. Photos 3 & 4 were taken after the pre-bake!
Step 2
For this recipe I am using leftover chicken, I decided to bake the chicken in the oven at 375° for 25 minutes (ensure the internal temperature is 165°). I only did this because I was meal prepping, otherwise, you can just pan sean sear it on the stovetop for 6-8 minutes on one side and then cook through on the other side once you flip. Always make sure to let the chicken rest for as long as possible, this will keep your chicken nice & juicy!
*Tip: marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours prior to cooking. Before going in with my dry spices I like to drizzle the chicken in olive oil to allow the seasonings to get a nice coating over the chicken boobies.
olive oil | lemon juice |
green goddess seasoning (Trader Joe's) | bbq 101 seasoning (Trader Joe's) |
smoked paprika | cayenne pepper |
Tony's creole seasoning | garlic powder |
Step 3
Set diced chicken to the side & let's start working on those veggies!
I personally like to dice up my onion first because the smell is so potent. I find that when I dice/chop the other vegetables afterward it doesn't leave my fingers smelling like hot funyun breath. Chop the spinach finely. If you chop the greenery before sauteeing, it will appear as if you've used all the spinach in the world. An illusion!
Next, preheat a skillet on medium heat with your butter of choice. Once the butter is nice & hot, quickly flash-fry 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. It's important not to burn the minced garlic because this will leave you with a bitter pizza.
Add the mix of chopped onion, and spinach to the pan. It is essential to saute until the water has cooked out of the vegetables (this will prevent moisture from seeping into the pizza crust while baking). Set cooked veg to the side!
Step 4
It's time for the fun part! Grab your toppings because the next step is pie assembly.
Spread 1/2 cup of pesto basil down first, then follow with 1 cup (or more...) of tomato sauce. Next goes the chicken & the veggies. I like to do a ratio of half of the toppings, then cheese, the rest of the toppings, and more cheese. It bakes the toppings into the pizza really well and helps everything come together in a beautiful harmony, y'know? Grab your favorite cheese(s), I used parmesan and mozzarella.
Make sure you are customizing your measurements based on how much sauce/toppings you do or do not like on your pizza. You've got free reign with your pie!
Step 5
Bake the pizza in the oven for 6-8 minutes depending on the golden brown consistency you are getting while baking. After baking this time around, brush the crust with the melted butter that is lightly seasoned (I used green goddess). This step will take your pizza crust to the next level! Bake for 3-5 more minutes, and make sure you are continuously checking during this time so you don't burn the pizza.
The cast iron skillet is going to be the star of the show when it comes to the crispiness & golden brown flakiness we love with pizza. Once it is done I allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before using the pizza slicer. I find doing this allows the cheese to set, and the toppings don't slide right off the pizza when I'm slicing it.
Step 6
This step is just added in so we can take another look at the beautiful results!
Slice & enjoy! 😋 Make sure you comment down below about anything. You can share how this pizza makes you feel, what your favorite pizza is, or what you'd like the next recipe to be about. If you end up using this recipe, don't forget to tag me on Instagram at @themusebyjas. Until next time, lovers. 💋
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