Whiteface Chicken Pizza (Corey)

I love pizza. The problem that I find with it most of the time is the red sauce...and don’t get me wrong, I love red sauce (with breadsticks and with meatballs on pasta). This recipe is pretty fluid (which, I think, most of our recipes are) so feel free to substitute as you so desire...this one can be as varied as you can imagine it. For today though, I’ll stick to what’s in the picture!

2 packages thin and crispy pizza crust mix (Jiffy, Martha White, or Great Value are all great) -- or your can make your own crust.

A note about pizza crust: I like to make my own. Sort of. I just don’t usually have time...so I buy the mix and mix it myself, and that counts, right? We used to make our own pizza crust from scratch, and it was super yummy but never as crunchy as I like it. So in the interest of time and crunch I buy the thin crust mix and doctor it up a bit. When it says to bake the crust before adding toppings, I always sprinkle on garlic, oregano, and basil to make it an herbed crust. I’ve also been known to add parmesan cheese on occasion. I love to use a pizza stone to make round pizza, but when I’m making half-and-half pizza for the masses, I’ll use a cookie sheet. That’s the thing about geometry...I was always better at dividing rectangles than circles.

Alfredo sauce (regular, mushroom, roasted red pepper, sub-dried tomato all good choices)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (optional)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 1/2 cups raw French green beans OR 1 bunch green asparagus

1 pepper (green, yellow, orange, or red) julienned and chopped

2 cups baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

4 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced and patted dry

1/2 cup bleu or Gorgonzola cheese

garlic, oregano, basil

Mix your pizza crust (don’t forget the herbs!) and place in the oven following the directions on your selected brand (or your recipe). While it pre-bakes, chop your green beans or asparagus into 1 inch sections. Don’t forget to remove the hard ends of the asparagus. Place the vegetable of choice in a bowl with a quarter inch of water and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Cook in the microwave for two minutes to blanch. They should still be crispy.

Once you’ve semi-baked your pizza crust, remove from the oven to begin assembly. Start with the sauce and apply in a thin layer. For a 16” pizza, I usually use less than half a jar of sauce. The key is that the sauce is just enough for moisture, but not the predominant flavor on the pizza. Top with all of the mozzarella cheese. Begin layering your vegetables. The tomatoes should go on last. Add your chicken (if desired) and bleu cheese. Sprinkle generously with oregano and basil.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the bleu cheese has started to melt. Remove from oven and allow to cool 3 to 4 minutes before cutting into wedges.