Friday, August 13, 2010

Chicken Ranch Pizza

I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I love Little Ceasars Chicken Garlic Pizza and wanted to make one just like it - well, this came pretty close! It was my second time making a Pizza, and first time making Pizza dough - it was easy and I'll be making this again and again.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

Ingredients:
3 chicken thighs, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
Italian seasoning (about 1 tsp.)
1/3 – ½ cup Ranch dressing
2 Roma or 1 large tomato, diced
½ red onion, sliced
½ lb. cheese, Mozerella or Monterey Jack
and whatever other toppings you like!

Saute chopped chicken thighs in olive oil with 3 minced garlic cloves & Italian seasoning.

Make the crust and spread it out on a cookie sheet with sides.

Mix Ranch dressing with 3 minced garlic cloves, spread onto the crust. Add toppings: cooked chicken, tomatos, red onion, etc. Top with shredded cheese.

Quick & Easy Pizza Crust
4 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ cup ice cold water
Mix in bread machine for 7 minutes.
Makes 2 rectangle-cookie-sheet sized pizzas.
Make sure you make the crust thin as this dough does not work with a thick crust! If we only want one pizza, we put the other half rolled in flour into a zip lock bag. It can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen and later thawed.

Baking Pizza Tips
When the oven is at temp, place pizza in the center of the middle rack to allow for maximum air circulation around the pan. A simple cheese and pepperoni pizza prepared in a 12" diameter pizza pan will bake evenly and thoroughly in a 450° F oven on the middle rack in only 12 min.

Adding more toppings to the pizza adds more moisture and mass to cook through. For example, a deluxe pizza with four or five different toppings generally requires a longer baking time at a lower temperature, perhaps 325° F to 350° F for 25 to 35 minutes.

1) The cheese has melted on top and is beginning to brown,
2) The crust edge has browned, from a medium to a golden brown, and,
3) Carefully lift the edge of the pizza to inspect its bottom - should be evenly browned.

(Baking tips from: http://pizzaware.com/howtomakepizza7.htm)

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