If I wasn’t making dinner during our two months of Spring Training, one these things was probably happening: everyone was out, there was a night game, or Pete was having Pizza Night. I’ve mentioned Ryan’s best baseball friend Pete a few times. We love him. And one thing Pete loves in return is homemade pizza. I know how he feels. You want pizza, but you don’t want the excess grease and crazy calories. By making it at home, you control everything. A little cheese, a lot of cheese; the whole garden of veggies or meat lovers delight; the choice is up to you! During the last week of Spring Training we had some friends over for a big pizza night, and this time I made pizza too. We made the usual suspects (pepperoni, margarita) but I wanted to mix things up a bit by making Thai Chicken Pizza.
What is Thai pizza? Probably a whole lot of things depending on who you ask. But my version starts with a whole wheat crust. Then I layer creamy peanut sauce, rich caramelized onions, and juicy chicken. I don’t put cheese on it. I’ve added to the recipe as an optional ingredient because I understand that for some people, pizza without cheese is a terrible sin. I get it. But honestly it doesn’t need it. Instead, I freshen things up with shaved carrot strings, cherry tomatoes, diced scallions, and fresh cilantro. Your taste buds will be blown away by this one. Spicy, sweet, crunchy, smooth… this pizza has it all. The best part- Pete liked it so much he said he definitely wants to include it in his pizza nights to come. 🙂
This is a great dinner to make on a weeknight when you don’t have a lot of time. You can use a leftover cooked chicken breast or even a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Instead of making the crust from scratch (which is nice but not always practical) buy dough from your local pizza shop. You support small businesses and reap the benefits of delicious pizza.
Makes: 12 slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 12 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes
1- 1lb ball of whole wheat pizza dough*
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup light coconut milk
1/3 – 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbs sriracha chile paste
2 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small white onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
2/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin, flat, bite-sized pieces
a dozen or so cherry tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, cut on the bias
fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Roll the pizza dough out so that it covers a large baking sheet. I prefer thin crust pizza, but you can keep the edges a little thicker if you want a nice crust on it. Spray the baking sheet and lay the dough over top.
- Heat a large saute pan with a drizzle of vegetable oil. Cook the onions over high heat so that they are starting to crisp up and brown, roughly 5 minutes. Remove the onions and set aside.
- Reduce the heat in the pan to medium-low, and add the coconut milk and peanut butter. Stir to melt the peanut butter. Add the sriracha, soy sauce, and garlic. Add half the chicken stock and cook another 3-4 minutes so that the flavors can meld together. The peanut butter will continue to bind while you cook it. I have the extra stock in the recipe because you want the sauce to be runny when you put it on the pizza… the texture of a loose gravy. It will bind a little in the oven, so make sure it isn’t too dry. Taste the peanut sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Layer the sauce on the dough, leaving a little room around the edges.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the cilantro. Bake the pizza for 12 minutes, or until the crust is cooked through. Remove from the oven and top with the fresh cilantro. Let the pizza stand for about two minutes before slicing into it.
One Year Ago Today: Zucchini Kugel for Passover
Other Applause Worthy Pizzas:
Cooking In Red Socks 