The Best Roasted Garlic, Chicken and Herb Pizza

We love pizza in our house and I probably make homemade pizza a few times a month. It’s an easy dinner to make and it’s always a favorite.

The white sauce on this pizza is nice and garlicky without being overly strong, and the chicken and herbs give the pizza lots of flavor. It was even good as leftovers the following day, which is important in our family – we love leftover pizza!

Ingredients:

• *1 pound pizza dough (I used half of my favorite pizza dough recipe)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 garlic bulb
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
• Red onion, diced, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated or shredded
• 8 oz Mozzarella cheese
• herbs of choice, to taste (parsley, oregano, bail, thyme, rosemary, etc.)

Instructions:

Roast the garlic:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 1/4" of the head of the bulb off. Place the garlic bulb on a sheet of tin foil and drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil on the top cut off portion. Scrunch foil up around the garlic and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from foil and allow to cool. Once cool,
2. squeeze the roasted cloves. Mince 8 cloves and set aside for this recipe. Store the rest in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add roasted garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add flour and mix until blended, cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, or until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.
4. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. (a pizza peel or parchment paper) Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Spread white sauce over dough. Top with chicken, onions, and cheese. Bake 17 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with herbs. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

*Pizza dough recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ cup warm water
• 2¼ tsp. instant yeast (or active dry)
• 4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1½ tsp. salt
• 1¼ cup water, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. If using active dry yeast, stir the yeast into the water and allow it to sit until bubbly, about 5-10 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.
2. Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.
3. If freezing the dough, wrap each ball of dough in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag and freeze. Place the dough in the refrigerator on the morning of the day you want to use it. (If using the dough for lunch, transfer to the refrigerator the night before.) Before making the pizza, take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. If using the dough right away (not freezing it), cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
5. To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. (a pizza peel or parchment paper) Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.