Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Chive Pesto
With garlic oil, Mozzarella, bleu cheese, buffalo chicken, and homemade chive pesto, this pizza is a lighter, and more elegant, version of the classic Buffalo chicken pizza. I love serving this pizza on Game Days, at casual parties, or even just on lazy Friday nights at home.
Ingredients
Chive Pesto
- 1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 1/2 c chives*, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbs pine nuts, toasted
- 2 Tbs Parmesan, grated
- 2-4 Tbs olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- 1.75 lbs pizza dough***, preferably homemade or storebought
- 1 1/2 c shredded chicken (about 1/2 lb. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken)
- 1/2 c buffalo sauce
- 2 Tbs olive oil*****
- 4 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 c whole milk Mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1/4 c bleu cheese, crumbled
- Ranch dressing, for serving
- Cornmeal and flour, for dusting
Equipment
- Pizza stone, optional but recommended
- Wood or metal pizza peel, optional but recommended
Instructions
Chive Pesto
- Place the garlic clove in a mortar**. Add a pinch of salt and use a pestle to mash the mixture until smooth.
- Add a small handful of chives and mash until smooth. Continue griding the chives in batches until the herbs are broken down and there are no large chunks left.
- Add the pine nuts and Parmesan and grind until the mixture is smooth. Add the olive oil 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper to season.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Preheat your oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone, make sure it's on a rack in the lower 1/3 of your oven while it heats (if not, just use a regular sheet pan). If you have the time, let the oven heat for 30 minutes or so to make sure the stone is very hot. Generously dust a pizza peel or wood cutting board with cornmeal.
- In a small bowl, combine the chicken with the buffalo sauce and toss until combined. Set aside.
- Next, it's time to stretch the dough. First, divide your pizza dough into two pieces. On a floured surface, press each dough into a thick disc with the tips of your fingers. Then, pick up a round of dough, holding it upright. With your hands at the top of the dough (at the 12 o'clock position), allow the bottom to stretch toward your counter (at the 6 o'clock position). Rotate the dough in your hands, and allow it to stretch more. Continue repeating this motion until you have a circle roughly 8-10'' across. Place the pizza dough on the pizza peel/cutting board dusted with cornmeal. Repeat with the second piece of dough.****
- Brush each pizza dough with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Then, divide the minced garlic cloves evenly over the top of each pizza dough.
- Divide the Mozzarella, buffalo chicken, and red onion between the two pizzas. Finish by sprinkling the bleu cheese crumbles evenly over the pizzas.
- Slide the pizzas onto the hot pizza stone or sheet pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bottom of the pizzas are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove the pizzas from the oven using a pizza peel. (Alternatively, use a spatula to slide the pizzas onto a cutting board). Drizzle or dollop the chive pesto over the pizzas. Use a sharp pizza wheel or knife to cut each pizza into 8 slices. Enjoy with some creamy ranch dressing.
Notes
*A note on the chives: if you want less of an onion-y flavor, you can use half chives, half parsley.
**A note on the mortar and pestle: you can also make this pesto in a food processor, but I actually think it's easier to use a mortar and pestle since it's such a small amount. I would probably double the recipe if you use a food processor so that it blends smoothly.
***A note on the dough: if you're making homemade dough, make sure to leave a couple of hours for rising time. If you're using storebought, follow the package directions rather than the instructions above to prevent burning.
****A note on stretching the dough: to make one large pan pizza, just press the dough into a well-oiled sheet pan. Read my full post on Sicilian-style pizza for details.
*****A note on the garlic oil base: for a richer pizza, replace the garlic oil with 1/4 cup of ranch per pizza. This will make for a creamier sauce.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 361kcal, Carbohydrates: 45.7g, Protein: 16.3g, Fat: 10.9g, Saturated Fat: 4.4g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 547mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 2.8g, Sugar: 2.1g, Calcium: 188mg, Iron: 3mg
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