Sisters Luv 2 Cook: Chicken Taco Pizza

This recipe comes from Ree Drummond, The "Pioneer Woman". This pizza is very tasty and easy to make. This recipe is for two large cookie sheet sized pizzas. They are topped with salsa, chicken taco meat, two types of cheese and then baked to perfection. Once out of the oven I slice it and then top with shredded lettuce and fresh tomatoes, crispy tortilla strips and dollops of sour cream. I spiced up some of my sour cream with hot sauce but feel free to omit. The chicken taco meat on the pizza is so versatile and can be used in many different recipes. The idea here is that you make a big batch of the chicken taco meat and then use what you need and then freeze the rest for future use. I have a big family, with big appetites and I always like to have leftovers for lunches or snacks, so I used it all for 2 meals. I made two large taco pizzas one night and then the following night I made quesadillas. This recipe makes four meal size freezer bags but feel free to portion it to meet your needs.

Don't let the length of this recipe scare you, just break it down into steps. Prepare the chicken taco meat one day and then the pizza the next. The pizza dough is very easy and can be made the day before as well. Once the dough has risen, about a hour or so, simply cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge. Then the next day allow dough to warm up on the counter before rolling up.

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ Cups water

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions for the pizza dough:

Mix the yeast with 1 1/2 cups warm water in a measuring cup or small bowl and set aside for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix together the flour, olive oil and salt in a bowl using an electric mixer. With the speed on low, drizzle in the yeast/water mixture and mix until totally combined. Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free place. Allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours. If you make the dough the night prior or early in the day, after about an hour on the counter, place dough in the fridge and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to come back to room temperature before you start spreading it into the pans.

You can also use instant yeast, in which case you can skip the sprinkling the yeast in warm water step and mix it directly into the flour and just add the water to the flour mixture.

Chicken Taco Meat Ingredients:

This recipe is a master for many dishes. Use ¼ for this recipe and freeze the rest for future use).

2-4 tablespoons olive oil

6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

Salt

One 14-ounce can tomato sauce

2 Cups water

Chicken Taco Meat Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until hot. Add the chicken in batches and cook, browning, a couple minutes per side; remove the chicken to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and cook briefly. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and salt to taste. Pour in the tomato sauce and 2 cups water to create a broth. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the broth is reduced by half.

Let cool, divide among 4 freezer bags and freeze

Taco Pizza:

Olive oil, for oiling the baking sheet

1 cup good-quality salsa, plus more for serving

1 bag Chicken Taco Meat (recipe follows)

2 cup grated sharp Cheddar

2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 head green leaf lettuce, sliced or thinly shredded

2-4 ripe tomatoes, diced (depending on the size)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoons hot sauce, (optional)

Tortilla strips for garnish

For the taco pizza:

Position an oven rack in the bottom position in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Oil two baking sheet pans (basic cookie sheet size 17x13 approx.) with some olive oil.

Remove the pizza dough from the bowl, divide in half. Sprinkle a little flour on counter and roll out a rough rectangle. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes if it is not stretching easily. With your hands, spread the dough out on the oiled baking sheet, making sure it's relatively thin, don’t worry if the dough doesn’t reach the edges of the pan. Spread a thin layer of the salsa all over the crust, then spread a layer of the Chicken Taco Meat on top of the salsa. Sprinkle the grated Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese over the top.

Place the baking sheet on the bottom rack in the oven and bake for about10- 25 minutes, watching to make sure the crust doesn't burn. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle on the shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.

Mix together the sour cream and hot sauce in a small bowl, adding enough hot sauce to make the mixture pourable. With a spoon (or you can put it in a pastry bag), drizzle the mixture over the finished pizza. Sprinkle with the tortilla strips. Cut into squares and serve immediately with more salsa.

Print Recipe:Chicken Taco Pizza

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.

Brown the chicken.

Remove browned chicken and continue browning chicken in batches.

Chop onion and garlic.

After all the chicken is browned, add more oil to the pan and saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add spices to the onions, stir.

Add tomato sauce, stir.

Add water, stir.

Add chicken.

Simmer over medium low heat.

Simmer until the sauce has been reduced by half. Allow to cool and then divide into 4 freezer bags.

Now time to make the pizza dough. I use instant yeast to make my life easier. Combine water, and oil in a stand mixer bowl.

Add flour salt and yeast.

With a dough hook mix the dough for about 5 minutes until well combined.

Cover the dough and allow to rise for 1-2 hours. If you are not going to use right away cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Allow the dough to warm up on counter before rolling out or roll out.