Grilled Chicken Margherita Pizzas

These grilled chicken Margherita pizzas are made using tortillas and they are awesome!!! There is so much flavor and both my husband and I thought they were so yummy and that these could go on our "list" of favorite meals.  Mm-mm!!

Grilled Chicken Margherita Pizzas
from Eat Better America

Prep Time: 35 min

Start to Finish: 35 min

makes: 4 pizzas

1/2	tablespoon olive oil
1	clove garlic, finely chopped
2	boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz) (or pre-cooked grilled chicken slices like Tyson's)
1/2	teaspoon seasoned salt
4	flour tortillas (8 inch) (recommend whole-wheat)
1/2	cup finely shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (2 oz)
2	plum (Roma) tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 10 oz)
1/4	cup sliced fresh basil leaves

	Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix oil and garlic. Brush chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of the oil mixture; sprinkle with seasoned salt. Place on grill over medium-high heat. Cover grill; cook 12 to 18 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F). Reduce heat to medium-low.
	On ungreased cookie sheets, place tortillas. Brush with remaining oil mixture. Cut chicken into strips. Arrange chicken strips over tortillas. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup of the cheese. Top evenly with tomato slices; sprinkle with remaining cheese and basil.
	With wide spatula, carefully slide pizzas onto grill over medium-low heat. Cover grill; cook 3 to 5 minutes, rotating pizzas to avoid hot spots, until cheese is melted and crusts are crisp. Slide pizzas back onto cookie sheets.              1 pizza= 300 calories

Homemade Pizza

Before making this recipe, the last time I made a homemade pizza/crust was in my 8th grade Foods/Home-Ec class!  The pizza was cooked on a pizza stone, and I remember thinking to myself that it was the best pizza ever and I was going to make this all the time from then on...  I didn't.  Because we didn't have a pizza stone!

 

Well let me tell you that I was SO happy when I got a pizza stone as one of my bridal shower gifts!  It was one of the first things I planned on making in our new little house as a newlywed couple, but for some reason I kept putting it off, even though I already had bought the ingredients!

This was after the first time taking the pizza out and finding it to still be doughy

 I finally found the right night to bust out the pizza stone... and I did not regret it!  Our pizza was very large and barely fit on the pre-heated stone.  Word to the wise: BUY and USE cornmeal on your pizza peel if you have one and are going to use it.  I didn't have any so I assumed flour would be fine.  HA the pizza wouldn't slide off the peel onto the stone at all! So with the help of Forrest, we had to carefully lift it/slide it onto the peel... it was a difficult process that could have been completely avoided!  ALSO.... I cooked the pizza too long.  The stone makes the crust very crispy and awesome but after the first time taking it out I found it to still be a bit doughy in the middle, so I put it back in the oven... for a tad too long!  The crust was a little too hard for our liking, but that was just my own fault and lack of accurate judgment.  

SO... moral of the story is- 1. Make this pizza! It's incredibly easy, fun and so versatile because you can add whatever toppings you like.  2.  USE cornmeal on your pizza peel!  And 3. Adhere to the correct baking times listed on the recipe! And if you think it is still doughy, then pop it back in the oven for short time periods (like 3 minutes or so) not 8 minutes like me ha!

This was after taking it out the final time... as you can see the top got a little scorched, and as you cannot see, the crust is even more scorched.  But it was STILL delicious!

Homemade Pizza Crust

 from my friend Gina Peterson

1 1/2 c. water

1 Tb. yeast

1 1/2 Tb. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

3 1/2 c. flour

Preheat your pizza stone in a 500 degree oven. Combine ingredients in order.  Mix in Bosch or Kitchen Aid or knead (this is what I did) for 10 minutes.  Let stand for 20 minutes.  Pinch off and divide into 3 balls (or just make one very large pizza) and roll out into a circle.  Place cornmeal onto your pizza paddle or flat pan.  Roll your dough into a circle and place dough on top of paddle or flat pan, making sure it wiggles when you shake it.  Poke holes in the crust, then spread tomato sauce on top of dough, cheese on next and top with pepperoni, meats, vegetables and/or any other toppings you would like.  When oven is ready, slide pizza on top of hot stone and cook for about 7-10 minutes (for my oven, I think 12 would have been perfect) until it is hot and bubbly.  Enjoy!

English Muffin Pizza

Do you ever feel so busy and stressed for time that eating just seems at the back of your mind? But you know you need and want to eat something, and whatever it is, it's got to be halfway decent? Yes, I do too. I was craving pizza the other day.  But, #1: I had no time or desire to make it, and #2: I wasn't about to go buy one.

Well we had some english muffins in the freezer, so with a little defrosting, I concocted a little pizza experiment in my kitchen- one that I was pleasantly surprised with!

SUPER easy, and SUPER fast. And definitely kicks any pizza craving to the curb!


English Muffin Pizza


1 whole English Muffin, split in halves
1/4 c. part-skim, shredded mozzarella cheese
6 turkey pepperonis 
dash of oregano


Toast the English Muffin in the toaster until slightly crispy.  Sprinkle half of the cheese on each muffin half.  Top with three pepperonis on each half, followed by the rest of the cheese.  Microwave muffins for about 20 seconds, or until the cheese is melted.  Sprinkle oregano on top!


*You can also add Tomato sauce with Italian seasonings as the first ingredient underneath the cheese if desired, however this would take more time as you would probably want to broil the pizza instead of microwaving it.