Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Thai Chicken Pizza

Little Buddy had to sneak a bite while I was taking the picture, he just couldn't wait!

I had this pizza at a church function and HAD to have the recipe. The bean sprouts, the cucumbers, the peanut butter, the sweet and sour sauce!! It was such a fun dish, given that it combined so many pieces of different cuisines.
I assumed the crust was some sort of store-bought bread because it was so thick, but when my friend sent me the recipe, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was homemade! That also made it so I could make most of the bread with a white wheat flour instead of regular floud. I made the crust as directed - with the italian herbs and everything. The crust is quite thick, which suits this dish, so I'm glad I didn't use my normal pizza crust recipe.
After making it, my husband and I decided it will be something I need to make again in the future. SO many fun flavors - I am a sucker for anything that has a peanut flavor mixed with crunchy vegetables. My kids loved it in pieces - they'd pick off the cucumbers, then have a piece of chicken, and then they would scrape everything off and eat the crust. Doesn't bother me at all, they still got their food groups in!

This could also be an ideal dish to bring for a party or shower. You can cut it up nice and bite-sized.
There are a few steps I did that made this recipe faster:
1) I made the dough in the morning and then after the first proof, I wrapped it in saran wrap (with extra saran wrap on the top so it wouldn't pour out of it as it rose slowly in the fridge) and popped it in the fridge. Then I just rolled it out and popped it in the oven as directed when I was ready to cook it. 2) I also did all the chopping in the morning, so the evening was just making the sauce and assembling it. 3) In addition, I knew I was making this, so the night before, when we had chicken, I just cooked it up then so the next day the chicken was ready to go.

Lastly, I was shocked to find that the next day this was delicious - even heated in the microwave for 30 seconds or so per piece! My husband actually thought it was better. This recipe was so refreshing, different, and yummy, it is definitely a keeper.

5 stars!

Thai Chicken Pizza:
QUICK AND EASY PIZZA CRUST

INGREDIENTS:

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 cup warm water

2 ½ cups Flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast & sugar into warm water.

Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Also add your garlic powder, Italian seasoning, basil, & oregano.

Mix with fork and hands until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, and pat or roll into a round or square)

Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan, cookie sheet, or baker’s peel

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove.


PEANUT CHICKEN

In a small saucepan on low heat stir together just until combined

4T peanut butter

4 T soy sauce

2 cloves minced garlic

1 t ginger

4 T brown sugar

2 baked chicken breasts, diced

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)


PIZZA TOPPINGS

½ bottle of Lay Choy duck sauce or sweet and sour sauce (*note, my store was out, so I just used a thin layer of sweet and hot sauce)

1 chopped and sliced cucumber

handful of bean sprouts

handful of chopped cilantro or fresh parsley

handful of chopped dry roasted peanuts

half a red bell pepper sliced or diced

1 ½- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend


After pre baking crust for about 10 minutes dough will be firm but still doughy. Remove from oven and spread a thin layer of Duck Sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce. Cover with shredded cheddar cheese. Top with peanut chicken mixture and red bell pepper slices. And bake 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and top with cucumber slices, bean sprouts, cilantro, and chopped peanuts.


Slice and Enjoy!