"White" Pizza (Chicken with Alfredo Sauce) Recipe

I think I first had a "white" pizza at Old Chicago in Omaha. I had a boss who was really weird about marinara/tomato sauce (I think it gave him acid reflux) so he would always order his own pizza with white sauce on it. Anyway, I tried it, it was delicious. 

Recently I've been trying to think of ways to mix up our Pizza Fridays, so last week I tried one with bbq sauce, and this week I tried one with alfredo sauce. And let me tell you, they will both be in heavy rotation with the regular tomato sauce, just to mix things up. 

Pizza Dough (recipe straight out of the Kitchenaid mixer recipe book [with my notes in brackets])

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°) [I went ahead and bought a cheap candy thermometer from Target, and it's made all the difference]
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [I typically find that my dough is good after the initial 2 1/2 cups]
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal [I tried this step for the first time on this pizza, but to be honest I prefer it without it, so from now on I will continue to omit this part]

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. [I add a dash of sugar to the water and yeast at this point to help it activate, then let it set for 10 minutes.] Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continue mixing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. [Again, I typically find that my dough reaches the desired consistency without adding any more flour, except the occasional 1/4 cup.] Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. [If you do not own a mixer with a dough hook, you'll have to do the kneading by hand. Or just buy pre-made pizza dough, I don't judge.]

this is about what it should look like after kneading

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down. 

before rising...

after rising! magic!

 Brush a 14-inch pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. [Again, I will be omitting this step, because the next step seems to mess it up.] Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings. Add toppings as desired. Bake at 450° for 15 to 20 minutes. [I always bake everything but the cheese for about 10, then do the cheese for the last 5-10 because the husband doesn't like "burned" cheese, and I love him so you got it baby.]

Toppings 

• 1 chicken breast
• 1/2 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce 
• handful of spinach (optional, but I find it's a great way to sneak extra veggies in because you can't taste it very much)
• 1/2 bag shredded Italian mix cheese

I baked the chicken breast on 375° for about 25 minutes, until it was no longer pink in the middle. While that was going I spread out the dough, then spread the alfredo sauce on it. When the chicken was done, I cut it into bite-sized pieces then sprinkled it on top of the sauce. Then I added the spinach, and baked it for about 10 minutes. 

everything but the cheese

 At the 10 minute mark, I removed it from the oven, added just a touch more alfredo sauce, and sprinkled the cheese on top. We put the cheese on top of the toppings, but feel free to use whatever orientation of sauce to toppings to cheese your little heart desires. Then I baked the (now cheesed) pizza for another 5-10, until the crust was golden brown and the cheese was melted (but not browned). 

 

 Definitely a very tasty alternative to tomato sauce.

What's your favorite kind of pizza sauce?