Chicken Spinach and Mushroom Pizza

The other day I wanted to make a little lighter pizza that did not have the heavy red sauce on it. So I decided to make a nice light chicken pizza. With a base of seasoned whipped ricotta topped with chicken and sauteed spinach and mushrooms. It was one of tastiest pizzas I have ever made.

On a side note, make sure that your ricotta cheese is good.  Mine had an expiration date of two weeks from now and it was moldy.  Yeah, I know.  So gross.

I finally broke out the stone again after getting a new pizza peel. So much better than using a pizza pan.

Chicken Spinach and Mushroom Pizza

The first step is to make the pizza dough and let it rise till it doubles.  Here is a simple and easy pizza dough. If you are running short on time, almost all grocery stores have pre-made pizza dough in the deli section and/or freezer section, or you can always stop by a local pizzaria and purchase the pre-made dough.

Next cook the chicken.  I grilled the chicken, but baking or boiling work too.  When I was at the store the chicken tenders were $2.95 a pound while boneless skinless chicken breasts were $4.95 a pound.  Simple choice if you ask me.  Grill till just cooked and then let cool.

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to as hot as it will go, mine tops out at 550 degrees.

Heat a large pan over medium/high heat and add the 2tbs of olive oil.  Add the garlic and shallots and quickly saute.  Next add the mushrooms with a little salt and pepper.  It will look a little dry to begin with, but the mushrooms will release all of their moisture.

Next add the white wine and stir.  Then add the spinach.  Quickly cover and let cook for a minute or two.  Cook till the spinach wilts.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese and a little salt and pepper.  Whip the ricotta till light and fluffy.  I unfortunately purchased a tub of ricotta cheese that was moldy.  Didn’t realize that this happened, but it did.  So instead of using ricotta, I had to use 1 cup more of mozzarella.  Not the same, but still gets the job done.  The pizza is 10 times better with ricotta.

Next cover a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina and then form the pizza dough.  If you do not have a pizza peel or a pizza stone, form the pizza on a pizza pan.  Still preheat the oven to as high as it will go.

Cover the crust with the ricotta mixture.  It doesn’t have to be thick, just enough to add some flavor.  Once again, my ricotta was bad so the pictures will be of mozzarella cheese.  🙁

Next sprinkle the fresh basil and oregano over the cheese.

Now layer on the chicken and then top with the spinach/mushroom mixture.

Finally layer on the mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-18 minutes.  This will vary based on the temperature that your oven will go to.  With mine at 550 degrees it took about 12-14 minutes to cook.

Slice and serve.

Print

CHICKEN SPINACH AND MUSHROOM PIZZA

Prep Time

5 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

 

Easy homemade chicken spinach and mushroom pizza with a creamy ricotta base. No heavy red sauce—light, flavorful, and perfect for weeknight dinners.

Course: Entree, Main Course, Pizza

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken pizza, easy pizza, homemade pizza, Italian pizza, mushroom pizza, pizza recipe, ricotta pizza, spinach pizza, weeknight dinner

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough Basic Pizza Dough recipe
• 1/2 pound chicken
• 1/2 pound mushrooms any variety
• 1 bag pre-washed baby spinach
• 1 cup ricotta
• 2 cups mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
• 3 cloves garlic diced
• 2 shallots diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Salt and pepper
• Cornmeal or semolina for dusting the peel

Instructions

1. Make the pizza dough and let it rise till it doubles. (Use basic pizza dough recipe or store-bought dough from deli/freezer section)
2. Cook the chicken. Grill, bake, or boil the chicken. Grill till just cooked and then let cool.
3. Preheat pizza stone in oven to as hot as it will go (550°F or higher).
4. Heat a large pan over medium/high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and shallots and quickly sauté.
5. Add the mushrooms with a little salt and pepper. Mushrooms will release their moisture.
6. Add the white wine and stir. Then add the spinach. Cover and let cook for a minute or two until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese with a little salt and pepper. Whip the ricotta till light and fluffy.
8. Cover a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina and form the pizza dough. (Or form on pizza pan if you don’t have a peel/stone)
9. Cover the crust with the ricotta mixture.
10. Sprinkle the fresh basil and oregano over the cheese.
11. Layer on the chicken and then top with the spinach/mushroom mixture.
12. Finally layer on the mozzarella cheese.
13. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-18 minutes (12-14 minutes at 550°F), until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
14. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!
-Rex