Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I was craving buffalo chicken pizza after eating it at Ledo's not too long ago with friends.  Ledo Pizza is one of my favorite local pizza places in the DC metro area.  They first opened in 1955 in Adelphi, Maryland which is near University of Maryland, College Park - my alma mater!  I ate at the original Ledo back when I was in college but there is one near me in DC that delivers, how cool is that?  I thought I would try making my own Buffalo Chicken Pizza and it turned out great.  I made sure my crust was thin and crispy, plus the provolone cheese is what makes the pizza extra special.  My sister-in-law once worked at a Ledo Pizza restaurant in the area and told me they used provolone cheese on their pizzas!  I drizzled some ranch dressing on top of my pizza too - be sure to try that because it makes it more awesome.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough (recipe here or use store bought)

1 cup shredded chicken, cooked (recipe here)

½ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup shredded mozzarella provolone cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

ranch dressing (optional)

blue cheese dressing (optional)

Directions

Drizzle olive oil on pizza stone.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.   Place pizza stone in oven while preheating.

Roll out pizza dough to size of pizza stone.

In a bowl, mix together chicken, hot sauce and butter. 

Spread chicken mixture over rolled out pizza dough.

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until edges of dough are crisp and cheese is melted.

Optional:  Serve with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing on the side or drizzle on top of pizza.

Pesto Pizza

If you like pesto and pizza, you will definitely like this pesto pizza!  I always have a batch of homemade pizza dough in the freezer and I just took it out the night before to defrost for dinner time the next day.  I also used my favorite pesto sauce from Costco.  This pesto pizza is quick and simple, especially if you already have the ingredients on hand.  You can also use a store bought pizza dough, I have heard that Trader Joe's has a good one but I haven't tried it yet.  Enjoy!

Pesto Pizza

Printable Recipe 

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough (recipe here)

2 – 3 tablespoons pesto sauce (I used Kirkland’s brand from Costco.)

10 slices fresh mozzarella

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Roll out dough and press down onto a greased baking sheet. 

Spoon pesto sauce onto rolled out pizza dough.

Lay mozzarella slices evenly on top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges of dough are crisp and cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Buffalo Chicken Pockets

These buffalo chicken pockets turned out so good!  I've made homemade pizza pockets before  and they were awesome.  I wanted to change things up and these buffalo chicken pockets definitely give a kick.  I basically made a buffalo chicken dip filling, which you could use just as a dip minus the pizza dough.  These will be great for a quick lunch or dinner.  I did freeze most of them to have on hand for a quick meal.  When I made these, I didn't close the seal the pockets well with a fork but for the second batch, I just pinched the seams with my fingers and it turned out much better.  Don't worry too much if the filling oozes out some, it will still be delicious even if it doesn't look pretty.

Buffalo Chicken Pockets

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough (recipe here - http://sophieinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/05/pizza-dough.html)

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

½ cup hot sauce (I used Frank’s hot sauce.)

½ cup ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley Light.)

8 ounces cream cheese (I used 1 package of low fat cream cheese.)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian mix.)

olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease baking sheet with olive oil.

In a bowl, combine chicken, hot sauce, ranch dressing and cream cheese.  Stir in ½ cup shredded cheese.  

Divide dough into at least 8 pieces.   Roll dough pieces into balls.  Next, flatten dough balls with a rolling pin.  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto one side of the dough circle.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Fold dough over and seal tightly with fingers or a fork.  

Bake on a greased baking sheet for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve immediately.   If you have leftovers, you can freeze them!

After they cool completely, store in a freezer bag for up to 2-3 months.  To reheat frozen buffalo chicken pockets, microwave for about 2 minutes or warm in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Check to make sure they are heated through before serving.  Enjoy!

Veggie Pizza

I made this veggie pizza with a new pizza dough recipe.  The veggie pizza was awesome and the crust was nice and crisp.  I also loved the basil flavor of the tomato sauce.  In comparing this new pizza dough recipe to the first recipe, its definitely a bit different.  The first pizza dough recipe is more chewy and great for a thicker crust.  I really like the new pizza dough recipe because it seems better for a thin crust pizza.  Both pizza doughs are great for whatever you desire.  I hope you try this veggie pizza or make a pizza with you favorite toppings.  Enjoy!

Veggie Pizza

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough, recipe here or here

½ cup basil tomato sauce, recipe here

½ zucchini, thinly sliced

3 or 4 mini peppers, diced

1 roma tomato, sliced

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 bunch fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (chiffonade)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out dough and press down onto a greased baking sheet.

 Spoon basil tomato sauce onto rolled out pizza dough.

Top with vegetables.  Next top pizza with mozzarella cheese.  

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until edges of dough are crisp and cheese is melted.

Sprinkle basil on top of pizza.

Pizza Dough 2

I haven't made pizza in awhile and I wanted to tweak the pizza dough recipe I typically use.  This dough came out well and was great for making a thinner crust too.  I was able to roll out half the dough to make a pizza the size of my large baking sheet.  I froze the other half of the pizza dough to use another time.  You can freeze any leftover dough in a freezer safe plastic bag.  Just defrost in the fridge the night before and the pizza dough will be ready by the time its dinner time.  I made a veggie pizza with this dough, and I will share that recipe tomorrow.

 

Pizza Dough 2

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)

½ teaspoon sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the warm water and yeast.  Set aside for about 10 minutes, it will get foamy.  Stir in sugar, olive oil and salt.

In a stand mixer with dough attachment, add in flour and yeast mixture.  Mix on low to medium speed until a ball of dough forms, about 5 minutes.

-->

Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough with your hand.   

Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with flour.   Halve dough and roll out with a floured rolling pin.

Makes 2 pizzas.

Caprese Salad Pizza

I love caprese salads, especially in the summer time.  I threw this pizza together with ingredients I already had on hand and it came out perfect.  I wanted to use up the rest of my salad mix so you could make this pizza without the "salad" part if you want.  I also wanted to mix up the fresh mozzarella with the shredded mozzarella, it made the pizza extra cheesy and that wasn't bad at all :)  I absolutely love the taste of grape tomatoes from the farmers market, the ones at the grocery store do not taste the same at all.  The tomatoes from the farmers market are sweet and fresh, while the ones from the store taste bland.   If only I had a yard so I can have a garden!  That's the downside of city living, so I'll just have to rely on the farmers market for now.  

-->

Caprese Salad Pizza

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough, recipe here

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup grape tomatoes, halved

½ pound fresh bocconcini mozzarella, halved

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

½ cup salad mix

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt

freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out dough and press down onto a greased baking sheet. 

 

Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on pizza dough.  Spread minced garlic on top of pizza dough.

 

Bake for 5 minutes so garlic is lightly roasted.

Remove pizza from oven and top with grape tomatoes and mozzarella cheeses.

 

Bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes until edges of dough are crisp and cheese is melted

Top with basil and salad mix.

 

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Best served immediately.

Serves 2 to 4.