Savory Sunday: Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

Do you like CPK's Thai Chicken Pizza? If so, hold onto your baking stones people, have I got the make-at-home-version for you (that I personally think is better than the original). This pizza is loaded with flavor and lots of texture and crunch!

My bread making habit has also encouraged many batches of homemade pizza dough...which means many pizzas! This is one of my personal favorites. You start with pizza dough of your choice. Top the stretched dough with spicy peanut sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, scallions, sliced red bell pepper, and peanutty chicken. Bake it up. And then, add some crunch and color - bean sprouts, shredded carrots, chopped roasted peanuts, and cilantro. Mouth-wateringly good. Keep in mind here that the topping amounts that I list are just guidelines - want more cheese? Go for it. Fewer scallions? Reduce away.

Though it's impossible to get your home oven up to the normal working temperature of the wood fired pizza ovens at your favorite pizza joint, it is possible to bake up wonderfully crisp, amazing pizzas at home with just a few tools. A large baking stone is a must, and a pizza peel is a really nice addition to your toolbox if you have the space for it (it makes it MUCH easier to load a pizza, or bread, etc into a very hot oven).

Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

Yield: 1 x 12" pizza

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili paste, or more to taste (can substitute dried chili flakes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 scallion, white and green parts, sliced thinly
• 1 thai chili, sliced, optional (if you'd like to use the chile but don't want as much heat, remove the seeds)

Pizza & Toppings

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 1 chicken breast, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup cilantro, whole or chopped
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup peanuts, toasted and chopped

Prepare

30-45 minutes prior to baking, place baking stone in oven, and preheat to 500F. Always heat your stone along with the oven, and the more time the better here - you want to create a very consistently hot environment for your pizza.

Sauce & Chicken

1. Combine all ingredients except for the scallions and chili (if using), in a small saucepan.
2. Place saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer gently for 1 minute to thicken; remove from heat.
4. Let cool slightly, and stir in the scallions and chili (if using). Set aside.
5. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat.
6. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add to pan. Cook, about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
7. Remove from pan, and let cool slightly. Cut into thin strips.
8. Place sliced chicken in a small bowl, and add 2-3 tablespoons peanut sauce. Toss to coat.

Assemble

1. On a floured surface, stretch and shape pizza dough to your liking. I like to assemble my pizza on a peel lined with parchment paper, which makes transfer to the oven very easy.
2. Spoon sauce onto dough, and spread (use as much as you like; I had a little bit left over).
3. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese first, and then the red bell pepper and chicken.

Bake

1. Carefully slide pizza, parchment and all, onto the baking stone in your preheated oven.
2. Bake until crust is crispy and browned, and cheese is bubbling (this usually takes ~8-10 minutes for me, but bake to your taste). Remove from oven, and place on a large cutting board.

Serve

1. Sprinkle bean sprouts, carrots, scallions, peanuts, and cilantro over pizza.
2. Cut into slices, and enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from Food.com

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