Chicken and Andouille Pizza
Chicken and andouille is a classic combination in Cajun cooking. It turns up in jambalayas, gumbos, and stuffings. Why not pizza?
Makes two 12-inch pizzas
INGREDIENTS
- ½ recipe Classic Crust dough or Herb-Laced Crust dough
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal or 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups shredded Colby cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cooked chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
- 1½ cups diced andouille sausage
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- ⅓ cup minced green onion
Roll or press pizza dough into two 12-inch circles, slightly thicker at the edges than in the center. If using pizza pans, sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal or coat with olive oil and place dough in pan. If using a pizza stone, sprinkle with cornmeal and place stone in oven. Preheat oven to 400°.
Mix thyme into pizza sauce. Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the center of each pizza, leaving one inch around the edges bare.
Sprinkle 1 cup Colby cheese over the sauce on each pizza, followed by 1 cup mozzarella, leaving edges bare.
Spread chicken breast slices over each pizza, followed by the diced andouille. Distribute bell pepper and minced green onion over pizzas.
If baking on a hot stone or tiles, use a well-floured pizza peel to carefully lift one pizza from preparation surface and place on stone. If using pizza pans, place first pizza in the center of the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and toppings are bubbly.
Remove pizza from oven carefully (use peel if baking with a stone). Set aside to rest briefly before slicing. Repeat baking process with second pie.
Authentic Andouille
True South Louisiana-style andouille is a thick sausage made with coarsely chopped pork butt, fat, and spices. The distinctive flavor comes from slow-smoking the sausage ropes over sugar cane and local hardwoods. Although a similarly named sausage hails from France, that product is made from tripe.
