Chicken, Artichoke, and Kalamata Olive Pizza
Feta and kalamata olives make this intensely flavored pizza an acquired taste for some, a revelation for others.
Makes two 12-inch pizzas
INGREDIENTS
- ½ recipe Pepper Crust dough or Spinach Crust dough
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal or 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ cups Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered
- 2 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 1 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
- 2 cups finely diced feta cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
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°.
Spread ¾ cup sauce in the center of each pizza, leaving one inch around the edges bare.
Combine Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle 1 cup over the sauce on each pizza. Distribute artichoke heart quarters evenly over each pizza, leaving edges bare. Top with diced chicken and chopped olives. Sprinkle 1 cup diced feta over each pizza. Add pepper to taste.
If baking with 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 cheese is melted.
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.
Feta Facts
Feta cheese originated in Greece thousands of years ago. Shepherds curdled sheep's milk in bags, then cut and salted the resulting soft cheese and stored it in brine. Today fresh feta is still brine packed, but it's often made with cow's milk.
