I haven’t shared a recipe in a while and I made this a few weeks ago for my husband’s birthday. (Well technically it was the day after because I was feeling extra pregnant/tired to attempt cooking on June 1st. 😴 ) I’ve shared this with countless people over the years and this was a staple in the York household pre-kids. 🙂
I initially saw it on the Down Home with The Neelys cooking show that used to be on Food Network. Did anyone else watch them 9 years ago or so? Their show specialized in soul food that wasn’t necessarily healthy but SO delicious. I’ve made several of their recipes that I saved in my cookbook over the years and they did not disappoint. Our family went to Memphis 3 years ago and I was so sad when I realized that I forgot to visit their restaurant. I googled them on the way home only to realize that they were divorced and their show was canceled. 😬
I surprised my husband by making this dish for him for his birthday and I’m pretty sure I hadn’t made it since before my daughter (now 2.5) was born. It’s still amazingly delicious and it is one of his absolute favorites. I’ll post a link to the Neely’s recipe but the recipe that I’m sharing is specifically with the tried and true tweaks that I do. I don’t make my own crust and get a package with two prepared pizza crusts and usually double the recipe to make two pizza.
Ingredients –
• 1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 package of prepared pizza crust
•Salt and Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (TO TASTE! I usually start with a 1/4 of a teaspoon and add more accordingly.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup baby spinach, well washed and dried
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, red and yellow
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for brushing crust
- Preheat the oven according to 375.
- Dice & season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste and cook with 1 tablespoon olive oil the chicken in a skillet until cooked thoroughly. Remove to bowl and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle the sauce to cover the bottom of the pizza. Evenly top with the baby spinach, grape tomatoes, chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 22 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice and serve. 🍕
Here is a link to the Neely’s original recipe if you’d like to see how they do it. You can also watch this video on how they make it here.
I’d love to hear if you try it! Happy Cooking! 👩🏿🍳