Grilled Chicken, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Pizza

This recipe combines some of my favorite foods, pizza, artichokes, goat cheese, and chicken along with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. And who doesn't love anything grilled. You can cook this pizza in the oven if you don't have access to a grill, but I highly recommend grilling if you can. It makes the crust crispy and a bit smoky.

I made my own pizza dough, but you can buy dough at the grocery store. Publix has it in the deli. Don't use the canned pizza dough you find in the refrigerated biscuit section. An important trick for making a nice thin crust is to let your dough rest. If you make your own, let it rest for at least and hour after the recommended rise time. If you buy it at the store, let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour before you try to roll it out. If you are going to grill the pizza, put brush each side with a bit of olive oil and put it on some parchment paper. The paper will help you transfer it more easily to the grill.

 

 Grill one side of the dough. Flip it over, add your toppings and grill again until the bottom of the crust is done and your toppings are heated through. Now...eat!

Ingredients

 

Pizza Dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water (100 - 110 degrees)

1 pkg rapid-rise active dry yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

4  cups all-purpose flour

3 TB extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp kosher salt

 

Topping:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

1 cup canned artichoke hearts, quartered

1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped

 

Directions

 

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir briefly and let stand for 5 minutes or until the top surface has a thin, frothy layer (this indicates that the yeast is active). Add the flour, oil, and salt. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed for about 1 minute or until the dough begins to come together. Increase the speed to medium. Continue to mix until the dough is slightly sticky, smooth, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn it over to coat all sides and tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and let rest for another hour.

 

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat.

 

Cut the dough into  2 equal pieces. Keep one piece of dough in the freezer to use later. If dough is sticky, sprinkle rolling surface lightly with flour. Roll out one piece of dough to a diameter of 10 - 12 inches. Lightly brush the top with oil. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature of the grill to medium heat. Place the dough on the cooking grate with the paper facing up. Grill over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the dough is well marked and firm on the underside, 2 to 5 minutes, rotating as needed for even cooking. Peel off and discard the parchment paper. Transfer the crust to a work surface with the grilled sides facing up.

Spread the ricotta evenly over the crusts and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Add the rest of the toppings. Return the pizzas to the grill and cook over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the toppings are warm and the bottom of the crusts are crisp, 2 to 5 minutes. If the crust is done before the toppings are warm you can transfer to the oven and broil until they heat up. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Serve warm.