I am super excited to share this recipe with you guys today, one because it is sooo good and two because you guys seem to be enjoying the recipes around here lately and I love hearing how you have tried them yourselves and what you think!
As you know last week I went to a taping of the Rachael Ray Show and the final recipe she shared was this one. Again as I always say you can take any recipe and make it your own and that is exactly why I like cooking. I knew that I was definitely going to try this recipe and as soon as I tasted it I knew I was going to share it with you guys!
So lets get started!
Basically what you are making is a pizza but the crust of your pizza is going to be a chicken breast, the point of this is not only for flavor but to eliminate the carbs. Its super easy and even something you can get your kids involved in!
What You'll Need:
Chicken Breast (One per person)
Cheese (of your choice)
Pizza toppings (I used mushrooms and onions)
Cherry or Grape tomatoes
Garlic
Olive Oil
Spices of your preference
Salt and Pepper
Tools:
Cutting Board
Sharp Knife
Baking Sheet
Meat Tenderizer (If you don't have one use a coffee mug)
I started out chopping the things I wanted for my pizza, sadly I forgot green peppers which are one of my favorites so you can add that if its something you like and I couldn't find any fresh basil. The next time I make these (and there will be a next time) I will make sure to grab a green pepper as well as try and find fresh basil.
I decided to chop my veggies and saute them a little before I put them on my pizza. You could put them on raw but I thought it might be nice to have them cooked a little so at the end I could add my toppings and cheese and just broil. Again however you would like to do it! I chopped my mushrooms SUPER thin because when I do them that way Jason will actually eat them and then I roughly chopped my onions. I added them to a pay with a little garlic infused olive oil and moved onto my sauce.
Of course wash your tomatoes to start, then you are going to chop up your garlic, using as much as you desire. I LOVE garlic so I tend to use a little more. You can add onions to this if you would like but I was already putting them on top of my pizza so I chose not to, if you are not adding onions to the top of your pizza maybe put some in your sauce.
You are going to take a pot that has a lid, if you have a frying pan with a lid you can use that as well. Put a generous amount of olive in the bottom of your pan and let it get warm. If you let it get too hot you risk the flavor and when you add your ingredients the grease will splatter so be mindful of that. Once your oil is warm, add your tomatoes whole along with your garlic and whatever else you choose. Salt and Pepper to taste. Essentially you want these tomatoes to cook through and they will eventually soften and pop or you can break them up with a fork or potato masher. Just like you were making real spaghetti sauce to jar. If you can't be around to watch this part of the cooking process I would wait until the tomatoes cook down a bit before adding the garlic so it doesn't burn.
(I'm sorry guys I flaked and didn't take a picture of the finished product, but basically your tomatoes are going to mash up. It smells and tastes incredibly fresh!)
I purchased my garlic infused olive oil at the Union Square Market in NYC, its from The Filling Station but you can use regular extra virgin olive oil of course. If by chance you can get near an Oil and Vinegar store though, guys I highly recommend it! Infused oils can make all the difference in your flavors!
I sauteed my onions and mushrooms until they had really good color, the key to this is NOT to add salt while they are cooking. Salt is going to pull the natural juices out of any vegetable therefore adding too much moisture to your pan and you want get the color or crispy edges. If you prefer not to have that than by all means salt away! When these were done though they almost tasted as though they were done on the grill, it was fantastic.
At this point pull out your chicken breast! I used one per person I was cooking for. You are basically going to butterfly your chicken to make it larger as well as thinner. For this step I use my Ulu, for my its just the sharpest and because of its shape easiest to work with, a sharp fillet knife will work just fine. Whatever you are using, be careful.
Once you are finished I laid a piece of plastic wrap on the counter, laid my butterflied chicken on it and then added another piece over the top. If you have a meat tenderizer than this would be the time that you would pull it out, I however do not. I really need to get one though. Anyways I just used a coffee mug (you do what you gotta do!), I basically banged my coffee mug on the chicken until it was to my desired thickness.
Once you are finished you will want to season your chicken. You can season your chicken however you want, I used a little garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and a bit of seasoning salt. Make sure to season both sides! I would use regular extra virgin olive oil to lightly oil the bottom of you pan as the infused oils tend to burn. Keep in mind because your chicken is now so thin its going to to take as long to cook.
I baked my chicken at 375 for almost 40 minutes, it was done well but not overdone. I am really over the top about making sure meats are THOROUGHLY cooked. When my chicken was done, I brought it out of the oven, set the oven to broil and then added my toppings.
I added my sauce, mushrooms and onions and cheese over top. You can use whatever cheese you want, I used a shredded mozzarella! I put the chicken back in the oven under the broiler and let it brown.
Keep in mind this is going to be SUPER filling so you wont want to plan a big side dish unless you're feeding a bunch of teenage boys are something. I chose to do a cesar salad.
Guys the flavor was so good, it was even better than I thought. It was just so FRESH tasting. You can add whatever you want to it, add as much as you want but the whole point is to avoid the crust.
I feel like this is definitely going to be a staple in our house, I get really tired of dinners.. having the same old thing and at this time of year it can be really hard to add freshness into your meals as produce isn't at its best.
You can simply this meal by buying already butterflied chicken, using quick pizza toppings such a pepperoni and bacon bits (Jason's kind of pizza) and go from there. You can change it up (and make it a little less healthy) by doing BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce, or alfredo sauce and greens. Make it your own, that's half the fun!!
I highly recommend giving this a whirl, if you do please let me know what you think!!
As always thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!! Have a fabulous day!!
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