OK, first up... the name...The white sauce in this pizza is not really an Alfredo Sauce. File this as more information than you really want to know, but in Italy there is no such thing as an Alfredo sauce. If you hunt hard enough you will find the story of Alfredo and find that it is the name of the restaurant where Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks had a Honeymoon meal while in Rome. The honeymooner's came home, served the dish to their friends and a culinary legend was born. The original Fettucini Alfredo features Cheese and butter. A Bechamel Sauce is made from a Roux (mixture of butter and flour... there is no flour in the original Alfredo sauce). A Mornay Sauce is a bechamel sauce with Cheese added.
But, to be honest, Chicken Alfredo Pizza rolls off the tongue better than Chicken Mornay Pizza.
Plus, there are several recipes out there that use this "white Sauce" and call it Chicken Alfredo. They are wrong, but it would take someone of low moral character to complain about someone else's recipe. BUT, if you are ever on Jeopardy, this information could come in handy.
Semantics aside, this white sauce pizza is INCREDIBLE! I spiced up the sauce with red pepper flakes and garlic! The sweetened up a bit with roasted sweet cherry tomatoes and added some peppery arugula.
Colorful, pretty, spicy, sweet and one fantastic pizza!
OK, Here's what I did...
Chicken Alfredo Pizza... Chicken with a Mornay Sauce Pizza Actually.
Ingredients
- 1 Ball of Pizza Dough
- 2 TBS Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 small pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 TBS Flour
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
- 1 tsp Olive Oil for brushing dough
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Meat from a Rotisserie Chicken thigh Fully Cooked, seasoned... meat diced
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Baby Arugula Leaves
- Preheat the oven and Pizza Stone to 500 degrees.
- Roll out the pizza dough on a sheet of Parchment Paper.
- Prepare the Mornay Sauce... In a heavy bottom sauce pan, melt 2 TBS Butter over medium heat (Note: details on making a Mornay sauce with tips and detailed photos are posted further down in this post)
- Add Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes and continue to stir
- Add 2 TBS Flour and continue to stir for a couple of minutes. Do not burn or allow the sauce to brown.
- Add 1 Cup Heavy Cream and stir continuously until it starts to thicken
- Add 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese and stir to mix until melted.
- Remove from heat.
- With a pastry brush, brush a tsp of Olive Oil around the pizza dough. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the Mornay Sauce over the pizza, thinly.
- Top with chicken and cherry tomatoes and the remaining Mozzarella Cheese
- Transfer the parchment paper and pizza to the oven onto the HOT pizza stone.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese begins to bubble and the crust gets golden brown and just begins to char.
- Sprinkle the arugula over the pizza. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting
- Serve HOT and ENJOY!
First Photo... 2 TBS Butter is melted over medium heat (not too high, or the flour will burn n step 2). When the butter is melted, add 2 cloves minced Garlic and a small pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (optional, also strength of the hot spice is optional, add more if you like, less if you fear).
Second Photo... To make the butter into a Roux, add 2 TBS Flour (always equal to the amount of butter) and stir constantly for a couple of minutes until it looks like the...
Third Photo... Be careful to not let the flour burn or your white sauce will be brownish. Whisk the entire time.
Fourth Photo... add 1 Cup of Heavy Cream and whisk continuously.
In Photos Five and Six, it takes only about 2 minutes for the sauce to thicken. If the sauce gets too thick, add milk. Too thin, just continue to whisk. the sauce will eventually thicken. During this step, add 1/2 Cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
Photo Six shows the sauce as I removed it from the heat.
In Photo Seven, with the wooden handle) you can see the sauce has formed a paste, thick enough to spread. Do not spread too thick. the sauce melts as it heats, while the pizza is cooking.
And from there you see the normal progression of a pizza...
Toppings... In this case, Chicken, Cherry Tomato quarters, Mozzarella Cheese and topped with a few Arugula leaves to make the colors of the Italian Flag (Green, White and Red)!
Viva Italiano!!!
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Yes indeed, one of my new favorite "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!).
I am trying something a bit new this round of recipes... My own little culinary challenge of seeing just what I can do with a single rotisserie bird.
This is week Number three, chicken number THREE... and the Third recipe I made from the blessed bird. If you click HERE, you will see my page devoted to my "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!). Scroll down to the bottom and you will see some of the possibilities of what you can make with a single bird (week one, seven dishes, week 2 a record EIGHT dishes all from the same bird).
I already used a leg quarter to make a Rotisserie Reubon Calzone for 2 People. I still have more than half the bird for more to come!
I turned leftover side dish into a filling spicy Buffalo Chicken Risotto for 2 People with the meat from only one of the breasts.
And now a pizza from a thigh... with PLENTY more meat to work with!
My Goals for the experiment......
- Eat Well... Make something that tastes good.
- Recipes for 2 people. One of the great things about a rotisserie chicken is the versatility fr a quick meal for small dinners (breakfast and lunch). Save the BIG cooking for another day, let's have something for just my wife and myself (and young couples, empty nest couples and singles)
- Versatility... Just how many rotisserie chicken recipes are out there???
- Keep Track of the costs... Life on a budget, need I explain more?
- Go beyond the basic recipes and add some tips and HOT TO Photos appropriate for less experienced cooks so that indeed...ANYONE CAN COOK THIS!
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So, as to cost for this dish....
The chicken averages out to a dollar per recipe.
The dough is about 50 Cents worth of Flour and pantry ingredients.
The Sauce is a bit expensive... $1.25 for a cup of cream and 50 Cents for the Parmesan Cheese, plus Pantry Items.
The Cherry Tomatoes cost about 75 Cents
The Cup of Mozzarella comes in at a Dollar
and the Arugula cost about 50 Cents
The dough is about 50 Cents worth of Flour and pantry ingredients.
The Sauce is a bit expensive... $1.25 for a cup of cream and 50 Cents for the Parmesan Cheese, plus Pantry Items.
The Cherry Tomatoes cost about 75 Cents
The Cup of Mozzarella comes in at a Dollar
and the Arugula cost about 50 Cents
A Great meal for the costs!
Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!
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You get the idea. From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking). More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work
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