Sunday, October 3, 2010

Cooking For One with Katy - Episode 19


Chicken Picatta Pizza

6 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
1/4 cup flour
4 Tbsp butter ormargarine
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth (Swansons is best)
1/3 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel (zest)
1/2 tsp salt
4 or 5 grinds of pepper mill
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
3 Tbsp snipped parsley
2 to 3 Tbsp capers???(this is a guess...I've never measured

If the chicken breasts are large, cut in half. Pound the chicken breasts between plastic wrap to about 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle them with or dredge them in flour. Heat the butter and olive oil (till foam subsides) and cook the chicken in it about 2 minutes per side. Take the chicken out. Add broth, lemon juice, lemon peel, capers, salt, and pepper and boil for about 6 minutes. Add the last Tbsp of butter. Put the chicken back in the pan, spoon the sauce over it, and heat for about 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. A little caper juice or lemon juice, or a little more salt or pepper may be added if needed.

Pizza Dough:

1 1/2 cups water
4 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast
some oil (Just eyeball it)

Proof yeast and then mix all ingredients (except salt) in together and knead by hand for about 2 minutes. Then add in salt and continue to knead until the dough takes on a consistent texture throughout and is relatively soft and pliable to the touch. Let set and raise for as long as you want (I once left my dough out for 24 hours).

Pizza:

Cooked, sliced chicken breasts from the Chicken Picatta recipe
Leftover sauce from the Chicken Picatta recipe
Red sauce
Cream Cheese
Shredded Mozzarella
Other typical/desired pizza toppings.

Preheat oven to 415-425. If you have one, place pizza stone in oven while it preheats. Divide dough in half. Cover a wood cutting board or pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina. Form dough into a ball in your hands. Place on board and begin to push down and out, forming the ball into a disc, and eventually a flat pizza round. Use a rolling pin if necessary. Cut cream cheese into 1/4 inch pieces. Spread red sauce onto pizza round, then evenly spread 1/4 inch cubes of cream cheese. Place pizza in oven for 2-4 minutes, or until the crust begins to become crispy, but not brown. Remove pizza, add mozzarella, chicken, and rest of ingredients and then place back in oven until the crust starts to take on a brown color. If you have delicate ingredients such as basil or sun dried tomatoes, add them either 30 seconds before you remove the pizza, or right when you take the pizza out.