This post today was not the sort that was well planned and thought out with special ingredients purchased so that I could make something delectable that I knew I would want to share. No, it was pretty much what happens all too often around here...what's in the fridge that I can use to make something quick for dinner? I certainly hadn't planned to blog about my efforts, on this night it was simply going to be dinner from leftovers; make it and eat it while watching 'So You Think You Can Dance.' Still, once it was done and out of the oven I had second thoughts because it had been so easy and it looked and smelled amazing. Second thoughts about blogging about a dish is not all that easy; making that change is a long punt. It means staging props, lighting, camera and action plus even more than that? I was starving and dinner was going to have to wait!
But I'm glad I took the time...it was all worth it because it was just SO good and so easy and as much as I love to fiddle in the kitchen creating something new or re-working something old, there are times when easy is a really nice thing to have. Am I right?
First things first. I am not a fan of cooking sprays; I can smell the aerosal in most of them and that turnoff sees me going the old fashioned way most often. I butter and flour my cake pans and wipe a vegetable oil on sheet pans if they need to be greased. I even have this pump sprayer that I put olive oil in that sort of works when I want to use a light mist of olive oil but it's usually iffy with the oil coming out in globs that I still have to mess with it.
So when the fine folks at Bertolli inquired if I wanted to try some of their new, all natural spray products of course I was game. I like Bertolli Products and typically have a jar or two of their pasta sauces on hand for quick meals as well as a bottle or two of their olive oil. I was already a fan of the brand and these new products sounded like they might be the answer to a prayer I hadn't even asked...the perfect product for 'non-aerosal' me.
I decided to use the Bertolli 100% Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil Spray on the baking sheet for my pizza. Whatever goes on that sheet has multiple uses, certainly one is to keep the pizza from sticking but anything that touches that dough impacts the flavor and this seemed a win win. This oil has a delicate taste and a high smoke point, which means it's an excellent choice for baking. Spray directly on your baking sheet, muffin tin or cake pan before baking; it's a great replacement for butter, canola, vegetable and other cooking oils. Being propellant-free means no chemicals, just 100% olive oil. Yes, that works for me!
Altogether I used leftover chicken, some barbecue sauce, ready-made pizza dough, mozzarella combined with cheddar cheese and some red onions. Easier than a trip to your local pizza place, cheaper too and quite honestly...tastes so much better there is no comparison! Go on, call me Sandra Lee but sometimes that whole Semi-Homemade business is the bomb! Photos done, SYTYCD on Tivo and warm pizza in hand. Life is good!
Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Bacon
- 1 Pizza Crust - Use whatever works. Homemade, purchased from a pizza shop or packaged in a can; it's all good!
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 6 strips thick cut bacon, cooked til almost crisp
- 1.5 cups cooked, sliced chicken (I had leftover roasted chicken from Costco and combined light and dark meat)
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan, shredded
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Toss the chicken with ¼ cup barbecue sauce.
- Roll out your pizza dough and fit it into a baking pan or use a pizza stone. Use the rest of the sauce to slather on top of the pizza dough.
- Combine the cheeses; put half on top of the sauce. Combine the chicken and bacon and scatter on top of the cheese.
- Top the pizza with the remaining cheese and the red onion slices.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes. Slice pizza and serve immediately.
