chicken and veggie pizza

If there's one thing my family can't get enough of, it's pizza. I really think my husband Geoff could eat it every single night for dinner and never complain. Whenever I mention that I'm tired or stressed and not up to cooking dinner, his first response is "Let's order pizza!" While I do enjoy pizza myself, I'm not thrilled about how unhealthy some of the take-out pizzas can be. There's a place near us that has fantastically delicious pizza, but it is literally dripping with orange grease. The only real solution is to make pizza at home! 

Not only is making pizza at home generally a lot more cost effective, it's also a lot easier to choose healthy options, like using whole wheat crust, or adding more veggies. Check out this infographic from Fleischmann's showing the benefits of making pizza at home:  

I had no idea that pizza was the #1 dinner choice in the U.S. It's definitely the #1 choice in my house! When Fleischmann's challenged me to create a healthy pizza using their awesome pizza crust yeast, I was excited. I decided to make a whole wheat crust (my first ever!) and load it with garlic, olive oil, spinach, chicken, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, and cheese. The result was a delicious, healthy, incredibly flavorful pizza that I felt good about serving to my family!

I had never had kalamata olives on pizza until a month or so ago, and they are so delicious! They add so much flavor without being overpowering. This pizza is definitely a new favorite!

Chicken and Veggie Pizza

for the crust:
1 packet Fleischmann's pizza crust yeast (or rapid rise yeast)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 - 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very warm water
3 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)

for topping:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped cooked spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese

Preheat the oven to 425. To make the crust, whisk together the yeast, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water and olive oil, and mix to combine, adding more flour as needed to make a smooth, non-sticky dough. Knead until smooth, then let rest 10 minutes.

After the dough has rested, roll the dough out to the desired size and place on a lightly greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and top with minced garlic, spreading the oil and garlic to cover the dough. Sprinkle with the chopped spinach, distributing evenly over the crust. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese, followed by the olives, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken. Cover with the shredded gouda cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is browned. Enjoy!

crust recipe via Fleischmann's Yeast

For more great pizza recipes, check out the Fleischmann's Yeast website. I'm dying to try some of their delicious recipes, like their mango chutney chicken pizza... yum! Cheers to family pizza night!

Hungry for more from The Baker Upstairs?

Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Google +