Smoked Chicken Pizza With Red Pepper Pesto Recipes

SMOKED CHICKEN PIZZA WITH RED PEPPER PESTO

Steps:

• MAKE THE RED PEPPER SAUCE:
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the head of garlic, cut side up, on a double sheet of foil and drizzle with olive oil.
• Wrap the foil around the garlic and bake until the cloves are very soft, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• Squeeze the garlic onto a plate.
• Roast the red pepper directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning frequently, until charred all over.
• Transfer the pepper to a plate to cool. Discard the charred skin, seeds and core and coarsely chop the pepper.
• In a food processor, puree the pepper with the roasted garlic, basil, oregano and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• MAKE THE PIZZA:
• On a lightly floured work surface, cut the pizza dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
• Flatten each ball, dust with flour and roll out to a 5-inch round. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Set a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 500° for at least 45 minutes. Flour a pizza peel.
• Place a dough round on the peel and roll it out to an 1/8-inch thickness. Spread 2 tablespoons of the red pepper sauce over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge.
• Scatter 1/2 cup of the shredded chicken and one-fourth of the red pepper strips over the pizza, then top with 1/2 cup of the Manchego and 1/4 cup of the goat cheese.
• Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake until browned on the bottom and bubbling on top, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board, scatter some arugula leaves on top and cut into pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.