Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

It's been a crazy week or so getting ready for Jeff's return from Madagascar and I feel like we've eaten more pizza in the past 10 days than we have in 10 months, probably because we have. We've had drive thru pizza, delivery pizza, and fundraiser pizza but the best pizza by far was this Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza that was thrown together from things in the pantry and freezer.  (Yes, I know that the picture is terrible but what can I say?)

The crust was made from half a recipe of the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day "Boule" recipe. This book has been worth its weight in gold; the dough is easy, consistent and best of all versatile. By halving the original recipe I had enough dough to make either 2 pizzas or 1 pizza and a half a doz breadsticks, just enough for our little family.

The toppings are just things I had in the freezer and pantry. Originally I wanted pepperoni but when I discovered that I had imagined that package of pepperoni and found a half full pouch of chopped ham instead I improvised. Bottled Alfredo sauce and some frozen grilled chicken just begged to become something cordon bleu. I really  like pasta with those flavors so how bad could pizza be??

It turned out very tasty and is something that I will do again. Even picky Bri ate it and liked it! Super easy!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza
8 servings
Crust:
1 1/2 c warm water
1 T. yeast
1 T. kosher salt
3 1/4 c. all purpose flour

Mix the water, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Don't stress about getting it all dissolved. Add flour and quickly mix together until a shaggy dough is formed. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes. Remove from bowl and knead together a couple of times. Divide into two balls. Use one for pizza crust and the other for breadsticks.

Press the dough out onto a baking pan; let rest for a few minutes. You can partially bake the dough at this point if you are making a thicker crust, I usually do a fairly thin crust and skip this step.

Toppings:
1/2 c. Alfredo sauce
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts grilled and chopped
1 cup chopped ham
1 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
chopped green onions, opt.

Spread Alfredo sauce onto pizza crust. Top with chicken, ham and cheese. Bake in 450 degree oven for 20 min or until crust is crusty and golden brown. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.

Cal: 246, Fat: 10 g, Fiber: 1 g