Chicken Focaccia Pizza

So what I really wanted was Cosi's flatbread pizza. If you haven't tried it, it’s this thin flat bread that has this delightfully buttery and crisp crust and soft and chewy middle. At the restaurant they open the flat-bread sandwich style, spread the toppings and toast. Delicious! Well I searched the internet high and low looking for that signature bread recipe but it appears they have done a superb work at keeping their little gem a secret.  So I went to plan B and thus the Chicken Focaccia Pizza was born. I began making a focaccia dough seasoned it with rosemary and then spread my toppings, chicken, green peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes and a blend of Havarti and mozzarella cheeses. Wow! This is the pizza of the year in my book. My focaccia crust had the perfect texture, slightly soft and chewy in the middle with a nice crisp as you bite in.

Crust

*The crust ingredients are provided by Sabrina G. You can check out her complete recipe at: All Recipes

·         3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon white sugar

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 tablespoon active dry yeast

·         1 cup water

·         2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 egg

·         3 tablespoons olive oil

·         1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

    Directions

      Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix well. Heat water and vegetable oil until warm, and add to yeast mixture along with the egg. Blend with an electric mixer at low speed until moistened. Beat for 2 additional minutes. Stir in 1 3/4 cup flour while beating, until dough pulls away from side of bowl.

      Knead in 3/4 cup flour on floured surface. Cover dough with a bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes. Place dough on a greased baking sheet. Roll out to 12 inch circle. Cover with greased plastic wrap and a cloth towel. Place in a warm place for 30 minutes.

      Uncover dough, and poke holes in it with a spoon handle at 1 inch intervals. Drizzle olive oil on dough, and sprinkle with crushed rosemary.

 ***As a note, this crust does a fair amount of rising when baked. If you desire a thinner, crisper crust I suggest splitting the dough between 2-14inch pans. Another option is to use all the dough on 1-14inch sheet and then slice the baked dough open face before placing your pizza toppings.

When the crust has risen as directed, pre-bake the crust at 400F for approximately 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned on the sides.

Toppings

To prepare chicken. Cut 1 large chicken breast in half and then butterfly. Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet and cook chicken on medium heat turning and flipping chicken until no longer pink and cooked through.

Spread your favorite sauce over the prebaked crust, following with the chicken. Next spread the cheese blend and finally top with the onions, peppers and tomatoes. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Chicken and Veggies