Asian-Style Chicken Pizza

By Misa Misono

Homemade pizza in less time than it takes to order one and have it delivered? You bet.

Pizza is the ultimate fast food: tasty, satisfying, and rich in flavor. This recipe uses many time saving pre-packaged foods to deliver gourmet flavor in a hurry and on a budget. A box of Trader Joe’s Chicken for Lettuce Wraps transforms a pre-made pizza crust into a gastronomic delight. By the time you’re finished, you’ll think you’re the next Wolfgang Puck.

I tried to duplicate both the flavor profile and texture experience of chicken lettuce wraps that you would find at a restaurant. Using the Asian-inspired flavors as a base, I built a pizza that replaces marinara sauce with peanut (or teriyaki) sauce, the pepperoni with chicken, and chow mein noodles to provide crunch. Spinach, glass noodles, and a dash of red pepper flakes complete the transformation.

If I haven’t convinced you yet to try this recipe, maybe the promise of leftovers for the next day’s lunch will seal the deal. Just imagine yourself happily munching on homemade pizza while your peers calculate the throughput time at the cafeteria checkout lines. Now that’s good eats.

Shopping notes:
Find Chicken for Lettuce Wraps in the freezer section of Trader Joe’s. There’s a new Trader Joes right off 15-501, just past I40. I like TJ’s Thai Peanut sauce or Soyaki sauce.

Cooking tools: 1 large cookie sheet, pizza pan, or baking stone

Tip: If you don’t want to make the trip to Trader Joes, a good substitution for the chicken is cutting up leftover cooked chicken or buying a rotisserie roasted chicken at the grocery store.

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pizza crust
1 box Asian-style Chicken for Lettuce Wraps
1 cup shredded white cheese (I prefer a mix of mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan)
1 cup loosely packed fresh baby spinach
¼ - ½ cup peanut sauce or teriyaki sauce
½ teaspoon dried flat leaf parsley (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
¼ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on desired heat - optional
1/3 cup dry chow mein noodles – optional
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds - optional

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees (or as according to your pre-made crust directions). Follow directions on the back of Chicken Wraps to heat chicken. Defrost sauce that comes with the package. Set aside defrosted sauce and glass noodles that come with the chicken.

Place spinach leaves in a measuring cup or drinking glass. With a clean scissors, cut up spinach several times to achieve pieces 1/3 to ½ the size of the original leaves.

When pizza crust is ready for toppings (follow directions on the package), spoon sauce evenly over crust. Next, spread spinach over sauce. Top with chicken mixture, chow mein noodles, and glass noodles. Sprinkle parsley and pepper flakes over the pizza. Top with cheese, sesame seeds, and defrosted sauce.

Cook according to pizza crust directions (10-15 minutes) until cheese is melted and bubbly. Take out, cool for 3 minutes, slice, and serve.

Makes 2-3 servings