I have a confession to make. I’m an occasional QVC shopper. There…I said it. I’m somewhat obsessed with kitchen gadgets; Jim says my pantry looks like a Williams-Sonoma store. My friends all tease me, but in my defense, I use every item that I’ve bought, with very few exceptions.
I’ve been smoking on a Big Green Egg for years, but it’s a bit of a production to prepare and cook on it. In a weak QVC moment, I recently bought an electric smoker with the thought that I could quickly get something cooking and be on my way. As it turns out, my thinking was sound, and it’s proved to be a convenient and low maintenance cooking method yielding great results.
Chicken has become one of my favorite things to smoke. I season a whole roaster with my favorite poultry rub and shove it in the smoker along with some hickory chips. I pierce the breast with the built-in probe, set the temp to 275 degrees, and let it smoke for a couple of hours until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. The resulting chicken is moist and tender with the perfect amount of smoke flavor.
The uses for smoked chicken are endless. I’ve made smoked chicken quesadillas, enchiladas, chicken salad, and stews. For today’s post, I made a pizza with mozzarella, fresh corn, roasted roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers, asparagus, and smoked chicken. A garnish of fresh basil completes this summertime dish.
If you don’t have a smoker, you can invest in a smoker box for your gas grill and get great results. It’s not quite the same as using a smoker, but it will impart smoky flavor to your food. Load the smoker box with wood chips, and cook the chicken over indirect heat at 275 to 300 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Always use a meat thermometer to avoid over or under cooking.
If you’re not up for smoking a chicken, a rotisserie chicken will work perfectly well for this recipe. In our house I double this recipe to feed four hungry people.
Ingredients
1/2 pound whole wheat pizza dough
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup shredded smoked (or rotisserie) chicken
8-10 roasted roma tomato halves
3/4 cup sliced asparagus spears
1/2 medium roasted red pepper
1 ear corn, kernels cut off
1/2 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup small fresh basil leaves
Instructions
1. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Roll dough to a 12-inch circle. Using a pizza peel, transfer dough to oven and bake for 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Remove crust from oven and layer with fresh mozzarella. Top with chicken, tomatoes, asparagus, red pepper, corn, and onion. Spread mozzarella cheese over pizza, season with salt, and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Transfer pizza to pizza stone and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust and cheese are browning. Let pizza rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Top with basil leaves and serve.
https://southernboydishes.com/2015/06/23/summer-pizza-with-smoked-chicken/You may also like:
- Roasted Cauliflower and Fennel Soup - November 8, 2015
- Smoky and Sweet Turkey Chili{+ a Cookbook Giveaway} - October 27, 2015
- Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Stew with Turkey Sausage - October 16, 2015
Now there’s nothing wrong with kitchen gadgets and a pantry that looks like a Williams-Sonoma store! Nope, not all. I am right there with you Bill. Tools make life easier, right? The right tool for the right task…
Anyways, as for this pizza, hold me back! Looks incredible and I LOVE the whole corn kernels for pops of flavor! That whole wheat dough works for me too, outstanding. 🙂