Another favorite is a "flatbread" appetizer (really, it's a small pizza) at one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago that consists of two melted cheeses on a crisp crust with reconstituted figs, salty prosciutto and truffle oil...oh, that dazzling flavor punch. So I guess I place pizza into two categories: traditional pizza, with the cheese, tomato sauce and lots of toppings (think sausage, olives, onion, mushroom, peppers, etc.) and the slightly pretentious pizzas with ingredients like truffle oil and fancy cheeses.
This recipe falls somewhere in between. Not pretentious, because you can actually make it at home with relative ease and a few common ingredients, but not traditional either. Whatever way you slice it (hehe, I made a pizza joke), it's my new favorite. I've made it twice in one week.
In some ways, it reminds me of a game I used to play with one of my closest childhood friends, Kelly. We would combine the weirdest pantry items and dare each other to eat it (think mustard and chocolate, ketchup and bananas) and then dare our little sisters to eat the grossest ones.
But this combination actually turned out: a little spicy, a little sweet, salty and pretty much irrestistable. Don't expect to have any leftovers. Just get over your fear of combining jam and sriracha and you'll be oh-so-happy you did. I have tweaked it slightly from over here.
Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup strawberry jam (you can make your own or buy it)
1 tsp. sriracha chili sauce
Pizza dough (you can buy the fresh stuff from the store or make your own)
Olive oil
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast
3 oz. pancetta
1/4 yellow onion
6 oz. freshly shredded cheese (I have used smoked gouda and smoked mozzarella on my pizzas, and the smokiness adds extra depth. But feel free to use any kind/combination you like)
1/2 cup strawberries, diced
Directions
1. To prepare the ingredients, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Season the chicken breast with olive oil, salt and black pepper and bake for 30 minutes until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
2. On a baking sheet, arrange the thin slices of pancetta in a single layer. Bake for eight to 10 minutes until crispy and shrunken. Set aside to cool.
3. Now raise the temperature of the oven to 500 degrees (or the temperature recommended for your pizza dough).
4. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and reduce by half until it is thick and syrupy (about four to five minutes). Set aside to cool slightly.
5. In a small bowl, combine the jam and sriracha. When the balsamic reduction has cooled slightly, stir it in. Set your pizza sauce aside.
6. Once the chicken is cooled, shredded it or cut into a small dice and set aside.
7. Now, prepare the pizza dough. Roll it out to our desired shape (mine are pretty free-form, which gives it a more rustic, homemade quality...no need for perfection here!)
*Note: if you're using a pizza stone, preheat it in the hot oven for 30 minutes.
**Note: otherwise, just line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the rolled out crust on top.
8. Lightly brush with olive oil so that it can get that golden brown look while it bakes.
9. Bake the crust according to package directions (think five to six minutes) before putting any toppings on. This will help give you a crispier crust.
10. Remove the crust from the oven and top with the sauce you set aside.
*Note: if you're using a pizza stone, you don't need to do steps 9 and 10.
11. Then, layer it with the shredded chicken and onion. Crumble the crisp pancetta evenly over the top.
12. Then layer with the shredded cheese and top with sliced fresh strawberries.
13. Bake according to package directions or for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is golden.
14. Let stand and cool slightly before slicing.
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