Chicken and Mushroom Pizza

Here I go, switching from healthy low fat and calorie mode to...pizza mode.  Even though we are in the middle of a heat wave here in New Jersey with temperatures in the triple digits I had to turn the oven on last night to make treats to bring to work for my friend Danielle's birthday (recipe to come next week) so I figured while it was on for that, I might has well use it to make dinner.  So we decided to make pizza.  We actually made two kinds last night and I will tell you about the other one we made next week, it was a little more adventurous than this one.  I had some homemade tomato sauce in the refrigerator so we decided to make a traditional mushroom pie but add chicken to it for some protein (and black olives on half of it for Joe, yuck!).  They both turned out really good and I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch this weekend.

I have a Pampered Chef pizza stone and if you are going to be making pizza at home I highly recommend it.  I may even have to order a second one because I really noticed the difference in the crusts on the two pizzas last night.  The texture of the one I cooked on the pizza stone was much better than the one I cooked in a metal pizza pan.  I bought it years ago and it only gets better with age!

Chicken and Mushroom Pizza
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients:
1 large boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. dried cilantro
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 ball (15 -16 oz.) whole wheat pizza dough
2 cups Cheese (I used 4 cheese pizza blend which has mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan and romano)
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup sliced black olives (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, coriander, oregano and cilantro.  Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook, 2-3 minutes on each side until brown and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.  Then shred with your fingers or a fork.  Add the mushroom to the pan and saute 3-4 minutes until cooked.  Drain mushrooms and set aside.

Put a small amount of flour on your hands and begin working the dough into a circular shape, about 12" in diameter, working from the middle out, pulling the dough evenly.  If the dough starts to get sticky, add a little more flour to your hands.  Place dough circle on a pizza stone.  Place tomato sauce on pizza dough spreading it out with the back of a ladle, leaving a half inch sauce free around the edges.  Spread the cheese over the sauce.  Sprinkle chicken, mushrooms and olives (if using) on top of cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is a nice golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling.  Let stand for 3-5 minutes before serving.