It’s finally Friday again and for Jordan and I that means two things, 1) we get to *maybe* sleep in till 7 tomorrow (if Harper let’s us) and 2) pizza night! Every Friday we have sort of a tradition. We either walk down the street to this great restaurant called Royal Hilltop or we have a pizza night. We have been so busy this week and were gone house sitting for my parents in Parker, so we are excited to have a much needed pizza & wine night at the house! How about you? Do you have a favorite Friday Night Tradition?? Drop a comment below to share! ⬇️ This week’s Pairing of the Week is-
Chicken Artichoke Pesto Pizza & Sauvignon Blanc
Pictured above is actually an amazing cauliflower crust that I am also going to share-it’s much healthier AND low carb! But as an alternative you can always purchase a pre-made crust (Boboli is usually my go-to)! Now I will say- if you’re anything like me two years ago you instantly think “GROSS why would you mix cauliflower and pizza!?” Even now I won’t go anywhere near cauliflower, I actually think it’s disgusting, but something magical happens when you use this recipe to make this pizza! So you have to just trust me on this one, it’s actually really good. As I have said before, Jordan is a very picky eater-especially on Friday night’s, and he LOVES this recipe! I also have to warn you… it does (in my opinion) smell incredibly gross when you’re actually prepping it… but the final product does not taste or smell anything like it does in the uncooked stages 😂.
As for the wine choice, pesto has some very strong, defined flavors. So typically when picking a wine to pair with anything that has pesto you want to stick to the light-bodied white wines to compliment those strong basil or pine nut flavors that you find in the pesto. I’m typically not a huge fan of Sauvignon Blanc on it’s own, but I must say it really did pair perfectly with this pesto pizza! Jordan picked out the wine this week-it’s a 2015 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc and sold in local liquor stores for around 13 dollars. Delicious with the pizza and very affordable!
This healthy pizza is PACKED with amazing flavor and lots of nutrients! Skip the high calorie and high carb regular pizza crust for this healthy substitute
Ingredients
- 1 head chopped cauliflower
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 Tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small chicken breast
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Marinated artichokes (I typically buy a small jar and use 3 or 4)
- 1-2 Tbsp Non-Pareil Capers
- About 1/4 Cup Basil Pesto
- 1/4 cup spinach
- Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese to top
- Oregano and Red Pepper flakes to top
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425º F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or prep a pizza stone
- Rinse and chop cauliflower florets to fit into food processor, pulse until finely ground
- Transfer to microwave-safe bowl.
- Cover loosely and microwave for 5 minutes. Let cool
- Lay a clean dish towel or cheese cloth flat, transfer the cauliflower to the center of the cloth.
- Wrap the cauliflower and squeeze for about 2 minutes over the sink or a bowl to drain cauliflower completely (remove as much water as possible)
- Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl.
- Stir in eggs, mozzarella, parmesan and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper to taste
- Spread cauliflower mixture on prepared baking sheet or pizza stone.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.
- While Cauliflower Crust is baking- start cooking chicken:
- Heat oil in nonstick skillet
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces-transfer chicken to skillet
- Season with Italian seasoning and garlic powder
- Cook/stir until chicken is done- should be golden in color
- When crust is done- top with pesto, chicken, chopped artichokes, capers, spinach, cheeses and top with oregano
- Return to oven and bake for about 5 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Allow pizza to cool for a couple minutes, top with basil and red pepper flakes if desired.
- Pair with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc…Enjoy!
Notes
Pairs amazingly with Sauvignon Blanc
Hope you enjoy our Friday Night Tradition as much as we do! From my kitchen to yours…Enjoy!