Rosemary Chicken and Potato Pizza

Here is the Rosemary Chicken and Potato Pizza I referenced in Tuesday’s BBQ Chicken Pizza post.  My mom and sister made it a few weeks ago.
Let me warn you, the Rosemary Chicken and Potato Pizza recipe looks overwhelming, but it is really not that hard.  If you have your chicken already cooked, and your dough or pizza crust already made, the most time-consuming part is baking the potatoes.  “The time and effort is completely worth it”, my sister says… and she is not one to just love any pizza.  
This pizza recipe comes from The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook.  Anyone I’ve ever asked who has been to California Pizza Kitchen, or CPK, had nothing but positive things to say.  CPK was my family’s Friday night tradition when I was growing up.  My parents would split this Rosemary Chicken and Potato Pizza and my sister and I would split a medium Cheese Pizza and then a kids-size Pepperoni Pizza (we were hungry as kids and ate a lot of pizza!)  Now that I’ve grown up, I’d probably eat the Rosemary Chicken and Potato Pizza instead…. they say your taste buds change every seven years or so, and I can testify that for you!
Again, I’d definitely say this pizza is worth the time and effort, especially when you are making it gourmet-style.  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Rosemary Chicken and Potato Pizza
Ingredients
Garlic-Shallot Butter with Lemon
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch ground white pepper
1/3 cup full-bodied chardonnay (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp chicken base or bouillon cube (no MSG)

Rosemary Potatoes
1/2 pound small red “new” potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil

Grilled Garlic Chicken
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 (5 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the Pizza
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough
Cornmeal, semolina or flour for handling
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
3 tsp chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
4 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions
To make Garlic-Shallot Butter with Lemon:
1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add shallot, garlic and thyme.  Cook, stirring until mixture is light brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Add salt, pepper, wine, lemon juice and chicken base. Cook until mixture is reduced to about 1/2 cup (toward the end of the reduction, reduce the heat to low and stir frequently to prevent scorching).
3. Remove the pan from the heat; quickly and thoroughly whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.

To make Rosemary Potatoes:
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Combine sliced potatoes with the remainder of the ingredients; coat thoroughly. Transfer the potato slices to a sheet pan; spread them out in a single layer, do not overlap. Discard leftover marinade – do not pour it over the potatoes.
5. Cook the potatoes in the preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes.  Some of the slices may need to be flipped over to promote even browning.  Remove the potatoes from the oven when they begin to brown. Use a steel spatula to remove the potatoes from the sheet pan. Place potatoes on paper towels at room temperature to drain off any excess oil. Do not refrigerate.

To make Grilled Garlic Chicken:
6. Prepare a hot grill.
7. Combine garlic, soy sauce, salt and olive oil.  Marinate the chicken breasts in garlic oil for about 15 minutes.
8. Grill the chicken breasts for 5 to 7 minutes on each side (discard any uncooked marinade). Remove the cooked chicken from the grill and chill thoroughly.  Cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes and set aside in the refrigerator.

To make the pizza: 
9. Place the pizza stone in the center of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F for one hour before cooking the pizza.
10. Use a large spoon to spread 2 tablespoons of Garlic-Shallot Butter over the surface of the prepared pizza dough, within the rim.  Cover the butter with half the mozzarella.  Distribute half the grilled garlic chicken evenly over the cheese.
11. Sprinkle half the rosemary and oregano over the chicken. Place the rosemary potatoes over the other toppings, spaced about 1 inch apart.
12. Transfer the pizza to the oven; bake until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese at the center is bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. When cooked, carefully remove the pizza from the oven. Sprinkle half the parsley over the hot potato topping. Slice and serve.
13. Repeat with remaining ingredients for a second pizza. (The two pizzas may be prepared simultaneously if you are careful in placing the pizzas at opposite corners of your pizza stone.)

Yield: 2 (9-inch) pizzas
The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook by Larry Flax & Rick Rosenfield

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