Broccoli Chicken Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes reminds me of the casseroles Mom made when I was a kid. This pizza recipe is made with an almond flour crust making it gluten free and sugar free.
Let’s face it. How much can I say about pizza? Pizza: America’s favorite food. I could make pizzas all day in a thousand different combinations and I do it often because it’s absolutely the most fabulous way to use up leftover ingredients. (You could go healthier and make a salad, but let’s pretend I haven’t thought of that.) And so my latest creation is Broccoli Chicken Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
It’s a classic combination. Remember the 90’s when all Mom ever made was casserole? Yep, Broccoli Chicken Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes reminds me of a homey, comfortable, made-by-Mom casserole. Tender baked garlicky chicken, al dente broccoli, tangy and chewy tomatoes, and gooey cheese all driven to your mouth on America’s favorite baked vehicle: the pizza crust.
And this crust isn’t just any old pizza crust. This crust is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, soy-free (Umm, Hi, all the “frees”), low-carb, AND paleo-friendly. AND delicious. It’s what you get when you use Simple Mills Pizza Dough Almond Flour Mix. [You first heard about Simple Mills from me in my post last week about Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Pancakes.]
Stop rolling your eyes at me. I’m talking YOU, Mom. I know I reinvented your Broccoli Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Casserole and I know it was almost too much for you that I had the audacity to put it on a pizza crust and I know that putting it on an almond flour crust is just sending you over the edge, but hear me out.
I’m the very first skeptic of reinventing the wheel. America and Italia have been putting casseroles and other ingredient combinations on regular ole’ wheat pizza crusts since the beginning of time and why do we have to come along in the 21st century and change all of that? Because of gluten. Some people don’t play well with gluten and those people will be pleased as punch to have another pizza crust in the playground.
And if you do get along just fine with gluten, let me tell you what’s good about this crust.
- There are eight ingredients that I can pronounce and find in the grocery store. (Cauliflower is one of them and I’m super impressed with that.)
- The box says “Best served with a fork and knife,” but I’m going to argue that point. My crust held up to mountains of cheese, thick slices of chicken, large florets of broccoli when I held it in my hands like any other slice of pizza.
- I love the mealy texture, which I’m going to guess is a combination of the almond flour (which I think is sort of coarse and mealy) and the flax meal. (That one actually says “meal.”)
- It lends its own wholesome flavor and and the oregano seasoning contributes to the overall finish of the pizza.
My bottom line is, Simple Mills Pizza Dough is a Godsend for the gluten-frees and it’s also a wholesome, flavorful, substantial alternative for the rest of us.
My bottom-bottom line is that Broccoli Chicken Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is good on any kinda crust and don’t forget to tell Mom that her 90’s-era casserole inspired the whole thing. Brownie Points.
Broccoli Chicken Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- Simple Mills Pizza Dough or another pizza dough
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 clove garlic minced, divided
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 1/3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
- 1 1/3 cups shredded parmesan
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained, dried, and chopped
Instructions
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Prepare dough and par-bake according to package instructions.
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To prepare the chicken, increase oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken breasts in a small baking dish. Brush both sides with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and season with half the minced garlic and salt and pepper, to taste. Bake until chicken is cooked-through, but still tender, about 10 minutes per side. Remove from oven and, once cool to the touch, shred or shave into strips.
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To prepare the broccoli, bring large saucepan of water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook about two minutes. Strain through a colander and rinse with cold water.
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Mix remaining olive oil and garlic together. Brush on par-baked pizza crust. (Simple Mills mix makes two 8-inch pizzas.) Top crust with half the mozzarella and half the parmesan. Add chicken, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes. Top with remaining cheese.
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Finish baking according to pizza dough package instructions.
I’ve seen the Simple Mills mixes! I’ll have to give them a try!