CHICKEN PICCATA MEATBALL PIZZA

Chicken|Italian|Pizza

Ingredients

The Meatballs:

1 egg, beaten

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup chopped parsley

3 tablespoons capers (drained)

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pound ground chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

The Pizza:

1 pound pizza dough, (store-bought or recipe below)

2 tablespoons corn meal

4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup shredded Italian blend cheese

1 whole lemon, cut into very thin slices and then cut in half

2 tablespoons capers, drained

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

To make the meatballs, combine the egg, garlic, panko, parm, salt, pepper, parsley, capers, zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix everything together with a fork to combine. Add the ground chicken to the bowl and massage everything together with your hands until well combined. Form this mixture into small balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Preheat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, turning gingerly with tongs as they brown. Set aside while you prepare the pizza dough.

Form the dough into a 12” disk with your fingers. Coat your pizza peel the corn meal and arrange the dough on top. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the dough leaving about 1” of dough exposed around the edge of the dough for the crust. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the grated parmesan over the cream cheese followed by the shredded Italian blend cheese.

Cut the meatballs in half and place them all over the top of the pizza, cut side down. Place the lemon slices between the meatballs all over the pizza. Sprinkle the capers and red pepper flakes evenly all over the top.

Drizzle the olive oil all over the exposed crust. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of the parmesan all over the top of the pizza.

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone and cook for 12-14 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Top with the fresh chopped parsley and DEVOUR!!

Pizza dough:

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus 2 teaspoons to oil the bowl)

1 tablespoon honey

1 ½ cups warm water (115-120 degrees)

1 packet yeast

2 teaspoons salt

3 ½ – 4 cups flour

To make the dough, place olive oil, honey, and water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve honey into the water (so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid mixture, stir, and let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast becomes foamy. Add salt and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Mix using the dough hook attachment. Gradually add as much of the remaining flour as needed until a ball forms. Empty dough onto a floured countertop and knead for 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic adding flour as needed if sticky.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in bulk. Knead dough briefly and divide into 2 equal parts and form balls. Let rest for 30 minutes under a clean kitchen towel. If you are not using both balls, refrigerate each ball in a plastic bag sprayed with cooking spray for up to 5 days.