Chicken and Artichoke Pizza

I have always wanted to make something with artichokes in it, and I found this recipe for pizza! So I thought why not.... lets try it out and see what is tastes like. The original recipe didn't have any chicken in it so I decided to put some in. It definitely made it better and I don't think that I would make it without the chicken. I made this on a sunday afternoon after church for my mom and brother, they both loved it.  I would totally make this pizza again. It took a bit long to make as I made the crust day of and it took a little while for the crust to rise as I made the dough from  scratch and did not use a pre-baked pizza crust as they suggested.

So here is the recipe that I used for the pizza dough, I have used this one quite a bit and I really like it. Simple and fast... well that is besides the rising of the dough.

Pizza Dough:


3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
14 Tbsp. lukewarm water (you may need more... just see what the dough is like and if it is to tough then add more water :)

Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl and add the yeast.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil and water.
Stir well with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together, then knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes. Do the window test to see if the gluten has been developed and if it has then its all good. If not knead the dough a bit longer and do it again. (the window test is a basic test to see if the dough has been kneaded enough or not. You don't have to do this it is just a suggestion. Some people have never done it or they don't know what it is. If you do great! if not then don't worry about it)
It will be smooth and elastically when it is ready.
Shape into a ball and let rest is a covered bowl for about 1 hour, or until double the size.
Brush a pizza pan or a cookie sheet with oil and punch down the dough to form a circle. It also helps if you throw the dough in the air and let your finger tips stretch the dough as well. It does actually help! I know you always she it that way in the movies but it does work! if you let it rest for a couple minutes in between stretching it that will also help to get it bigger.


The Toppings:

1/2 tsp, olive oil
about 2/3 c. spaghetti or pizza sauce (you can always use a speciality one as well, I used a olive and tomato one)
2 tomatoes, sliced
lots of mushrooms! about 1 cup
half a 14 oz. can of artichoke heart, rinsed, drained and chopped
1/3 c black olives (depending if you like olives or not, they aren't my favourite but I put them on anyways)
1 chicken breast, pan fried and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese, grated ..... or more if you like cheese like me!
1 1/2 tsp. fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp. rosemary


Preheat the oven to 350*
Brush the pizza crust with the olive oil and sauce. Place the tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, chicken, olives and cheese on top.
Bake for about 20-30 minutes, I forget how long I baked mine for! bake until the cheese starts to bubble and then sprinkle the herbs on top of the pizza. Bake until golden brown and the cheese is all melted.
Let stand for about 5 minutes.
Cut and serve warm.... and enjoy the pizza!

Hurray I  finally made something with artichokes and I really liked it!


Every pizza can have many different toppings and you can put almost anything you want on it and it will taste good. So here is what I put on my pizza but you could always add some of your favourites or take some of the ones I have on mine out. Depending on what you like and what you don't.

Enjoy!