Just in time for the weekend. Pizza is such a weekend-y food, isn’t it? And this Buffalo Chicken Pizza is a melty, gooey, spicy, tomatoey, crisp-crusted wonder.
My version is also without sugar, gluten, yeast or (cow) dairy. Let me tell you, it took me long searches and many trials to come up with this, but it was well worth each and every experiment.
Now, don’t be a hater and close out or scroll past. You can make it with gluten and dairy and all of those other things, if you so choose. But for those of you with food sensitivities or who are on a quest for healthier eating, isn’t it good to know you have options?
Here’s what you need.
I’ll provide the full ingredient list at the end of this post, but for now, let’s get cooking. First, the crust.
I’ve tried cornmeal crusts that were too heavy. I’ve tried others that were too salty. But this one was ju-u-u-st right! As you can see it’s very allergen free and it has no sugar. (Granted, pizza is pretty carb-heavy, but this is a treat meal – not an every week thing.) Even more importantly, this mix makes a crust that is delicious and crispy!
If you have a pizza stone (which I would highly recommend), put it in the oven and preheat to 450.
Measure out a cup and a half of the pizza crust mix into a medium bowl.
Add a cup and a quarter of water.
Add one teaspoon of oil.
Yes, I realize that is my thumb and not oil. But, conveniently enough, my thumb makes an indentation that is approximately the size of a teaspoon.
See? Saves time and having to wash the measuring spoons. Handy trick. You ought to try it.
Beat the mixture with an electric mixer for three minutes. It will have the consistency of cake batter.
While the oven continues to preheat, prepare the chicken so that it has a few minutes to marinate. Coat the bottom of a small bowl with Texas Pete Hot Sauce.
Yee haw!
Cut one pound of chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Here’s another tip: I hate cutting raw meat, but if it’s still slightly frozen, it’s not so slimy and slippery.
Put the chicken in the bowl, add more hot sauce and mix to coat.
Let that sit for ten or fifteen minutes.
Once the oven is preheated, take out the pizza stone and sprinkle with cornmeal.
This helps to prevent sticking and makes the crust even yummier. Learned this from K. (Thanks, K!)
With a rubber spatula, spread your pizza “dough” quickly and evenly, using as much of the stone as possible. It takes some practice, but is completely doable. Just make sure there are no holes!
Pop that in the oven for 20 minutes.
While that is cooking, get your husband to grate some cheese. Just remind him that he needs to lift the grater once in a while so that the cheese doesn’t get all mashed together in one big lump.
We use goat cheddar, or goat mozzarella if we can find it, but if that doesn’t blow your hair back, use whatever moves you.
Next, heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dump in the chicken and give it a stir.
You just want to sear it. If you cook it too much, it will dry out in the oven. Stir occasionally so that it cooks evenly, but take it off the heat once the sides of the chicken have turned white.
About like this. (Sorry for the blurry picture. I was trying not to get steam in my camera!)
If I have time left, I prep the olive oil by pouring it into a small bowl or cup – just enough to cover the bottom. I’ll tell you what that’s for later.
After 20 minutes, take the pizza stone back out of the oven. Your crust should be golden brown and a bit puffed up.
Whee!
Now for the toppings. First the pizza sauce. I suppose I could make my own. My mom’s got a killer recipe. But let’s be realistic here. We do the best we can with the time we have and the best I can do right now is this:
No sugar!
A fairly short ingredient list and I know what every one of these things is. Well, except for “natural flavor”. I’ve never been too clear on that vagueness. If anyone can enlighten me, I’m all ears.
Spoon about one cup of pizza sauce (or about half of a 14 oz jar) onto the crust. Add Texas Pete Hot Sauce according to taste and use a spoon to combine.
Spread the sauce evenly over the crust.
Sprinkle with grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese. We use Romano.
Because it’s made from sheep’s milk, not cow’s.
I probably use 3 or 4 Tbsp, but I’m Italian. I really don’t measure most things. Sorry about that.
Add the shredded cheese.
Add the chicken. It’s fine if the Hot Sauce from the pan flows onto the pizza. The more buffalo the better, baby!
Do not skip this next step! Unless you’re weird and don’t like garlic bread. Then it’s okay.
Remember that little bowl of olive oil? Grab that.
Brush the olive oil onto the visible crust.
If there is any left, drizzle it over the rest of the pizza.
Sprinkle your edges with garlic powder.
This will make your crust come out like garlic breadsticks.
I learned that trick from Laurie Loo. (Thanks, Laurie Loo!)
Slide the whole thing into the oven and bake for 12 and a half minutes.
In the meantime, I prepare our salads.
No meal in this house is ever eaten without a vegetable. Not even weekend pizza.
Once 12 and a half minutes is up, remove the pizza from the oven. It should look something like this:
Let it cool for five minutes. Then make your husband cut it into slices.
Enjoy!
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Ingredients/Supplies
- 1 ½ c. Namaste Pizza Crust Mix
- 1 ¼ c. water
- Olive oil
- 1 lb. chicken
- Texas Pete Hot Sauce
- Cornmeal
- 1 c. pizza sauce
- Romano or Parmesan Cheese
- Goat cheddar (about 6 oz.) or other cheese, shredded
- Garlic Powder
Directions
- Put pizza stone in oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
- In medium bowl, combine pizza crust mix, water and one teaspoon of oil. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer for three minutes. It will have the consistency of cake batter.
- Coat the bottom of a small bowl with Texas Pete Hot Sauce. Cut 1 lb. of chicken into bite-size pieces. Put the chicken in the bowl, add more hot sauce and mix to coat. Let sit for ten or fifteen minutes.
- Remove pizza stone from preheated oven. Sprinkle stone with cornmeal. With a rubber spatula, spread the pizza “dough” quickly and evenly, using as much of the stone as possible. Make sure there are no holes. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Sear the chicken until the sides have turned white. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove crust from the oven. The crust should be golden brown and a bit puffed up. Spoon about one cup of pizza sauce (or about half of a 14 oz jar) onto the crust. Add Texas Pete Hot Sauce according to taste and use a spoon to combine. Spread the sauce evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese. Cover with shredded cheese. Add the chicken.
- Brush the visible crust with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic powder.
- Bake for 12 and half minutes.
- Let cool for five minutes before cutting.
- Enjoy!
