Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Caramelized Onion Pizza From Scratch

By vealam

Ingredients

• For the DOUGH:
• 1 Package Active Dry Yeast (1/4 Ounce)
• 1 Teaspoon Honey
• 1/4 Cup Warm Water, not over 110 degrees F
• 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 Cup Brown Ale at Room Temperature (I used Newcastle)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Cup Room Temperature Water
• For the TOPPINGS (Tops two pizzas):
• 1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• 1/3 Cup Brown Ale (Left-over Newcastle)
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 White Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from sarcasticcooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the DOUGH: add the warm water along with the honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Pour the yeast on top of the water/honey. Let sit for four minutes, until the yeast becomes active and foamy.

Add the regular flour along with the whole wheat flour, ale, olive oil, salt and ½ cup water to the bowl. Mix on medium speed for about five minutes, until smooth. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and knead for two minutes.
Lightly oil the inside of the bowl of the mixer and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area for about an hour.

After an hour the dough should be billowy and risen slightly. Divide the dough into four small balls. Set on a slightly oiled pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough balls rise for another fifteen minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Once the oven is preheated, add a pizza pan or pizza stone to the oven. Let the pan heat up while you roll out the dough to a thin 10 inch pizza, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the chicken breast to a small pan along with the balsamic vinegar and brown ale. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the chicken for twenty minutes, turning once. By that time the ale and balsamic vinegar should turn to syrup around the chicken breast. Remove the chicken breast, place on a plate, and use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium/low heat. Add the sliced onions to the pan. Cook for about twenty minutes over medium/low heat until they start to turn caramel in color. Once the onions are caramelized, turn the heat off and let the onions sit off to the side until the oven is heated and the pizzas are ready to be baked.

Top the two pizzas with even amounts of shredded chicken, caramelized onions, and shredded cheese.
Pull the pizza pan out of the oven. Add a light dusting of whole wheat flour to the hot pan. Transfer one of the topped pizzas to the hot pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is deeply golden. Follow the same instructions for the next pizza.

Two of the pizza dough balls can be wrapped and frozen for up to one month until ready to use.

Top each pizza with some fresh basil and some balsamic syrup for a truly fancy adult pizza! Oh, you fancy now!