Secrets of a Southern Kitchen: Chicken Pesto Pizza

To help get me out of my cooking and blogging and rut, I've decided to participate in the Foodbuzz Project Food Blog.

I love to eat. I'm not a gourmet, or a great cook; sometimes I'm not sure I'm even a good cook! What I am, though, is an ordinary woman who likes to cook most of the time, and likes to eat well-cooked food. I like simple recipes; and while some days I don't mind spending some time planning and executing a good meal, I usually don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. I like to cook a variety of dishes, made with everyday ingredients that are readily available and easy to stock up on and keep on hand in my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. My recipes run the gamut from made-from-scratch to semi-homemade, but they are always simple, and usually delicious!

This first dish is a regular quick and easy, semi-homemade-from-what's-on-hand supper.

I came back to Georgia last week to help get the rest of our things packed and ready to move. A lot of my kitchen things and groceries have already been moved home, and I've been trying to figure out what to cook with the dribs and drabs of things left in the fridge and pantry, without buying a lot of additional groceries that would have be packed and moved or discarded when we leave. I found a "canned" Pillsbury pizza crust, and had about two boneless skinless chicken thighs in the freezer. I didn't think I had anything to use for sauce and was going to try to make a white cheese sauce when I spotted a jar of Pesto in the back of the fridge--perfect for one our favorite quick and easy meals--Chicken Pesto Pizza!

After spraying the baking sheet with cooking spray, I sprinkled a little corn meal over it and tapped it back and forth till a light dusting of corn meal covered it. This keeps the crust from sticking to the pan, the same as greasing and flouring a cake pan.Next I unrolled the crust, and precooked it for a few minutes, just until lightly browned--another trick I've learned to keep the crust from being "doughy" in the middle.

The pesto I used is Makers Mark from Sam's club, it's in the refrigerated section next to the fresh pasta, and is delicious--it has just the right mixture of olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and basil. Spread lightly, so the finished product won't get too soggy.

I boiled the two chicken thighs I had in some water with chicken stock paste, dried onion flakes, and Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, then chopped them up. You could use any leftover cooked chicken that you have on hand--even leftovers from a bought Rotisserie chicken.

Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edge browns a little more.

Then just enjoy! The first time I used pesto, I did half Alfredo sauce and half pesto, in case everyone didn't like it, but it's become our new favorite! I could see adding additional ingredients, too, but even plain and simple it's delicious!