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Pizza, it’s what’s for dinner

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I’ll just go ahead and confess that after Caroline left for school yesterday, I crawled back in bed with the remote control and stayed there for the next three hours. It was my belated Mother’s Day present to myself. I would have preferred to give myself a gift certificate for a one-hour massage, but apparently I’m cheap.

Eventually I realized it was almost lunchtime and I was in dire need of a caffeinated beverage, so I made my way to the kitchen only to discover we were down to our last Diet Coke which meant a trip to HEB was imperative even though I was hoping to put it off for one more day. Of course, P had started a list but his lists never really count because I always feel like we can go one more day without another box of Nilla Wafers or Q-tips, whereas a home without Diet Coke is a tragedy waiting to happen.

I waited for Caroline to get home from school because on her Mother’s Day questionnaire she said that one of her favorite things to do with me is go to the grocery store. Personally, I think she’s in it for the guarantee of a donut.

After a sweet forever, we finally made it home from HEB. Ever since they remodeled our store, I just roam the aisles endlessly because I can’t find anything. The layout makes no sense at all, starting with the fact that all the baking supplies are on two different aisles causing me much sorrow and anger at whoever the genius was that came up with that design.

Anyway, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this because the whole point of this post is to tell you about the delicious Blackened Chicken Pizza I made for dinner last night when I realized the cooking elves weren’t going to show up and prepare a fabulous, home-cooked meal for my family and the burden for nourishment lay squarely on my shoulders.

So I’ll quit rambling and share the recipe, complete with intermittent photos that really don’t do a very thorough job of showing all the steps.

Blackened Chicken Pizza (Paula Deen)

3 teaspoons blackening seasoning, divided (found on the spices aisle)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 in. thickness
4 tbs. butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbs. all purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup milk
2 tbs. chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Pizza crust

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons blackening seasoning evenly over chicken breast. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until done.

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You will notice that I used chicken tenders instead of a whole chicken breast because I like to minimize my contact with raw poultry and didn’t want to have to pound it to 1/4 inch thickness.

Remove from heat, cool and cut chicken into bite-size pieces.

In large skillet, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in wine and milk.

It’s totally optional but you may want to take a swig of the wine for yourself if you spent over an hour at HEB because you couldn’t find the powdered sugar.

Continue to whisk the mixture constantly for 4-5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in basil and remaining 1 teaspoon blackening seasoning. Remove from heat.

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Preheat oven to 450.

Spread cream mixture evenly over prepared, unbaked crust. (I didn’t make a homemade crust, but bought a pre-made one at HEB because you know that old saying about how Rome wasn’t built in a day? That’s because they were too busy making homemade pizza crusts.)

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Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

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Top evenly with spinach, chicken pieces, and bacon.

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Sprinkle another 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese over the top.

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Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

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Caroline declared this “the BEST PIZZA I’ve ever had!”

Of course, she said that same thing last week about a frozen DiGiorno pepperoni pizza so you may want to take her culinary recommendations with a grain or six of salt.

But it actually was really good which is fortunate because I made two of them and we’re eating it again tonight.

Look P! It’s not even daylight yet and you already know what’s for dinner.

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  1. Pizza looks yummy! HEB and their re-design sounds like Albertson’s and their shopping pods for snacks, soft drinks and tolietries. Inevitably what I classify as a snack is never with the snacks. Fruit roll-ups? Snack. Rice cakes? Not a snack.

  2. That looks yummy! But what the heck is “blackening seasoning”? I’ve heard of blackened chicken before, but I thought that had to do with how it was cooked.

    (Oh, hi, I don’t know if I’ve commented before, so I guess I’m a lurker. Who has a family of picky eaters who would really like me to limit my seasonings to salt, pepper, and garlic powder. So no blackened chicken pizza for me. *sob*)

  3. Yes that look so devine!!! I want to make it BUT I too dont know what blackening seasoning is? I wonder can it be found in Australia???
    If so then I will totally be making this next pizza night.

  4. Ok so I just googled it and found a recipe for the seasoning…
    BLACKENED SEASONING MIX

    1 tbsp. sweet paprika
    2 1/2 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. onion powder
    1 tsp. garlic powder
    1 tsp. cayenne pepper
    3/4 tsp. white pepper
    3/4 tsp. black pepper
    1/2 tsp. dried thyme
    1/2 tsp. dried oregano

    Mix all ingredients. We use this to coat chicken breasts, steaks or fish before grilling.

    I am so making this on Friday.

  8. Yummo! Thanks! Our grocery store always has lines at the check out a mile long. I bring the kids along just so I have someone to talk to while I am waiting as it can be upwards of a half hour. Target and a new grocery store are opening across the street in two months. Can’t wait! My hubby and I were joking last night that the Target sign is going to be our Kenny Rogers Roasters sign like on Seinfeld!

  9. That pizza looks/sounds great!!
    I HATE it when grocery stores “re-do” themselves!! Ours is doing it again, after only a few years! Last time I sat stood in the middle of an aisle and called for help, after searching for peanut butter for 20 minutes!! Maybe your store’s genius is our genius … he put it in the produce section. Ummmmm, cuz it’s a nut?!
    Thanks, as always, for sharing a laugh.
    Janine

  12. You could take this just one step further and do it on the BBQ grill! YUM!

    And I’m all about the pre-made crusts. Kudos to the person who came up with that!

  14. What? You can’t just buy blackened seasoned mix? What is wrong with just a frozen pizza?

    Yours does look wonderful…can I come for supper tonight?

  15. i’m with linda. what time is dinner tonite?
    pizza looks dee-lish! i think i might actually try to tackle that. i gave up cooking for lent, but it’s worth a try!

  17. That looks so good! My boys love pizza, think I am going to change up what we have for dinner tonight! Thanks!!!

  18. You’ve inspired me to make this. I recently stumbled onto Freshetta Brick Oven Pizza (or something with “Fresh” in the brand name-I can’t remember) that was really good. It was a tad pricey and then the box was totally deceptive about its size too. But I’d buy it again because it was so tasty.

  19. “bought a pre-made one at HEB because you know that old saying about how Rome wasn’t built in a day? That’s because they were too busy making homemade pizza crusts.”

    You’re killing me, Big Mama. My husband is not a fan of pizza, so he may actually enjoy this.

  21. I suppose that this is where the 30 day shred starts to fit into the picture. Seriously, cream sauce AND bacon? Sounds like a slice of heaven with a side of 30 mins on the treadmill. YUM!

  26. Looks quite delicious. My daughter would tell you, “You are the best cooker ever!”

  27. Okay, that’s so not fair. I’m hungry already and it’s not even lunch time. *sigh* I may just have to break out the Nilla wafers in the meantime…….LOL I did indeed go to the grocery yesterday also and stocked up on all “essentials.”

    Truly, looked totally yummy. Thanks for sharing. Food Network is my friend.

  31. now THAT is a seasoned pizza stone under that pizza. I just got a new one from Pampered Chef and the first time I used it, it broke in two in the oven. I guess the frozen calzone didn’t take up enough room on the large stone. Anyway, they shipped me a new one and I can’t wait for it to be as delicious as yours looks. yum. Oh and the pizza looks real good too 🙂

  34. The pizza looks delish! It is well-known in my household that low amounts of Diet Coke warrant an emergency grocery store trip. My kids also know their lives are on the line if they so much as touch the last Diet Coke! It’s pretty serious.

  36. That pizza looks really good!
    I’m bummed that our HEB got a make over too. Although I love the sushi, I can’t find anything else!

  38. THAT looks delicious! I’m printing out the recipe and will give it a whirl. I do know why they change grocery stores around (AND why no two are exactly alike, be it Walmart, Publix, Kroger, etc). A friend who works at Kroger told me that the goal is to get you to wander around, because as you look, you end up putting things in your cart that you “forgot” you needed. If you always know right where to go, you buy less. As much as I hate to admit it, they’re right. The more I wander, the more I buy…

  39. Um, yummy!!!! Love that Paula Deen and if I am honest I crawl back into bed after Andrew goes to school 4 out of 5 days! I have 2 other kids too! I’m terrible, just plain awful!

  40. That pizza looks delicious – sans the spinach!!!

    Our HEB is constantly reorganizing as well. I hate it and usually leave and go to Walmart to get what I need.

  42. Seriously, HEB. Why are the cleaning supplies and dog food right by the checkout now and the essentials are all in the back? Drives me crazy every time!

  43. The thing I love about you is that you let yourself relax in bed for 3 hours. I have serious guilt/perfectionism issues with using my time wisely. The funny thing is that it’s not like I can look back and see how much I’ve accomplished. It all seems to get undone anyway.
    I really do want to give myself more grace to RELAX when the kids are in school. You are my inspiration! And the fact that you made pizza instead of ordering it is also an inspiration!

  44. Hm, I’m not normally a fan of chicken pizza, but this DOES look tasty! Thanks for the recipe!

  45. Okay I am not a big pizza person but that looks soooo good. I will be trying that one out.

  47. Mmmm….I am so making that this week!

    Just so you don’t feel alone, I also have issues with raw meat of any sort. I always keep a box of latex gloves under my sink so I never have to touch it. Also, if I have to pound chicken I seal it in a heavy-duty Ziploc.

  48. That looks DELICIOUS and I may need to try that recipe for myself. I’m sure I will follow it to a T, and that is because I am too anal to deviate from a recipe and has absolutely nothing to do with the swig of wine in the middle.

  49. Of course, making that would require a trip to the grocery store so perhaps I will resort to the Freschetta in my freezer. Fortunately for me, my children have about the same degree of culinary discernment as Caroline so they probably won’t care either way.

  50. Oh my word, I just spend $330 at the grocery store this morning and I can’t wait to go spend more to get all the ingredients to make this. It looks incredible!

  51. Looks yummy… my post last night was more of the diet inducing type… yours is a diet destroyer… if I was dieting, which I’m not… so maybe I should go back over and look at my own blog…

    5 mommy stars for home cooking. I just remembered that 2 out of 5 members are out of my house tonight so I think I should have a pass on cooking… DiGiorno suddenly sounds good…

  52. Wow, that pizza looks TOTALLY amazing! Not sure my hubby would go for the spinach or the white sauce, but I would LOVE it. Someday when he’s gone, I’ll make it for the little one and I. 🙂

  53. That makes me so hungry looking at the pictures! I normally don’t like pizza because the tomato sauce gives me heartburn so this white sauce and the chicken sounds like something I can eat!

    Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Marilyn

  54. I just made this pizza…it is in the oven right now!! I can’t wait to taste it!! YUMMY!!

  55. I just gotta tell you, even as good as that final pizza looks, I think I’d have been gobbling that chicken right down the minute I was finished sauteeing it. That looks MARVELOUS!

  56. That pizza looks amazing, thanks for sharing the recipe (I can use any help I can get in the kitchen)…and I’d like to say that I completely agree with your opinion on raw chicken. Ick.

  57. love reading your blog. you’re hilarious! and i am definitely going to try this recipe. yum!

  61. Well, I just copied this one and will trot it out before my family next week.

    But I must say that the anything “blackened” in my household is code for “Mommy just caught the kitchen on fire again.” So, we’ll see……..

  62. My guess….Caroline ate one piece, and you also had one–your husband ate the rest. Am I wrong on this?? Or is my husband the only one that could eat the majority of this pizza??

  64. hey! my name is jenn and i found your website through Angie’s who was recommended from a friend! The internet is a crazy thing! 🙂 Anyways your pizza looks so good! i might have to try it! 🙂 YUM!

  70. Just had to say that the best part of this post was your revelation that Caroline liked to go to the grocery store with you becasue of the guarunteed donut.

    My Mom always let me pick out a donut or donut holes or a cupcake from the bakery and that is a fond childhood memory of mine.

    You must be a great mom!!!

  72. My friend and I made this pizza the other day, it was AMAZING! I can only take credit for the base but she did all the blackened chicken part…..devine! Thanks for sharing this, it will now be apart of our favourite recipe list!