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Arts & Entertainment

Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Mini-Pizzas

A great change of pace from ordinary pizza.

Pizza is one of the most universal foods out there but sometimes, using the same ingredients (marinara sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and crust) can be too repetitive and boring. I devised a recipe to give pizza some extra flare, while being inexpensive, easy to make, and most importantly, fresh. Not only will the grownups enjoy these mini-pizzas, but kids will love them too…as long as they get to help make them!

Ingredients

1 package English muffins, 6 count

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1 cup basil leaves

¼ cup parmesan cheese

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½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ walnuts, chopped

2 cloves Garlic

Sea salt, to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup fresh spinach

1 chicken breast

8 oz mozzarella cheese

Process

Spinach

Cook the spinach in a pot of low-boiling water for about two minutes. When complete, drain the water and place the spinach in an ice bath. Set aside.

Pesto

In a blender, combine the basil and walnuts and pulse until they are finely chopped but not fully minced. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and pulse until both are finally chopped. With the blender on, slowly pour in the olive oil and blend until fully combined. Add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and blend for about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into a dish and set aside for serving.

Chicken

You can cook the chicken any way you want to; I melted some butter in a pan, cut the chicken into small chunks, seasoned, and cooked. You can cook the breast whole if you want and feel free to grill it.

Assembly

Open the English muffins and put them on a baking sheet. Take a spoonful of the pesto and spread onto each one. Sprinkle some mozzarella on top, followed by the spinach and chicken. I like to add another pinch of mozzarella to the top to help the ingredients stay put; plus, I think it looks better.

Cook in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Taste Test

This is definitely not your every day pizza, or even mini-pizza for that matter. The pesto is full of flavor but doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. The spinach adds a nice layer of flavor while the chicken adds to the texture, as well as taste.  Overall, these are fantastic and give a nice change of pace to what we normally call pizza.

Leftover Quality

These were great the next day. Just put them in the oven for 5-7 minutes and they make a great lunch. Although, if you have a family of four, they won’t last too long.

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