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Banh Mi Pizza

You'll love this new take on pizza. A sriracha cream sauce base, fresh and pickled veggies, and deliciously marinated chicken all come together to make one delicious non-traditional pizza! 

Makes: 2 12" Pizzas
Servings: 8
 
Ingredients:

2- 12" Pizza crusts (Pizza dough-click here for recipe)

Chicken:
1/2 C rice wine vinegar
1 T honey
1/2 t salt
1 T grated ginger
2 T soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
juice from 1/2 a lime
1/2 lb chicken tenderloins, cut into 1/4" thick slices
1 t avocado oil
 
Pickled vegetables:
1 C rice wine vinegar
2 T honey
1 t salt
1 English cucumber, cut in thin quarter-rounds
3 medium shallots (about 5 oz), sliced thin
 
Sriracha Cream Sauce:
3 t toasted sesame oil
3 large garlic cloves
3/4 C milk
1/2 C cream
salt to taste (I use 1/2 t)
1 1/2 T sriracha sauce
1/4 C spelt flour
 
Other Toppings:
7 oz buffalo mozzarella, sliced
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 jalapeno, cut in small matchsticks
1/2 C chopped cilantro
 
Directions:
1. Marinate the chicken by adding the first 7 chicken ingredients to a square 9 X 9 baking dish. Whisk to blend, and then add sliced chicken. Toss well to coat chicken evenly in marinade; then cover and place in the fridge to marinate while you are preparing the other ingredients.
2.  Make the pickled vegetables by mixing 1 C rice vinegar, 2 T honey, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Remove 1/3 of the mixture to a small mixing bowl. Add quarter-round cucumbers to the larger bowl, and sliced shallots to the smaller bowl. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Make the sriracha cream sauce by adding toasted sesame oil to a small pot and placing on burner on medium-high heat. Once the oil is warm, add garlic cloves and cook 2 min, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Turn the heat down to medium, add the remaining sauce ingredients except for the spelt flour, and whisk to blend. Continue cooking for 3-4 min, whisking frequently. Add the spelt flour, and whisk to blend well. Cook 1 more minute, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside.
5. Cook the chicken: Heat 1 tsp avocado oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken plus 3 T of the marinade to the pan. Cook, turning chicken 1/2 way through, until chicken is cooked through and internal temperature is 165 degrees (about 6-10 min).
6. Spread half of the sriracha cream sauce on one crust. Evenly space half of the mozzarella slices on the crust. Top with half of the chicken, half of the shallots (drain from juice), half of the carrots, and half of the jalapenos. Repeat the same steps with the second crust.
7. Place the pizzas in the preheated oven and bake 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove the pizzas from the oven and add cilantro and cucumbers (drain from liquid) to the top. Serve while the pizza is warm 

Notes:
*Check the ingredients on the sriracha sauce you buy. I purchase ones with only natural ingredients. Better for you and the flavor is better too! 

*You can substitute fresh mozzarella for buffalo if you can't find it. Buffalo mozzarella has a little more tang to it, but the pizza will still be delicious. When using buffalo mozzarella, my favorite brand is Buf.

*Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated.  I recommend removing the cucumbers & cilantro before reheating and then placing them back on top before serving.

* If you have any sauce leftover, it makes a great topping for tacos as well. Just add a little extra liquid back when reheating and drizzle over your tacos as a finishing touch.

* If you prefer a little less spice, cut the sriracha in the cream sauce in half and substitute the jalapeno for a mild pepper (banana, bell pepper, or poblano are some you could try.)

* If you are in a hurry, you can substitute homemade pizza dough with frozen dough or a pre-baked crust.

* Ribbon Vegetable Salad makes a quick, delicious, and healthy side to pair with this and the flavors in it go well with the pizza. (Click here for link- Ribbon Vegetable Salad)


The Inspiration for this Recipe: 
This pizza was developed from my chicken banh mi sandwiches- french bread piled with chicken and vegetables that are a perfect balance of spicy and sweet, hot and cold, tart and mellow. One night we were really craving those sandwiches but had absolutely no desire to get in the car and go to the grocery store after a long day of work and school. After scanning the kitchen cabinets and fridge, I realized we had all the ingredients on hand except for the French bread. In the freezer, I discovered a ball of homemade pizza dough just waiting to be used for something wonderful and delicious. A few tweaks to my original recipe, which included changing the sriracha mayo into a sauce that would hold up well to cooking at high temperatures, and we had a yummy new recipe!  This is a recipe development technique that I use often. I enjoy taking flavors from a dish we love and figuring out several different variations on the theme. For one, it's a great way to add new items to our menu with little effort or waste. It gives us variation in our menu which include flavor combinations that we already find pleasing. It's also helpful for encouraging my more skeptical eater to try new things. I can say, "Remember you really like that meal we had last week? I used the same ingredients and came up with something new." He's more likely to be excited about the meal knowing that he already likes most of the flavors in it. When you are feeling bored with your same menu roundup, try this technique out for yourself. If you don't know where to begin, remember almost anything it will turn out great as a pizza!