Chicken Spinach Pizza
This is the best pizza we have made in quite a long time. This Chicken Spinach Pizza is easy and incredibly delicious.
Many beloved pizzas from Italy have a lot of garlic. This is a nod to those delicious, garlicky pizzas. We use pesto made for garlic scapes, so it isn’t a bitter garlic flavor. In fact, it is quite mild and mellow.
Years ago, our favorite pizza from a local pizzeria was chicken florentine. So, we made this chicken pizza in that tradition. The chicken is so tender, and the spinach makes it feel like health food, lol.
We grilled this pizza for a change of pace (and so we didn’t have to turn the oven on because it was hot!) 🙂
What you need
- Pizza Dough: Use store-bought or homemade pizza dough.
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Pesto: Use garlic scape pesto if you can get hold of some scapes. It lasts for months in the fridge and freezes beautifully. You can substitute any other pesto you can find, just add some minced or roasted garlic to the top of the pizza.
- Fresh Spinach: If you have baby spinach from your garden, even better.
- Oil: A good quality olive oil makes all the difference in the world.
- Cheese: Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Use fresh parmesan for the best flavor.
What are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the stem and flower buds of hardneck-type garlic. They are curly, weird-looking green stems. If you grow garlic, you know you have to cut them off just after they appear, so the bulb will be bigger when you harvest it.
They are becoming more readily available at farm stands and farmer’s markets, so you should be able to find some late in the spring or early summer, depending on where you live.
Garlic is an easy plant to grow, so if you have a little room in the garden, plant some this fall.
How to Make Chicken Florentine Pizza
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes.
- Add olive oil to a skillet and heat. Brown the chicken on medium-high heat until lightly browned.
- Set aside. Turn the heat down under the skillet. Add a splash more of olive oil, if necessary. Sauté the spinach just until wilted.
- Roll out the pizza dough into shape with a rolling pin and stretch it into a circle.
- If you are grilling the pizza, get the grill very hot, 500°F. While that is heating, bring all of the ingredients out to the grill. You will build the pizza on the hot grill.
- Place dough on a rack, pizza stone, or grilling pad. Close lid and cook for 3-4 minutes until firm and browned, but not burned. Be careful and check often because it will burn easily.
- Carefully flip the dough. Quickly top the pizza with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pesto. Then add chicken, spinach, and finally the cheeses.
- Close the lid and grill for another 3 or 4 minutes until the bottom of the crust is lightly browned.
- Remove the pizza from the grill and let it rest for five minutes before slicing.
If you are cooking it in the oven, heat it to the highest setting it will go, 450° or 500°F. Place the constructed pizza on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
Grilling pizza involves grilling one side for 3 minutes or so and then flipping the crust over. Then, you can add your toppings. It’s well worth learning the technique because the pizza has a nice smoky flavor from the grill.
This pizza is soooo good! I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe for Chicken Florentine Pizza. Let us know what your favorite pizza is.
Store leftovers wrapped in aluminum foil, after cooling to room temperature, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More Delicious Pizzas
- Chicken Florentine Pizza
- Lobster Pizza
- Thin Crust Grilled Chicken Pizza
- Tuna Pizza
- Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza
Helpful Tools
Chicken Florentine Pizza
Ingredients
For Garlic Scape Pesto
- 2 cups garlic scapes, sliced
- 1/2 Cup blanched, slivered almonds
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Tablespoon fresh basil
- 3 Tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
For Pizza
- 1 prepared pizza dough. Homemade or store bought Recipe link below
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 ounce package baby spinach
- 1-2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Cup mozzarella cheese
- ¼ Cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
For Pesto
- Place all ingredients in food processor bowl, except the olive oil. Process until very fine. Drizzle in olive oil, with blade moving, until a smooth paste forms. You can add more oil, if you would like the pesto thinner.2 cups garlic scapes, sliced, 1/2 Cup blanched, slivered almonds, 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, 2 Tablespoon fresh basil, 3 Tablespoon fresh parsley, 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
For Pizza
- Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized cubes. Brown them in olive oil over medium-high heat on all sides until lightly browned.2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1-2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Remove the chicken to a plate. Set aside. Sauté the spinach in the same pan just until wilted.12 ounce package baby spinach
- Roll out the pizza dough to desired thickness.1 prepared pizza dough. Homemade or store bought
- If grilling, heat the grill to very hot. 500°F. Place the rolled-out dough on a rack, pizza stone, or grilling pad. Close the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes until firm and browned but not burned. Be careful and check often because it will burn easily.
- Carefully flip the dough. Quickly top the pizza with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pesto. Then add chicken, spinach, and finally the cheeses.1 Cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ Cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Close the lid and grill for another 3 or 4 minutes until the bottom of the crust is lightly browned.
- Remove the pizza from the grill and let it rest for five minutes before slicing.
- If cooking in oven, heat the oven to the highest setting it will go, 450³ or 500°F. Place constructed Pizza on pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
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Nutrition
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Yum! I love white pizzas. I think the addition of chicken and the delicious garlic scapes would be fantastic. Great idea!
Thank you so much, Michelle! It really was a great combination!
Oh, sorry, I should link to my post explaining garlic scapes. Garlic scapes are the flower stalk and the bud of the garlic plant. If you don’t remove them before they bloom, they remove nutrients from the bulb. You will get a very small bulb when you harvest!
Homemade pizza is the best! Love that nice layer of basil!
It’s actually garlic scape pesto! Even better than basil! Thanks, Ginny!
Oh my, I just got instant cravings for this pizza! Also, I love that you grilled this!
Thank you Lindsey! It really was beautiful grilled! Nice, crispy crust!
OH! I am needing this pizza right now! How delicious!
Thanks, Geoffrey! Looking at it makes me want it again! 🙂
My kids and husband love pizza! The garlic flavor sounds delicious!
The garlic really ramps up the flavor!! It really is a beautiful thing!
well I had to take a second glance when I saw garlic scape in the title… that pesto sounds wonderful and what a great combo with the pizza
I have a new love for garlic scapes! They are my new favorite food. This was the first year I’ve tried them! Thanks, Dahn!