Homemade Chicken Florentine Pizza

While it’s easy to order a delicious pizza delivered right to your door when you’re in the mood for some cheesy carby goodness, there’s something really special about taking the time to make your own from scratch.

My dad and husband absolutely love chicken Florentine pizzas and if it’s on the menu at a restaurant, chances are good that that is what they are going to order. So, it was well past time for me to try and make my own version right at home!

I borrowed ideas from the many different restaurant versions of this pizza that we’ve tried and I piled the toppings on my favorite homemade pizza crust.

So if you’ve ever wondered how to make chicken Florentine pizza right at home, give this recipe a try. And definitely keep the crust recipe around for ANY type of pizza, because it really is something special!

Homemade Chicken Florentine Pizza

Author: Erin Browne

Serves: 1 large pizza

Ingredients

Crust:
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1.5 cups warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
Sauce & Toppings:
1 lb boneless chicken tenderloins
2 tsp olive oil
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced (or more to taste)
1-2 tablespoons pickled sliced jalapenos, chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
1½ cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 TBS melted butter
Garlic powder, black pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

Crust:
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture and let stand 10 min. or until foaming.
Stir in olive oil and salt, and then mix in whole wheat and all-purpose flours until combined.
Place dough onto floured surface and, using well-floured hands, knead for 10 min.
Place dough into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray, turning to coat, and cover with a damp towel. Place bowl in a warm area for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a second time, return to bowl, and let rise a final 45 min.
Spray a large pizza pan with cooking spray or rub with oil. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a circle large enough to fit the pan. Transfer dough to the pan and press the edges out past the pan, and then roll the edges to form a thicker edge around the outside of the pizza.
Sauce & Toppings:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a wide non-stick skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of tenderloins with Italian seasoning and cook on both sides until done. Remove from heat, chop into pieces, and set aside.
Using the same skillet, add the other tsp of olive oil to deglaze the pan and then add the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, and then add fresh spinach and cook while tossing until beginning to wilt. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine ricotta and ½ cup of mozzarella. Spread onto pizza dough. Add spinach, cooked chicken pieces, chopped tomatoes, and jalapeno.
Brush melted butter along outer edge of crust and sprinkle with garlic powder, Parmesan, and pepper.
Top pizza with additional mozzarella cheese.
Bake in pre-heated oven 15-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.