Today I wouldn't seek out CPK. There are far too many delicious gourmet pizza options in the DC area, including 2 Amys, Liberty Tavern, and Coppi's. Not to mention my very own pizza creations with local ingredients (shameless plug here, here, and here). Occasionally, though, I food dream about my favorite pizza from the CPK menu: the roasted garlic chicken pizza.
Here's my try at recreating a childhood favorite. And since the CPK on Connecticut Ave recently closed, this is my tribute to the restaurant for getting me to eat something beyond pepperoni pizza (not that I don't love you pepperoni, because I do).
Ingredients
pizza dough (I use Trader Joe's because I'm lazy)
2 chicken breasts
1 white onion, sliced in thin strips (shallots are a good substitute and are part of the original CPK recipe, I think)
1 garlic bulb, roasted
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
handful chopped parsley
thyme from a few sprigs
juice of one lemon
olive oil
kosher salt
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. To roast the garlic, cut top off garlic bulb (about 1/4 of an inch, so the cloves are exposed), drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in tin foil. Place in oven for 40 to 50 minutes. The cloves should be soft and brown. Sometimes I roast garlic on Sunday nights, place it in the fridge for a few days, and then, presto, use it on a week night.
2. After garlic is done, place chicken breasts in an oven-safe casserole dish, sprinkle with kosher salt, the juice of one lemon, and cook in the oven at 350 degrees (about 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through). When done, use two forks to separate the chicken into bite size chunks. You could probably cook the chicken at the same time as the garlic, but be careful: it's just a matter of watching the temp, since, I think, 425 is a little high for baking chicken.
3. When garlic and chicken are done. Roll out dough, generously brush dough with olive oil, cover pizza dough with thyme, onions, and chicken. Squeeze roasted cloves onto pizza (some will keep their shape, some won't; don't worry, they all taste the same). Sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Place pizza in oven at 450 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. I usually take the pizza out around 8 minutes, check on it, brush the crust with olive oil, and then crank up the heat to 450 so that the crust becomes crispy. A pizza stone makes a big difference if you like a crispy crust, which I do. When golden brown, remove pizza from oven and sprinkle fresh parsley on top.
