Chicken Spaghetti Pizza

Shredded, cooked chicken and chunky spaghetti sauce topped with fresh mozzarella

I've been reading about comfort foods recently.   Jen's round up at Savory Simple  and Julie's round up at Texan New Yorker have me drooling and plotting what to make with and without my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve.  The weather is cold, it's icy out (the wiener dogs are ALL BUSINESS on walks, whereas Simon the Lab mix is prone to frolicking) and it just feels good to cocoon at home.  Who am I kidding?  I always like to cocoon at home!

It's funny, when I reflect back on the foods I liked growing up, how many of what were 'frugal' meals (we called them 'cheap night' dinners), are the ones I remember fondly.  In fact, a dish of sautéed beet greens is my version of mom's Swiss chard side dish.  We probably ate it because we grew Swiss chard in the garden and therefore it was less expensive (and more delicious, and nutritious) than buying vegetables in the store--but to me it's pure comfort food.

One of those memorable meals is Chicken Spaghetti.  I haven't made it in years--but Mom emailed me the recipe . . . um, twice (I'm a bit distracted) . . . and I will.  Before I do, though, I can share this pizza.  I was looking through the fridge for something to top our Friday Night Pizza Night when I realized we had both leftover chicken and leftover spaghetti sauce.

My friend Miho once said I had a fridge like Aunt Dorothy--you could find such a variety of leftovers.  Although I'd never met Aunt Dorothy, I do have an astonishing variety of leftovers almost all the time.  I even sent a full--leftover--Thanksgiving meal to folks who unexpectedly ended up in the hospital during a vacation in our city.  In April.  No, the leftovers were not 6 months old, nor was I blogging and shooting photos ahead of time.  I'd fixed a Thanksgiving meal for the spouse after a deployment.

Back to pizza.  Why not a Chicken Spaghetti Pizza?  It's a comfort food that tastes wonderful and uses up leftovers as well.

There's a stray noodle in the leftover sauce . . .

Chicken Spaghetti Pizza

1 ½ cups spaghetti sauce

1 pound pizza dough (here's how I make one of mine)

1 to 1 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken

½ pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

For general pizza making at home instructions, please refer to my Pizza Primer post.

Preheat oven, and a pizza stone if you've got one, to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  If your pizza sauce is a bit runny (mine usually is) put it in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it evaporate and thicken for 10 minutes or so.  Set aside. 

On an oiled piece of parchment paper stretch dough into a rough circle or square.  Or a rhombus.  Just seeing if you're paying attention.  Shown is a sourdough pizza dough but any kind works here, please see my Visual Pizza Recipe Index for ideas.

Spread sauce across the dough, and top with shredded chicken and sliced cheese.  That's it!  Plain, simple, comfort food.  If you want to spice yours up, go ahead with crushed red pepper or hot sauce.

Bake on a stone if you can, otherwise on a cookie sheet, for 5-8 minutes and then shimmy the parchment out from under the pizza and bake another 3 to 5 minutes until the mozzarella is browning and bubbly.  Cool on a rack for a few minutes, then slice (Amazon link to my favorite slicer) and serve.
This pizza is shared with the From The Farm Blog Hop, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cookin' Wednesday