I absolutely love wood-fired pizza. It’s got great texture and char – crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and with a great smoky flavor. Unfortunately, mastering the same flavor profile and texture is quite hard to achieve with a standard home oven. But, if you’ve got a grill, you’re in business. That’s right. A great pizza is totally possible on a gas or charcoal grill and I’m here to show you how to do it.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!My Grilled Pizza with Pesto Chicken and Ricotta is far from traditional, but it’s an absolutely fantastic pizza. Tender rounds of pizza dough are brushed with olive oil and salt and grilled at a high heat until perfectly charred. The pizzas are then topped with pesto-marinated chicken and dollops of creamy ricotta cheese. Then they are finished with peppery arugula and chards of salty aged cheddar or parmesan cheese for a bright, fresh and totally satisfying bite. These pizzas are perfect on any hot summer night, especially when paired with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc of Gruner Veltliner. Delicious!
To make this pizza start with the dough. In a standing mixer or large bowl, whisk together 3 cups of all-purpose flour with 1¼ teaspoons of salt. In a small, separate bowl, mix together 1½ teaspoons of dry-active yeast, one cup of warm water and one tablespoon of honey. Let the yeast mixture sit on the counter for 5 minutes or until foamy. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is elastic and very smooth.
Place the dough ball into a large clean bowl that has been coated in olive oil. Roll the dough around to coat it in the oil as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel and set the bowl in a warm, dry location to allow the dough to rise and double in size, about 1½ hours. If your house is cold, place the bowl in the oven with the oven light on. The oven light will produce enough heat to encourage your dough to rise.
While the dough is rising, cube one pound of chicken breast and add it to a medium-sized bowl along with ½ cup of pesto. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Note: If you aren’t in the mood to make your own pesto, I recommend a jar of Kirkland brand pesto from Costco, it’s great!
When the dough has proofed, punch it down and divide it into two equal sized balls. Place back in the bowl and cover. Set aside while you prep the rest of your ingredients and start the grill. Sauté the chicken in a large frying pan. When cooked through, spoon onto a plate and set aside. Next, heat the grill to a very hot temperature of around 500 deg F. Place a pizza stone or pizza steel on top of the grill grates and let it heat up along with the grill.
Back inside, wash 3 cups of arugula and place in a bowl along with one tablespoon of olive oil, the juice from half a lemon and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt. Toss to combine. Set aside. Roll out one ball of dough onto a wooden peel that has been coated in a small amount of semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the peel. Brush olive oil onto the pizza round and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Gather your ingredients and bring both the dough, cooked chicken, and ricotta out to the grill.
Slide the plain dough round onto the grill and bake for about two minutes on the first side or until golden brown. Flip the dough using tongs and/or a spatula to cook the dough on the other side. As soon as you flip the dough, top the cooked side evenly with half the chicken and dollops of half the ricotta. Close the lid on the grill and cook for two minutes. Keep an eye on the underside of the dough to ensure that it does not burn. The pizza will cook fast.
When the underneath side of the dough is golden brown, pull the pizza off the grill and onto a cutting board. Top the cooked pizza with half the fresh arugula and shaved aged cheddar or parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the pizza with a bit more salt. Slice and enjoy! Repeat with the remaining dough ball and remaining ingredients for the second pizza.
Grilled Pizza with Pesto Chicken and Ricotta
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt, plus ½ teaspoon, divided
- 1½ tsp dry-active yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
- 1 lb chicken breast
- ½ cup pesto
- 1½ cups ricotta cheese
- 3 cups arugula
- shaved aged cheddar or parmesan cheese (for top of pizza)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or standing mixer, whisk together flour and 1¼ kosher salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the yeast with one cup of warm water and one tablespoon of honey. Let set for 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, plus three tablespoons of olive oil. Knead the dough until very smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a large, clean bowl that has been coated in olive oil. Roll the dough around in the bowl so that it becomes coated in oil too. Cover the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and then a towel and set in a warm, dry place to double in size, about 1½ hours.
- While the dough rises, cube the chicken and add it to a bowl along with the pesto. Set the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for at least one hour.
- When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, divide it into two equal balls, place back in the bowl and cover until ready to use.
- Next, sauté the chicken in a large skillet until cooked through. Spoon the chicken onto a plate and set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the grill to a very hot temperature of 500°F. Place a pizza stone or pizza steel on the grill to heat up along with the grill.
- Back inside, wash arugula and place in a bowl. Toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Roll out one round of dough onto a pizza peel or cutting board that has been coated in semolina flour to prevent it from sticking. Brush the top of the pizza dough with olive oil and sprinkle with a dash of salt.
- Take the dough round, cooked chicken and ricotta out to the grill. You will assemble the pizza outside.
- Place the plain (un-topped) dough round onto the grill and bake for two minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip the pizza with tongs and or a spatula and bake the other side. As soon as the pizza is flipped, top the pizza. Sprinkle half the chicken and dollop half the ricotta onto the pizza. Cover the grill and bake for two minutes. Keep an eye on the bottom of the pizza to ensure that it doesn't burn. It will cook fast.
- When golden brown on bottom, remove the pizza from the grill. Top it with half of the arugula, shaved aged cheddar or parmesan cheese and another sprinkle of salt. Slice and enjoy. Repeat above few steps to make the second pizza.
