PARTNER POST — Grilling season is here and it is time to explore Italian grilling with authentic ingredients from Colavita.
Grilled pesto chicken is the perfect topping to pizza dough also cooked on the grilled with fontina cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. A gourmet masterpiece.
By Winnie Abramson
Have you ever cooked pizza on the grill? It’s so quick, easy, and delicious, and makes a perfect summer meal. I’ve had a pizza stone for a long time and I use it both in the oven and on the grill. This pizza was finished on the grill itself after cooking on the pizza stone.
For the chicken: I first marinated it, then cooked it on the grill before using it as one of the pizza toppings. Feel free to play around with the cheese in this recipe: I think a smoked mozzarella would be great. You can use be creative with vegetables, as well: adding some sliced cooked artichoke hearts or grilled eggplant would be perfect, I think.
You may use store-bought pizza dough or you can make one of Colavita’s pizza dough recipes: try the classic Fresh Pizza Dough or go for something more unique (and gluten free) with the Polenta Pizza Crust or the Cauliflower Pizza Crust.
Grill Like an Italian with Colavita: Grilled Chicken and Pesto Pizza with Fontina
- Yield: 2, 10-inch pizzas 1x
Description
Grilled pesto chicken is the perfect topping to pizza dough also cooked on the grilled with fontina cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. A gourmet masterpiece.
Ingredients
For the grilled chicken:
- 1 tablespoon pesto, store-bought or homemade (I used Colavita pesto)
- 1 tablespoon Colavita white truffle balsamic glace (or 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (I used Colavita organic olive oil)
- 2 chicken breasts
For the grilled pizzas:
- 1 recipe/1 pound pizza dough, homemade or store bought (I made homemade dough with Colavita’s Fine Italian flour; all-purpose or bread flour may be used instead)
- 3/4–1 cup pesto, homemade or store bought (I used Colavita pesto)
- approximately 2 cups (or more to taste) thinly sliced or shredded Italian Fontina cheese, preferably raw milk Fontina Val d’Aosta
- 2 grilled chicken breasts (see above), chopped into bite-size pieces
- approximately 12 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced in half if desired (I used Colavita sun-dried tomatoes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the grilled chicken:
- Mix the pesto, white truffle balsamic glace, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a glass bowl or other glass container and pour the marinade on top. Make sure the entire surface of the chicken breasts is covered with the marinade, and then refrigerate the chicken for a few hours or overnight.
- When you are ready to make the pizzas, fire up your grill. When it is very hot, grill the chicken breasts for approximately 5 minutes per side, until cooked through (grilled time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts; thinly sliced breasts will take less time and thicker ones will take more time).
- Set aside the chicken breasts until you’re ready to top the pizzas. Place the pizza stone on the grill to preheat.
For the grilled pizzas:
- Divide pizza dough into 2 equal portions and on a generously floured counter, roll each one into a round about 10 inches in diameter.
- Using a spoon, add dollops of the pesto to the top of the dough. Add the cheese and then the pieces of the chicken and the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Sprinkle preheated pizza stone with cornmeal, then using a pizza peel or the back of sheetpan, transfer one of the topped pizzas to the pizza stone. Grill each pizza for 7-10 minutes or until your cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden. Finish the pizzas directly on the grill for a minute or two before topping with freshly ground pepper.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
