Fridge & Pantry Garlic Chicken Flatbread Pizza

As you all know, I’m a bit of a pizza lover.  And I love white pizzas the best.  But sometimes, I’m in too big of a hurry or am feeling way too lazy to make a whole pizza from scratch.  Especially when Steve is on the road and I am the only one home to eat it.  I really don’t need all those carbs.  But if the craving takes hold, it’s hard to shake.  That’s where this fridge and pantry flatbread pizza comes in.

A fridge and pantry flatbread pizza is perfect for the following occasions:

1. need a quick and easy meal for one
2. need a quick and easy meal for more than one (just increase the ingredients as needed)
3. have a pizza craving but don’t have the time or the energy to prepare a regular pizza
4. the fridge has some leftover protein you need to use before it spoils
5. a last-minute snack for unexpected guests
6. quick and easy party food

…I could go on, but you get the point.  A fridge and pantry flatbread pizza is good for just about any occasion.

Today’s flatbread pizza concept originated with some leftover cooked chicken from my green chili chicken enchilada post.  A couple of days after that post, Steve and I decided that we could eat, but we weren’t that hungry for the evening meal.  We also knew that if we didn’t eat, later that night we would be scrounging for something, and then end up making bad choices.  Plus, neither Steve nor I like to eat after 7 PM.  So, sometimes, when we feel we could eat but not too much, I try to whip up something light but full of flavor.

Knowing I had the extra shredded chicken, I looked in the pantry and the fridge for what I could make with it.  I always keep raw flour tortillas, briny olives, fresh parsley, and parmegiano reggiano in the fridge. I always have onion, garlic, and olive oil in the pantry.  And a pizza lover always has mozzarella on hand.  So, I assembled one of these flatbread pizzas for each of us.

Steve LOVED it.  This flatbread pizza is crispy and flaky, super savory and cheesy.  We’re talking about simple ingredients and minimal effort that create a finished product that is much larger than the sum of its parts.  It’s a keeper recipe that expands the mind to endless variations.  So, of course, I had to share it with you.

If you decide you want to try this recipe but you don’t have some shredded chicken lying around, you could always get some at the store.  More and more I find cooked chicken breast chunks at the grocery store.  Either offered as part of a salad bar or in little prepackaged containers near the deli section.  That’s where I got the chicken for today’s recipe; from a prepackaged container near the deli section at the North Dillons here in Newton.

Making a fridge & pantry garlic chicken flatbread pizza

I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I learned to keep raw tortillas on hand so that my boys could make quick quesadillas as a snack.  Growing up, those boys were always hungry, but neither really wanted to cook anything for themselves.  Since I don’t keep processed food in the house, keeping raw tortillas and shredded cheese on hand meant they could assemble a quick snack that required no more skill than turning on the burner on the stove.

Once I got used to having raw tortillas around, I decided to keep them on hand, even though the boys no longer live at home.

I like to get my raw tortillas at Costco and then I freeze them.  The package I buy is organic and has two individually sealed bags inside, so I can defrost one bag at a time as needed.  But you can find raw flour tortillas in most grocery stores as well.

Now, let’s get to the complicated part…

So easy, no instructions needed!

Slide the parchment paper with the flatbread pizza onto a preheated stone in the oven.  It literally cooks in in less than 10 minutes.  I’m talking quick and easy, folks!  But with no shortage of flavor.

Cut that baby into four wedges, sprinkle with a little more parsley, if you want, and go to town!

I sure did!

And just like the other night, it was AMAZING!  Look at the flaky blisters in the tortillas.  It’s a thing of beauty.

Five minutes of prep and less than ten minutes to bake, for a pizzeria-quality meal you will want to make again and again.  How can anyone resist this flatbread pizza?  Give it a try, it’s 15 minutes I guarantee you will decide is well worth spending!

Fridge & Pantry Garlic Chicken Flatbread Pizza

Lori

This is a recipe for one. It can easily be expanded for many more servings.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 6 mins

Total Time 11 mins

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

• 1 raw flour tortilla
• 3/4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon thinly-sliced sweet onion
• 1/4 cup shredded or chunk cooked chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
• 1 teaspoon grated parmesan
• 2 pinches chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

 

• Preheat a pizza stone in a 500° F oven.
• Assemble the flatbread pizza by placing the raw tortilla over a sheet of parchment paper, sitting on top of a pizza peel or an upside down large baking sheet.
• Spread the olive oil over the top of the tortilla, spread the garlic evenly over the oiled surface. Then top with the onion, chicken, olives, parsley, parmesan, and mozzarella.
• Slide the parchment paper with the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and both it and the tortilla are starting to caramelize, being careful not over-cook the edges of the tortilla.

Notes

Because oven temperatures may vary, watch while baking to ensure the tortillas do not burn.