A while back, you might remember if you follow me (join in if you want; link-ups are to the right in the sidebar) ) I was all over these Grilled Blackened Cajun Chicken Breasts. I promised I’d give you a few more options on how to use that chicken; see I made a bunch and then spun off different meals, meal prep fashion. Today it hit me that before summer is over and our beautiful fall days turn into w-w-w-w winter…oh how I hate the thought of it….I’d better give you the final couple of recipes in the series. One of my absolute favorites of meals I made is this Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza.
Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza
I gotta say that to make these marvelous little flatbread pizzas, you don’t have to have a boatload of grilled cajun chicken to work with (but, hey, it doesn’t hurt – I loved having all that extra refashion into more fabulous meals) and you can make these with just about any chicken, cooked just for this, leftover, diced, shredded. It’s a very versatile little recipe.
About Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza:
I was late in coming to the party when it comes to flatbread pizza, which is just basically pizza made on pita or naan bread. I think I was convinced in my own mind it couldn’t be all that great (I mean c’mon, it’s not “real” pizza) and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Maybe a lot of you guys already make versions of flatbread pizza and are thinking “What an idiot!” You’re probably too nice to think that but I admit it’s kind of like someone just discovering the sky is blue.
Feel free to share your favorite combinations of flavors & versions, though, if that’s the case, because I think I want to make more of these! I kind of want them all the time, now. They’re so fast, so easy, the crust is crispy deliciousness and if you have picky eaters, you can easily tweak as you’re making them. They’re really kind of brilliant!
Just a little while back, I did make a Ricotta Mushroom Flatbread Pizza and that was amazeballs! This Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza has a different method. It’s layered with a Bechamel (See White Sauces & What to Do with Them) which gives it such a luscious base, then on goes the chicken and cheese. Of course, feel free to do what I did and up your game a little with some additional toppings. I used some torn up kale and thinly sliced onions. But really you can use anything your heart desires – within reason, lol! And if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to make the Bechamel, use ricotta like I did in Ricotta Mushroom Flatbread Pizzas! And here’s another blatant shout out, this time to my own Homemade Ricotta. It’s so easy and it’s to die for!
Grilled Blackened Cajun Chicken Breasts with Lemon Pepper Vegetable Sautes
Making Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza:
Once you have the Bechemel down for these pizzas, there’s nothing to making them. Best of all, this is really a tiny amount of Bechemal, so it goes really fast. My best advice, use a small deep, heavy pan and watch it carefully. You don’t want this sauce super thick, it should just coat the back of a spoon so that when a finger is run across, it doesn’t fill in. Think of a texture, when it’s hot kind of like ketchup. It should be a little runny but not crazy thin. It will thicken up a bit as it cools and you want to easily nudge it across the pizza – without it being too thin so it doesn’t run off the sides.
You can make another different, and just as good rendition of this recipe by spreading the pizza with Ricotta cheese rather than the Bechamel. It’s a little pricier but knocks a few minutes off the cooking time when you might be in a rush.
Use the recipe ingredients as a guideline and add as much or as little as you like, or go with your own toppings if that makes you happy. At the time I made these, I didn’t think of going with the classic New Orleans’ trinity as vegetables, but it would be so much fun to saute up a few onions, green peppers, and celery for these pizzas! Well, I might skip the celery…
Bake in a hot oven or grill. Watch the bottoms of the pizza as they near the end of the cooking time.
Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Saving Money on Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza:
I can never figure out why on earth flatbread is so darned expensive in my area! It’s a basic bread. If you have a Middle Eastern or Indian restaurant nearby, call them up and see if they’ll sell you some at a decent price. They were $4.99 for six at my store. Aldi has flatbread, but it’s very sturdy and really not quite as nice as I’d like but it did work ok for this. If memory serves, it was six for about $2.49. If you love making bread, it’s a pittance to make your own.
And of course, if you have a great price for your chicken that helps a bit, but really, there’s so little of the actual toppings & ingredients and the Bechemal is so cheap to make, that’s not so much of a consideration, and you can make this with leftover chicken or leftover turkey, too. (For more recipes using leftover poultry, see my post 12 Days of Turkey. Just sprinkle it with a little Cajun spice before it goes on the pizza. It’s the flatbread and the cheese. Watch for cheese on sale; it drops down to about $1.99 for 8 ounces (that’s two cups shredded and you’ll need 1 1/2 cups for this recipe) at our store and is usually about the same at Aldi every day.
The best thing about these pizzas, other than they’re absolutely divine, is that they are a great way to get a fun dinner on the table using that Blackened Grilled Cajun Chicken. Having that at the ready gives you such a leg up on this recipe and the others listed on that post for the chicken. That might keep you at home next time you’re short on time, don’t feel like cooking, or just want to have something fun for dinner and get out of the same ol’ same ol’ rut! And as I mentioned, of course, pizzas like this can be a great save for all kinds of leftovers. You never what divine combinations of toppings you might come up with as you rummage through the fridge.
Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza
These fun “personal” pizzas taste like they came from a restaurant! No one will guess they’re repurposed from Grilled Blackened Cajun Chicken!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Bake or Grill
- Cuisine: American Cajun
Ingredients
Bechamel Sauce:
-
2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
-
2 tablespoons flour
-
1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 cup whole milk
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pizza:
- Cooking Spray or olive oil
- 4 flatbreads, pitas or naan
- the Bechamel Sauce
- 1 cup (or a little more) diced Cajun chicken
- 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup kale, torn in bite-sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheese, your choice mozzarella, pepperjack, cheddar or another good melting cheese (or a combination)
Note: pizza ingredients are a guideline; use more or less of any ingredients and substitute at will
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk in flour and cook for a minute or two longer until the roux starts to look a little dry and the mixture has lost its floury taste. Immediately whisk in the milk and bring to a good simmer. Cook for a few minutes, stirring almost constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and a finger run across it leaves a distinct line. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
Spray the bottom of each flatbread with cooking spray or very lightly brush with olive oil. Place on one large or two medium-sized sheet pans. Spread each flatbread with a quarter of the bechamel, arrange 1/4 of the toppings, the chicken, kale an onions on top. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is melted and the bottom is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Note: May be grilled over medium-low heat; melts best if lid is shut. Will only take a few minutes, check it often. After the first time, you’ll get a feel for how it works on your particular grill.
Keywords: Pizza, Flatbread, Leftovers, Grilled, Cheese, Chicken
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I’ll be sharing Cajun Chicken Flatbread Pizza at Fiesta Friday #291hosted this week by Diann @ Of Goats and Greens and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.
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