White Pizza with Balsamic Glaze

This pizza is my signature pizza. While my husband's signature topping combo is pepperoni, pineapple, and banana peppers (which is phenomenal, by the way), my go-to is caramelized onions, goat cheese, chicken, red pepper flakes, and balsamic glaze. All of the flavors are pretty strong, but somehow they still complement each other in the best way.

The caramelized onions are the perfect embodiment of sweet-meets-savory. Throw in a little tangy creaminess from the goat cheese (not to mention mozzarella and salty Parmesan), a touch of heat from the red pepper flakes, and top it all off with a drizzle of tart and sweet balsamic glaze (reduction), and you've covered all your bases! I usually add shredded chicken too (a great way to use up a rotisserie chicken!) but I've also skipped it when vegetarian friends are around and the pizza is just as delicious.

This recipe is also VERY easy and weeknight appropriate if you use leftover or rotisserie chicken and store-bought pizza dough (which I did here)! The caramelized onions take about 30 minutes, but it's really just occasional stirring, ain't nothin' too bad. And the balsamic glaze is basically just whisking and you've got yourself a decadent syrup (OMG PUT IT OVER BRUSSELS SPROUTS TOO).

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White Pizza with Balsamic Glaze

by Saucy Jocey's Kitchen August-3-2016

Balsamic glaze, three cheeses, caramelized onions, and shredded chicken come together in a decadent take on white pizza.

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow, sweet, or Vidalia onion
• 1 chicken breast, cooked
• 12 - 14 inch pizza crust
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 oz shredded mozzarella
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large pan over medium low heat.2. Slice the onion and shred the chicken breast. There should be about 2 cups of sliced onion.3. Add sliced onions, butter, and 1Tbsp olive oil to the pan and stir every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. 4. Turn the heat in the pan up to medium. Stir onions every 2 minutes for another 20 minutes. If the onions start to char, turn the heat back down to medium low and continue.5. Grease the pizza pan with a little olive oil and add rolled out pizza dough to the pizza pan. Swirl 1 Tbsp. olive oil over pizza dough. Add all ingredients (except balsamic vinegar and sugar) to the dough.6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 – 18 minutes.7. While the pizza is baking, whisk balsamic vinegar and white sugar in a small pan over medium heat. Whisk the bubbling glaze every minute or two until it thickens and has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low and whisk occasionally until the pizza is done. If the glaze tightens to the point where it’s no longer pourable, whisk in a tsp of balsamic vinegar at a time until it loosens a little.8. When the pizza is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes. Pour balsamic glaze over the top, slice, and enjoy!

Details

Prep time: Cook time: Total time: 1 hour Yield: 3 - 4 servings

Steps 1 - 2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large pan over medium low heat. Slice the onion and shred the chicken breast. There should be about 2 cups of sliced onion.

Step 3. Add sliced onions, butter, and 1Tbsp olive oil to the pan and stir every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. Butter for the flavor, olive oil for the higher smoke point. *thumbs*up*

Step 4. Turn the heat in the pan up to medium. Stir onions every 2 minutes for another 20 minutes. If the onions start to char, turn the heat back down to medium low and continue. 

Step 4. continued: After 30 minutes you'll have beautifully soft, caramel colored (and flavored!) onions, all brought out by their natural sweetness!

Step 5. Grease the pizza pan with a little olive oil and add rolled out pizza dough to the pizza pan. Swirl 1 Tbsp. olive oil over pizza dough. 

Step 5. continued and step 6: Add all ingredients (except balsamic vinegar and sugar) to the dough. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 – 18 minutes.

Step 7: While the pizza is baking, whisk balsamic vinegar and white sugar in a small pan over medium heat.

Step 7. continued: Whisk the bubbling glaze every minute or two until it thickens and has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Step 7. continued: You can tell it's thickened enough when it doesn't fall back into itself right away as you're whisking, as seen by the streak in the pan here. When there's about half as much liquid as when you started, you're done! Turn the heat to low and whisk occasionally until the pizza is done. If the glaze tightens to the point where it’s no longer pourable, whisk in a tsp of balsamic vinegar at a time until it loosens a little.

Step 8: When the pizza is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes. Pour balsamic glaze over the top.

Then just slice and enjoy! This pizza is definitely decadent, but there's a balance to it. No ingredient overwhelms the next, you just get a little bit of everything. Sweet, salty, cheesy, tangy, tart, and spicy. All together in perfect harmony!