When the holidays roll around, when there's a party requiring an appetizer dish to pass, my go to option is cheesy spinach-artichoke dip with a baguette or two sliced for dipping. When summer rolls around, I take that holiday favorite and make it the base of my favorite grilled pizza. And before you ask, yes - you can bake this cast iron deep dish pizza, but when the weather's hot, I prefer to make it outside on the grill since a cast iron skillet is the perfect way to grill pizza!
If you don't have greek yogurt on hand, you can use mayo instead. I like the extra tanginess that yogurt adds to the base sauce. If you want to skip the parmesan on the crust, you can … but this is hardly a light pizza and I say go for it! Don't skip the garlic … it adds depth and a little bite to the pizza and even a little chili flake is better than none at all.
I like to make a big 'ol fresh green or chopped salad to go with this heavy pizza. If we're eating outside, I have been known to make the salad while the pizza cooks on the grill by wandering around the yard gathering ingredients! And some big slices of chilled watermelon are quite appreciated to help wash it all down. Enjoy!
Cheesy Chicken Spinach Artichoke Pizza
- ½ pound pizza dough, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- 4 ounces marinated artichokes, drained + chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Chili flakes, to taste
- 1 ½ cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken - great use for rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- ½ cup grated asiago cheese
Place the pizza dough on a lightly oiled 10-12 inch cast iron skillet. Gently press the dough until it covers the bottom and most of the sides of the skillet. Cover and let sit while you prep the pizza toppings.
In a food processor, mix the cream cheese, yogurt, spinach, artichokes, oregano, and pepper.
Sprinkle the rested pizza dough with the parmesan, garlic, and chili flakes. Spoon the spinach artichoke dip over the top of that. Add the chicken evenly over the dip layer and top with the mozzarella and asiago cheeses.
Preheat your grill to 450°F or high heat. Grill the pizza, covered, on the preheated grill for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the cheese is perfectly melted. Allow the pizza to cool another 10-15 minutes before slicing it into 8 slices.
- Yields: 4-5 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes