The Lion, the Witch, and the Strawberry Pizza

Last week when I asked my daughter what we should have on our pizzas she matter of factually said Strawberries. I smiled and nodded at the childish request. I wasn't about to make a strawberry pie, but thought maybe a dessert pizza, you know, the sugar cookie with cream cheese and fruit. Either way it wasn't going to happen that week. But I've been thinking about it all week and began to wonder; my favorite salad is spinach, strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. What if I put that on a pizza? Maybe someone already did? Sure enough on pinterest.com I did find a strawberry pizza that looked spectacular! So here it is, borrowed from The Cafe Surcre Farine - I made only a couple adjustments:

Chicken Strawberry Pizza

1/4 cup strawberry jam or preserves

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 ball pizza dough
1 cup diced or shredded chicken breast, from rotisserie chicken or left over chicken of any kind
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup thin sliced sweet onion (I sautéed the onion in a little bit of the bacon grease)
12 ounces shredded Italian blend cheese (I just used mozzarella and I used far less)

1 cup spinach, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced small

1. Place balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 4-5 minutes or until reduced to half of original volume and mixture is thick and syrupy. Add strawberry preserves and mix well. Set aside to cool.

2. Pat or roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured pizza round. Bake at 425 for 3-5 minutes.

3. Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons of the balsamic-strawberry mixture and mix to coat all chicken with sauce (I forgot this step).  Pour rest of sauce onto pizza dough and spread to cover.

4. Scatter chicken, bacon, onion, and cheese on pizza, distributing evenly.

5. Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Watch carefully, at this temperature it is easy to burn the pizza!

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped spinach and fresh diced strawberries. Serve and enjoy!

And to end with a thought from The Lion, the Witch, and theWardrobe, "You will [feel nervous], dearie, and no mistake, if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.'"