Thai at your Pad

If you know me at all, you have to know that pizza is my absolute, hands-down favorite food.  Ask me where I want to go for dinner and I will almost always say a pizza place.  I could eat pizza everyday, for every meal, and be perfectly happy.  In fact, I pretty much did that back in 2001 when I had a tough new job, no family to feed, and plenty of money for delivery. Allen's wedding vows even included a promise to forfeit all pizza leftovers to me till death do us part (okay, I might have made that up, but I do eat ALL the pizza leftovers!)  There's just something about the combination of tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni or sausage, all on a edible platter of chewy bread that satisfies me like no other food.

Because I love pizza so much, I have tried many times to make homemade pizza that tastes as good as my favorite pizzeria - to no avail.  I just can't duplicate it to my satisfaction.  I have a few recipes for pizza-like foods that make a decent homemade substitute when I'm in the mood and can't go out, but I've pretty much given up on creating real pizza at home.  What I have learned, though, is that I can make a bunch of great non-pizza flavored pizzas!  This recipe if probably my favorite homemade "pizza" recipe.  It has all the great flavors of chicken Pad Thai, but in convenient pizza form!  Like any pizza, the topping are all totally optional; it's really the peanut sauce that makes this pizza truly Thai.  You can even cheat the sauce if you want to - just buy a bottle of Thai peanut sauce and substitute it for the homemade version.  You could also use a pre-baked crust instead of the dough.  Just follow the heating instructions on the package. Make sure you put your veggies on after baking, though, so they stay crisp and fresh.

Chicken Pad Thai Pizza
Prep time: 10 min  Bake time: 20 min
Serves 4

1 tube (11 oz) thin pizza crust dough
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons Thai chili sauce
2 teaspoons honey
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup sliced snow peas
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Unroll dough into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; flatten dough and build up edges slightly. Bake at 425° for 5-6 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter, teriyaki sauce, chili sauce and honey. Place chicken in another small bowl; add half of the peanut butter mixture to chicken and toss to coat.

Spread remaining peanut butter mixture over crust; top with chicken and cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients.

353 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!