Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Pizza with Bacon and Basil

Preheat your oven to 475 F and if you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven at this point.

Melt half of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes and then add the mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence. Cook until the veggies are tender and the mushrooms have released their water. Add the remaining half of the butter and melt. Whisk in the flour, evenly coat the veggies and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the flour has browned. Very slowly whisk in the beef broth. Continue whisking until the mixture has thickened substantially. It should easily coat the back of a spoon and take on a “gravy-like” appearance. This step took me approximately 10 minutes, but may take longer. Keep whisking until you reach this consistency. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

On a pizza peel (or a large baking sheet if you are using one), sprinkle a layer of cornmeal. Cut your dough into 2 (for larger pizzas) or 3 (for smaller pizzas) equal-sized portions. Form 1 portion of the dough into a circular shape, stretching and shaping where necessary. You may need to bake each pizza separately, so start with one and then go from there.

When your dough is to your desired shape and size, take about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the mushroom sauce and spread it evenly on the dough. Sprinkle with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese and then top with 1/3 of the chopped chicken. Sprinkle on another thin layer of mozzarella.

Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown and the edges of the dough are also brown. Remove from oven and let stand for approximately 4 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped bacon, parsley and basil.

Repeat these steps for the remaining dough and toppings.