Florentine Pizza and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie! Today’s pizza is a take on the flavors of Chicken Florentine. We have all the basic flavors, with a white wine cream sauce, sliced chicken breast and spinach. It’s a perfect pizza to make with leftover cooked chicken. Or, you can do what I did and use cooked chicken from the deli section at the grocery store. The cream sauce drizzled over the top made this pizza a fork-and-knife kind of pizza, and the flavors are spectacular! Speaking of spectacular, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is back today with its season 4 debut on Amazon. Let’s get right to it!

The only thing I made for this recipe was the white wine cream sauce. I used the recipe from the Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Turkey Breast that I featured for Thanksgiving. I had a lot leftover which I will store in the fridge and likely freeze for later use. As I mentioned above, I purchased pre-cooked chicken breasts from the deli section of the grocery store. But leftover chicken works great for this pizza.

Assemble the Florentine Pizza

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a pizza stone or steel for about 45 minutes to one hour. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips. I have low-moisture mozzarella cheese and raw baby spinach. Roll, stretch or toss your pizza dough into a 12 to 14-inch round and lay on a lightly floured pizza peel.

I don’t want the bottom crust to get too soggy, so I am starting with a layer of mozzarella, then the chicken – before I drizzle on the cream sauce.

The chicken and cheese will act as bit of a barrier to ensure the bottom crust cooks through. It will still be a wet pie, but at least the bottom will not totally sog out. After the cheese and chicken layer, drizzle on about 1/4 cup of the cream sauce. Then top with a handful or two of raw spinach. Add the remaining cheese to top the spinach.

Now we are ready for the oven!

Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, until the crust os puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown in spots.

Let the pizza sit for about 5 minutes before slicing. Top the pizza with fresh grated Parmesan and fresh cracked black pepper.

Expect to see some of the cream sauce pool out when you cut it, that’s what makes this pizza what I like to call a fork-and-knife pizza. It’s dry enough to slice and hold its structure, but it’s just wet enough from the cream and the spinach to use a fork and knife versus holding it in your hand to eat – at least at the center of the pie.

Movie Night: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

We have our Florentine Pizza ready so let’s get to the show! This week we have another series, rather than a movie. But I just couldn’t resist this one because I have been so excited for the return of Mrs. Maisel. Recently, I rewatched the whole series to refresh my memory in preparation for the new season. If you’ve never seen this show, I highly recommend it. While the show focuses on the comedy career of Midge Maisel, the real comedy isn’t in her stand up routine, it’s in the offstage stories and situations. I haven’t yet seen any of season 4 beyond the trailer, and I am really hoping it continues to entertain with its clever dialog and rich storylines.

The show begins in 1958 New York City. There we find Miriam (Midge) Maisel, happily married with two children, living on the Upper West Side. When her picture perfect life begins to fall apart, she accidentally-on-purpose begins a career in stand up comedy. Season 4 finds Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) working out her stand up career in the 1960s. I don’t want to talk about where season 3 left us because perhaps you haven’t seen the show and want to catch up; there are too many delicious spoilers! But let me just say that this show is fantastic in all ways – especially if you love mid-century period pieces. The costumes are gorgeous. The characters are rich and expertly played. All seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are available to stream with a subscription on Amazon Prime.

Thank you all so much for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Florentine Pizza

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Dinner, Main Course – Italian

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 10-15 Minutes – Total Time: ~40 Minutes

Chicken Florentine gets it turn on a pizza with this Florentine Pizza. White wine cream sauce with chicken breast and fresh spinach.

Ingredients

• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• 1 cup Low-Moisture Mozzarella Cheese, divided
• 1 cup Thinly Sliced Cooked Chicken Breast
• 1/4 cup White Wine Cream Sauce
• 1 cup Fresh Raw Spinach
• Fresh Grated Parmesan, for garnish
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, for garnish
• White Wine Cream Sauce
• 4 tbsp. Butter
• 6 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Dry White Wine
• 2.5 cups Chicken Broth
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 tsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Rosemary
• 1 tsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Thyme
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

White Wine Cream Sauce

1

Begin by melting the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Let the flour get a little toasty, about 1 minute of stirring then add the white wine. Whisk continuously to dissolve any lumps, bring to a simmer. Add the chicken broth or stock and bring the mixture up to a simmer.

2

Stir the fresh minced herbs into the sauce and continue to simmer until the mixture has thickened some. Then add the cream and continue to simmer for another few minutes.

3

When the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like consistency, remove from heat. Taste the sauce and add Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste.

Florentine Pizza

4

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with a pizza stone or steel for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5

Roll, stretch or toss your dough into a 12 to 14-inch round and lay on a lightly floured pizza peel.

6

Top the dough with 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese.

7

Layer the sliced chicken breast on top of the cheese.

8

Drizzle about 1/4 of the white wine cream sauce over the chicken.

9

Top the sauce with a couple handfuls of fresh raw spinach and top the spinach with remaining mozzarella.

10

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and browning in spots.

11

Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let sit 5 minutes.

12

Top with Parmesan and black pepper. Slice and serve.