Chicken Focaccia Recipes

FRESH FOCACCIA WITH MARINATED CHICKEN AND SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE SPREAD

Steps:

• For the chicken: Marinate the chicken in the Balsamic Base for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Preheat a grill pan or grill over medium-high heat.
• Let any excess marinade drip off the chicken, and then grill the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked through. Once cooked, let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Then slice thinly on the bias.
• For the spinach and artichoke spread: Squeeze the drained spinach with a kitchen towel to dry it out. Place into a food processor with the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add the artichokes. Pulse 2 to 3 times to leave the artichokes slightly chunky.
• For the sandwich build: Cut the Fresh Focaccia in half equatorially. Spread each half with Spinach Artichoke Spread. Then, on the bottom of the bread, sprinkle over the sliced sun-dried tomatoes, top with chicken slices, place a layer of mozzarella down and top with arugula. Place on the other half of bread and cut into as many pieces as you like and enjoy!
• Heat the balsamic vinegar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, basil, thyme, garlic and shallots into the saucepan and stir. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and let cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 30 to 45 minutes. Once the mixture is reduced, strain it through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and let cool. Store the balsamic base in the fridge; it's great in salad dressings, marinades, drizzled over steaks...let your imagination run wild.
• Place the water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it bloom until bubbly, 5 to 15 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose and wheat flours together with the salt and chopped rosemary. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bloomed yeast in the mixing bowl. Then add 1/2 cup of the olive oil.
• Using the dough hook attachment, mix the dough on medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be very loose.
• Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Wipe out the bowl you mixed the dough in and then coat the bowl with some olive oil. Return the dough to the oiled bowl and let it rest in a warm place, covered with a dish towel, until doubled in size, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Spread the dough into the pan using your fingertips to create dimples into the dough. The more dimples you make, the more texture the bread will have.
• Using a pastry brush, oil the dough and place leaves of rosemary into some of the dimples. Top with the tomato slices and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover the dough again with the towel and let rest in a warm spot until doubled in size, another 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degree F and set a rack in the middle of the oven.
• Bake the dough until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

CHICKEN FOCACCIA PIZZAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt and 2-1/2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes., Sprinkle cornmeal over two greased 12-in. pizza pans. Punch dough down; turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half; roll each portion into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to prepared pans; build up edges slightly. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes., Brush crusts with remaining oil; sprinkle with garlic and basil. Top with chicken, tomatoes, olives and cheeses. Bake at 400° for 22-26 minutes or until crusts are golden brown. Serve with ranch dressing if desired.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Cut focaccia in half horizontally. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise and pesto. Spread on cut surfaces of focaccia.
• Layer bottom half of focaccia with tomatoes, cheese, bell pepper and onion. Place chicken on top of vegetables. Cover with top half of focaccia; press down lightly. Cut into wedges.

DELICIOUSLY EASY GARLIC HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Place 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, bread flour, white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and active dry yeast, respectively, in the pan of a bread machine. Select pizza cycle; press Start.
• Combine crushed garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside to let it steep, about 30 minutes.
• Combine Parmesan cheese, parsley, onion powder, and herbes de Provence in another small bowl.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
• Deflate dough and turn out into the baking sheet. Stretch dough gently out to 1/2-inch thickness, using your fingers to make dimples that will hold the toppings.
• Pour garlic and oil mixture onto dough and spread it evenly over the dough and edges with your hands. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle dough with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer from the baking sheet to a rack. Let cool, 5 minutes. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS, FOCACCIA AND BASIL AIOLI

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken: Set the chicken on a work surface breast-side down. Use shears or kitchen scissors to remove and discard the backbone, then cut through the wishbone and along one side of the breast plate to separate the chicken into two halves. In a 9-by-13-inch (or similar size) baking dish, season the two chicken halves with half the oregano, 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Drizzle with 3/4 cup vinegar. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours in advance.
• Blister the peppers: Turn the stovetop gas flames on high heat. Place the peppers directly over the flames, bottom-side down, and blister until the peppers are beginning to soften, rotating until the bottom, sides and tops are blackened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper bag, fold to seal and let cool, 5 minutes.
• Working over a bowl to collect the juices, peel each pepper, then tear into thick strips, discarding the stems and seeds as you separate the pepper. Season peppers with the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and toss to coat.
• Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Tear 2 pieces of focaccia (using about half the loaf) into portions that are slightly smaller than the 2 pieces of chicken. Rub both pieces of focaccia with the halved garlic and transfer to the baking dish. Place the marinated chicken on top of each piece of torn focaccia, skin side up. Tuck garlic heads and peppers around the chicken. Tear remaining focaccia into shards and tuck these around the chicken and peppers. Pour any juices from the peppers over the whole dish and drizzle the olive oil over everything.
• Bake until the chicken comes to 165 degrees, about 1 hour, depending on the size of your bird. If bread or peppers are getting burned before the chicken is fully cooked, cover those areas with aluminum foil and continue cooking.
• Meanwhile, prepare the aioli: Using a mortar and pestle, working in batches if necessary, mash basil with lemon juice, garlic and sea salt until it forms a paste. Either by hand in a bowl with a whisk or in a food processor, whirl egg yolks then begin adding the oil very slowly, whisking or blending until mixture is emulsified and thickened and all the oil has been added. (If mixture seems to thicken too much for the machine as you blend, pause to add a tablespoon of cold water.) Blend in basil paste until combined. Add additional cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to achieve a dippable texture; season to taste with salt and lemon. (Makes 3 1/2 cups.) Use immediately or refrigerate until use, up to 3 days (see Tip).
• Once chicken is cooked through, remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve directly from the baking dish, family-style, with aioli on the side.

CHICKEN CAESAR FOCACCIA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all contents of salad kit and chicken strips. Toss to combine.
• Cut focaccia loaf in half horizontally. Fill focaccia bread with chicken Caesar salad. Cut focaccia sandwich into 8 portions.
• Take each rosemary stalk and strip bottom half of the rosemary from the stalk, leaving leaves at top.
• Insert rosemary skewers through tomatoes.
• Insert each rosemary-tomato skewer into the top of each sandwich.

CHICKEN TANDOORI FOCACCIA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut prepared Foccacia bread horizontally in half. Place sliced pieces of swiss cheese on one half.
• Mix together cooked chicken, sliced green grapes, almonds, tandoori seasoning* curry powder, and mayonnaise. Stir ingredients together and spread mixture over the swiss cheese on the foccacia bread. Put bread together and slice to serve.
• *You can purchase tandoori seasoning in the grocery store, however if you have left over tandoori chicken you can use that instead and omit the powder. You can also adjust the flavor of this sandwich by increasing the tandoori spice or curry powder to taste.

CRANBERRY CHICKEN FOCACCIA

Steps:

• With fingers, carefully loosen skin from each chicken breast to form a pocket. Place thyme sprigs under the skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°., Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and slice chicken. Place the cranberries, orange segments and sugar in a small food processor; cover and process until blended., Layer bread bottom with cheese, lettuce, cranberry mixture, chicken and pecans; replace top. Cut into six wedges.

CHICKEN FOCACCIA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Slice bread quarters in half, place each quarter on a plate, spread with margarine, then mustard.
• Place slices of cheese on the bottom half of each bread quarter.
• Top cheese with 2 slices of bacon, top bacon with onion slice, top onion with lettuce leaves, top lettuce with tomato slices.
• Set aside.
• Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, pound to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Place flour on a plate, add salt, pepper and oragano, mix until well combined.
• In a small bowl, beat egg with water.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick frypan on medium high heat.
• Meanwhile, dredge chicken breasts in flour mixture, shaking off excess, submerge chicken breast in egg/water mix, drain off excess and place in hot frypan.
• Lower heat to medium.
• Cook chicken until golden brown, about 10 minutes on each side, until no longer pink.
• Place one chicken breast on each focaccia bottom on top of tomato slices, top with the top piece of focaccia bread, press down, cut in half if you wish and serve immediately, with lots of napkins.

GRILLED CHICKEN FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Spread cut sides of bread with mayo.
• Fill with remaining ingredients.