Kickin' Mock Chicken Pizza

 Ever since discovering the "Buffalo" combination, I have been a life long fan. As a cook at Jaggers' restaurant in Atlanta, GA, I used to fry up the wings and send them out hot and spicy.

Wings are best made in a deep fryer, so I rarely made them at home. But a few years ago I had a hankering for them and figured out a way to make a traditional version using the oven. Recently I veganized them. But my latest version involves pizza! Specifically, it was Dagwood's Kickn' Chickn' Pizza that inspired me; use hot sauce for the red sauce, sliced tempeh on top with cilantro and drizzles of ranch dressing. Fantastic!

This is the second copycat pizza I have made inspired by Dagwoods' Pizza, the first being BBQ Tempeh Chicken. But this was the first vegan pizza I made, using vegan cheese. I used a combination of the Daiya and Lisanatti brands of mozzarella, since I find the taste of the Lisanatti better although the Daiya melts better. I found it to be a good mix, but feel free to work with whatever you prefer.

Kickin' Mock Chicken Pizza

pizza dough for 12" pie
1/2 cup hot sauce (DIY Pantry)
4 oz tempeh
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
4 fresh sage leaves
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups vegan mozzarella, shredded
small handful cilantro, chopped
2-3 tablespoons vegan ranch dressing (DIY Pantry)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Steam tempeh with bay leaves, thyme and sage leaves for 15 minutes. Drain water and discard herbs. Cool tempeh for 10 minutes then slice into six 1/2" pieces and if desired, quickly sear on high heat in olive oil to give them a crunchy edge.

On floured baking sheet, spread pizza dough out to desired size. Smear hot sauce around, leaving 1/2 inch border. If you sauce is really fiery, spread very thinnly; the hot temperature of the pizza will increase the heat of the hot sauce in your mouth! Sprinkle mozzarella over top, top with tempeh and bake for 13-16 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle cilantro over top and drizzle with ranch dressing. Serve immediately.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Dreamy Creamy Tofu Pickle and Pea Salad at K's Veg Recipes
Apple Cider Donuts at Leaves and Flours
Avocado Coconut Lime Tart at Just the Food