Nothin’ Says Game Day Like Root Beer Chicken Flatbread!
As a kid, I loved root beer. As a grownup (but still a kid at heart), I love boozy root beer. (I discovered it at the start of this past football season and it’s quickly become a game day favorite). Even if you don’t like root beer as much as I do (shame, shame), you’re gonna totally dig it cooked with chicken. It may sound weird to you, but let me tell you what…this recipe is a real head turner. If you’re inviting friends over to watch the Madness unfold this March (Selection Sunday is coming up!), this is definitely something you’ll want to cook up for them. Only problem is, you may never get them to leave…
Root Beer Chicken Flatbread
Recipe by Addie of Addie’s Confetti Kitchen
Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
Marinade
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup of root beer
2 tbl molasses
2 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
Rub
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 lbs chicken breasts (you can also use pork)
Directions
In medium saucepan saute onions in olive oil. Add ketchup, root beer, molasses, lemon juice, chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne. Bring to boil, turn down heat, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Pound the chicken and then season with paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Grill the chicken (you aren’t using your oven just yet) at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, turning once. All of the juices will release from the chicken.
After allowing the chicken to cool, rip the chicken apart with your hands to shred and then top with your sauce. Mix together well.
Roll out your pizza dough and slice it into squares. (Or you can keep in one large square or round shape and serve all together as a pizza, instead of individual flatbreads).
Brush the dough with olive oil and bake in the oven for ten minutes until dough is cooked.
Top with the chicken and serve! (If you want the chicken warmed before serving, go ahead and briefly microwave the chicken or throw the chicken on the flatbread/pizza dough back in the oven briefly until warmed sufficiently).
Adia Benson, known as Addie, was born and raised in Minnesota, where she spent cold winters playing hockey on her frozen over backyard and summers on her brother’s soccer team (the girl is competitive!). Although her career took her to a kitchen, she has remained a sports fan and finds any opportunity to host friends and family around a game. She has worked for the likes of Thomas Keller, Martha Stewart and in culinary innovation for two years at gravitytank in Chicago. She currently lives in Lake Forest, IL with her fiancé, Alex, and puppy, Paisley, and works at Prime Publishing overseeing the production of culinary content for web platforms and testing recipes that will be published in cookbooks beginning in 2017. Addie also runs Addie’s Confetti Kitchen, where, for the next month, she’s helping us make March Madness eats effortless, appetizing, and a whole lot of fun for everyone!
