BBQ Chicken Pizza

I've had my eye on this recipe for a while, but wanted to hold off until a British vegan product was once more available here in the states - the white cheddar vegan cheese from Cheezly.  Snap yours up now at veganessentials.com.  I recommend the pre-made pizza crust from Whole Foods for this easy pizza supper, but you can make your own dough and top as follows, if desired.  If you want a quicker dinner, you could also use store-bought tomato chutney in a pinch; just verify with any brand you buy that they use non-bone char sugar.

Ingredients:
For the tomato chutney:

• 2 cups diced plum tomato
• 3 tablespoons vegan brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon Jamaican jerk seasoning
• 1 minced garlic clove

For the pizza:

• 1 pre-made thin pizza crust (such as Whole Foods)
• 3/4 cup tomato chutney
• 2 cups chopped and cooked Gardein Tuscan chicken breast (without sauce)*
• 2/3 cup diced plum tomato
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheezly white cheddar
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions

1. To prepare the chutney, combine 2 cups plum tomato in a saucepan with the brown sugar, cider vinegar, jerk seasoning, and garlic; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened - about 20 to 25 minutes.  Let cool.

2. To prepare the pizza, place the pizza crust on a baking sheet or pizza pan and bake at 450 degrees for 3 minutes.  Remove from the oven and spread with 3/4 cup tomato chutney (whether homemade or store-bought), leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Top evenly with the cooked chicken, and sprinkle with 2/3 cup plum tomato, the cheese, and the green onions.

3. Bake at 450 degrees for 9 minutes.  Cut into 6 wedges to serve.

I served a couple barbecue-themed side dishes to round out the meal: corn on the cob and a super quick coleslaw, To make the coleslaw, whisk together 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper in a large bowl.  Add 10 ounces shredded green cabbage and toss to coat.

For even quicker convenience, look for pre-shredded cabbage (usually labeled "angel hair slaw") in the bagged greens section of your supermarket.  Although sacrilegious in the summer, I actually quite enjoyed the frozen ears of corn from Whole Foods 365 line tonight, making for fresh tasting corn even in early winter.  To wash it all down, I paired with a hefeweizen-style German beer.

*Cook the chicken ahead of time according to the oven directions on the package.  Chop and refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (1 wedge), Calories 300

Tasting Notes:
Disappointingly, after my extra effort, I found the homemade chutney to be much too sweet.  I recommend decreasing the amount of brown sugar to only 1 tablespoon.  Next time I'd go the savory route, and use a store-bought pizza sauce, or canned diced tomatoes.  The chicken-and-cheese topping was yummy, but also surprisingly bland.  In keeping with the barbecue theme, I would marinate the chopped Gardein in a little barbecue sauce, or add spices on top.  

Rating:
3.5