Creamy Chicken Ranch Pizza Bites

Today the 2010 Winter Olympic torch is coming through our city - Coquitlam!!! This calls for a celebration! How about some pizza bites?

I love these golf-ball-sized mounds of melted cheese enveloped in a golden layer of pizza crust. They are the perfect size for munching on and are simply fantabulous even without any dip. You can use whatever fillings you like or whatever you've got in your fridge. Mayo and cream cheese are favorites of mine because they make the bites so moist and rich, but feel free to use just mozzarella.

A half batch of the pizza dough (enough for one pizza) is just the right amount for one pan of these bites (about 24 pieces). I use the other half of the dough for pizza pretzels or you could make up an extra tray and freeze it until you want to bake them at a later date. I have been meaning to make them since I saw them on Pillsbury's website. I stole the idea but adapted it quite heabily by making my own dough instead of using the canned stuff and switching the fillings. They look time consuming but don't take much longer to assemble than a regular pizza. Besides, they're so darn cute it's worth your while.



Creamy Chicken Ranch Pizza Bites
Makes 24 bites

1/2 batch pizza dough (enough for 1 pizza)

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
1 pkg powdered ranch mix or onion soup mix
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup milk

Olive oil, for brushing
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan

Cream together cream cheese and ranch/onion mix. Add mayo and milk to form a smooth thick sauce. Stir in mozzarella and chicken. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 9" pie plate or cake pan (I used a spring form). Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, flatten it and top it with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Pull the edges of the dough around the filling and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping.