California Club Pizza

This pizza is a knock off of the California Pizza Kitchen's California Club. In fact, most of the time I refer to it as "California Pizza Kitchen's California Club Pizza of Deliciousness." But... lets be honest, that title is quite the mouthful, and you are going to want to save all of your mouthfuls for this delicious recipe. Thus, from now on, we will refer to this meal as "The California Club." (p.s. The recipe may look a little daunting, but it's really easy and so worth it!)

California Club Pizza

Source: Insipration from California Pizza Kitchen

Ingredients:
Pizza Crust (recipe below)
1 large chicken breast
5 strips bacon
3-4 cups Iceburg lettuce
3-4 cups Romaine lettuce
Avacado, sliced
3 cups cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons Miracle Whip
Lemon Juice
Garlic Powder

Directions:
First things first, make the pizza dough: 

Pizza Dough (adapted from here)
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In mixing bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. 

Add salt and stir. Add about half of the flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Pull dough out of mixing bowl, spray with cooking spray and place dough back in. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 and place bacon inside for 10-15 minutes or until brown and slightly crispy. 

Move onto making the toppings for the pizza:
Defrost chicken slightly so that it is still frozen but easier to cut. Cube chicken and grill in a tiny bit of oil until brown. Crumble bacon into little bits.

Remove pizza dough from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and roll/stretch dough to fit pan. Place dough onto pan, poke a couple of holes with a fork and then bake for 10 minutes or until dough starts to slightly brown. 

Chiffonade lettuce. Mix iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce together in large bowl. Add a dash of lemon juice and the miracle whip. Mix until lettuce is well coated. Slice avocado. Set aside.

Remove crust from oven and add cheese to the top of the pizza. (The more cheese the better.) Sprinkle a little bit of garlic powder over the entire thing. Spread cubed chicken and crumbled bacon over the entire crust. (Then throw a little bit more cheese on top of that.) Put crust (with cheese, chicken, and bacon) back into the oven until cheese is melted and chicken is warm.

Top with lettuce mixture and avocado.  Serve immediately.

Seriously, the very first time we ate this at the California Pizza Kitchen I was blown away. I am pretty sure I described it as "a party in my mouth".  This recipe may not be exactly the same, but it sure was just as delicious. One warning though, it doesn't make great leftovers, so it's better to try to make exactly the right amount.

*Note: As a variation, you can toss the bacon and chicken in with the lettuce. This way you see more of the meat without it all being covered in lettuce. We like to put it with the cheese because it sticks a little bit better, but when I make it for guests I put it in with the lettuce because it looks better.