We are right in the middle of strawberry season here and it was about time that I did something with them other than simply snacking on them by the handful. For my first strawberry recipe I wanted to try something a little different in the form of a savoury strawberry pizza! I first came across the recipe for this strawberry pizza on The Cafe Sucre Farine last year and I had been saving it to make during the local strawberry season. This strawberry pizza is very alluring with its beautiful combination of flavour and balance of sweet, salty, tangy and spicy elements!
The base of this pizza is a strawberry sauce made from sweet strawberry jam, tangy balsamic vinegar and spicy Asian inspired sriracha. The main toppings on the pizza are grilled chicken, smoky bacon and sweet onions in addition to the strawberries and of course plenty of melted cheese. Not too long ago I tried topping a pizza with fresh ingredient after baking it and I immediately fell for it so I was really liking the fresh cilantro topping on this pizza that continues to build on the Asian undertones.
When you mix the balsamic vinegar into the strawberry jam it gets really dark and although it tastes great, it is not at all photo friendly! After being disappointed with the first set of photos I made the pizza again, yes it is that good, and this time instead of mixing the balsamic vinegar into the jam for the sauce, I reduced it to a syrup and drizzled it over the pizza after it came out of the oven along with some more sriracha because I’m into spicy heat. The flavour combinations in this savoury strawberry pizza are truly magical and you will be hooked with the first bite!
Balsamic Strawberry and Chicken Pizza with Sweet Onions and Smoked Bacon
A sweet, tangy, and spicy strawberry and chicken pizza with smoked bacon and of course plenty of ooey gooey melted cheese.
ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup strawberry preserves/jam
- sriracha to taste
- 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
- 1 pizza dough
- 4 slices smoked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked
- 1/4 cup sweet onion, sliced
- 3/4 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, torn
directions
- Bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small sauce pan, reduce the heat and simmer until it reduces by half, about 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the strawberry preserves and sriracha to taste.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of the balsamic strawberry sauce into the chicken.
- Roll out the pizza dough and spread the remaining balsamic strawberry sauce onto it.
- Sprinkle on 3/4’s of the cheese, the chicken, bacon and onion followed by the remaining cheese and finally 1/2 cup the strawberries.
- Bake in a preheated 500F/260C oven until golden brown on top, about 5-10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the remaining strawberries and the cilantro onto the pizza.
Strawberry Balsamic Grilled Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas
Thai Chicken Pizza with Sweet Chili Sauce
Strawberry and Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad
Strawberry and Avocado Spinach Salad
Thai Chicken Pizza with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)
Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce
Bruschetta Chicken Pesto Tart
Zucchini Pizza Crust (with Chipotle BBQ Bacon and Grilled Corn Pizza)
Strawberry, Bacon and Goat Cheese Strata with Balsamic Syrup
Raspberry Balsamic Chipotle Grilled Pork Chops
Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza
Pan Seared Balsamic Strawberry Chicken and Brie
Shrimp Scampi Pizza
Monterey Chicken
Asparagus Pizza
What an interesting pizza!
Welcome back! YUM!!! Bacon ROCKS!
I've tried Chris's recipe and it is delicious. I like the idea of a balsamic reduction. I'm sure this would lend a deeper, smoother and sweet flavor. I'll have to try this next time I make her pizza.
Your photo looks beautiful!
Does this need to be baked on a pizza stone or cookie sheet? Or is it straight on the rack? Thanks!
The pizza looks great. Awesome idea for using the strawberries. I have some in the fridge that are just about ready to either be devoured or "let go." I'll probably use them on a whole wheat dough version of the above.
Thanks for sharing
This is using strawberries at a whole new level…Perfect.
Velva
I have tried a lot of things on pizzas but never fruit. Sounds great!
I love the blend of flavors. I never thought Strawberry can be this versatile. I am sure my whole household will enjoy this recipe. Looks delicious!
The flavors on this pizza looks and sounds like a perfect combination. I made pizza for dinner last nihgt, but I grilled mine on the BBQ. Have you ever tried it? It tastes great too. Beautiful pictures as well.
You're back! I was getting worried about you!!!
SO glad you're okay and back with a vengeance, given this amazing pizza! I need that savory strawberry jam on my next pie!
A beautiful blend of colors and flavors in one of America's favorite foods. Nice job!
Keep writing…
Wow! Strawberries on a savoury pizza! Who would have thought! I made a dessert pizza last night with banana and nutella but this, I have to try.
OMG it looks so delicious!! I totally enjoyed my giant bowl of corn flakes with tons of strawberries and some pecans (I recommend the combo) but would have happily given it up for a strawberry bacon pizza!!!! (no chicken for me…) Wow – this recipe might finally get me to do something with the gluten free pizza dough mix I bought!
Holy Moly Kevin! You've outdone yourself with this one!
This looks delicious and I can't wait to try it! Thanks.
I need to try this!
Mmmm…balsamic, strawberries, chicken and cheese! It sounds delicious!
wondeful presentation/color!
Oh yes! We love this pizza since the first time making it last year. Seriously thought it was a strange combo at first, but after the first bite it all made sense. 🙂
The strawberries look great! Awesome pizza.
Callie Clark Wiren: I normally cook pizzas on a baking sheet but a pizza stone would also work.
Kevin, I can't imagine a more fun summer pizza!
Found this recipe last year too and have made it a few times. I caramelize my onions to give the pizza a more intense flavor. Always gets rave reviews!
Can't wait to make this!
This pizza was a disaster. The strawberries leaked so much juice that the middle of the pizza was soaked through. Also, do NOT cook this at 500*. The crust burns so fast! After all the prep work and mess, there's nothing like pulling a half burnt, half soupy pile of humiliation out of the oven for dinner.
Coley: Sorry that you had trouble with the pizza. When baking a pizza at 500F, it literally takes just a little over 5 minutes for the crust to bake and the cheese to melt and then you need to get it out right away. What pizza dough recipe did you use? I am not sure about the problem that you were having with the strawberries and their juices, mine always come out a little dried from the quick roasting at the high temperature. This pizza is also great when baked without the strawberries and then sprinkling on fresh ones after baking.
Wow! It is looking so cute and tasty. I will try today itself…Thanks for sharing…
Wow! I have never thought about strawberries on pizza?
That's really clever. I love strawberries and put them on almost everything I can, but I honestly would have never come up with this. Kudos!
Thank you for posting a savory way to use strawberries! We used one half cup of our leftover Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce to marinate a full chicken breast for an hour before cooking, and spread the other half cup over two pizzas. We used less cheese — four slices fresh mozzarella over two pizzas, plus one-quarter cup romano — and halved the bacon. We also kept the strawberry slices large, in many cases just halving the berries, and roasted all of them with the pizza rather than reserving some part fresh. I ended up liking our proportions, but I'd like to try it with the balsamic reduction next time (and I can't recommend the Romano).
One more tip – we cooked it at 400F for ten minutes as recommended on the pizza-dough package.
Making this tonight and can't wait! I'm adding baby spinach instead of cilantro and red onion instead of sweet though… trying to get my kids to eat more leafy greens 🙂
I have made this twice, it rocks! I love the combination of strawberry and sriracha!
This was WONDERFUL! I thought it was perfect. My husband did too. Thank you!