Papa Murphy's Gourmet Chicken Garlic Pizza (copycat recipe)

I don't think I have been this excited about a recipe in quite some time, and I owe it all to Tammy from Tammy's Recipes.  For those of you that know and like Papa Murphy's Take and Bake Pizza, you have to make this. And for those of you that have never heard of Papa Murphy's, you are missing out, and you, too, must make this.   It's my family's favorite pizza place...or well, it was until we moved.  There are no Papa Murphy's where we are now.  We were used to eating this pizza about once a week, and we haven't had any in six months...well, that is...until now.  One bite, and I knew it was a winner.  This particular recipe is spot on!  My husband and I just looked at each other and smiled. 

 

One of my favorite things about Papa Murphy's pizza is the crust.  It always comes out soft and chewy with just the right amount of crunch.  I could never understand how I could bake the pizza in my own oven and get such a nice crust.  It blew my theory that a good pizza crust must come from a commercial pizza oven.  Yet, any  pizza crust recipe that I would try from scratch was usually a flop.  I have used this recipe which I tweaked from  Lauren's Latest with success, but I have continued to try different recipes while perfecting my technique.  This copycat crust recipe is the easiest yet, and it yielded a crust just like I remembered.

I will probably continue to try various crust recipes from time to time, but this is definitely my new go to crust recipe.  It is quick and easy.  There is no need to wait for the dough to rise.  I've also never been able to stretch my dough into such a nice even thickness and round shape until I tried this particular recipe.  I don't know how Tammy did it, but I will be forever grateful!  Be sure to check out Tammy's blog post for tips on making this dough in a bread machine or stand mixer.

Papa Murphy's  Gourmet Chicken Garlic Pizza (copycat recipe)
from Tammy's Recipes    

For the Crust:
1 cup very warm water (115 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour (I used bread flour)
2 tsp active dry yeast

For the Sauce:
2/3 cup ranch dressing
1/2 to 1 tablespoon minced garlic

For the Toppings:
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1 grilled chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced green onions

In a medium bowl, mix the water, sugar, and salt.  Add the flour and yeast all at once and mix until a soft dough forms.  Gently knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, adding a little flour whenever the dough becomes too sticky.  When ready, the dough will be smooth and elastic in texture.

Grease a 16-inch pizza pan. Flatten the ball of dough and gently spread the dough out from the center to the edges.  

Mix the garlic into the ranch dressing and spread the sauce evenly over the dough.  Then mix the three cheeses together in a bowl and sprinkle half of the cheese over the sauce. Next, sprinkle the chicken, tomatoes and onions evenly over the pizza and top with the the remaining cheese.

Bake pizza in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is to your liking.  Remove pizza from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before cutting.