Leftover Challenge #1: Chicken Chorizo Pizza

My husband and I are leaving DC and heading west to Salt Lake City. We have less than three weeks to go, and my husband challenged me to raid the freezer and use up our stockpile of food. This challenge I couldn't resist! I am a freezer hoarder - I buy and cook in bulk, store almost anything edible in that frozen box, and always come back weeks later to find happiness with a great, quick meal.

This week I dug deep into to my freezer and found Trader Joe's pizza dough, chicken thighs, chorizo, and chile verde. The other essentials I had tucked away in the fridge and pantry. The end result was this flavorful pizza that blew our leftover expectations (and taste buds) out of the water!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• pizza dough
• fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 2 links chorizo, casings removed
• 2 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup chile verde

In a large dutch oven brown the chorizo on medium-high heat. Once browned, remove the chorizo, drain it on a paper towel, and set it aside. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and sear until brown in the rendered fat from the chorizo, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate. Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for about a minute, then add the white wine to deglaze (be sure to scrape up all of the wonderful bits stuck to the pan). Place the chicken thighs back into the liquid and braise them for 20-30 minutes (covered, on low heat) or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the chicken and, once cooled, pull the meat from the bones. Add the chorizo back to the braising liquid and reduce on medium heat until it coats the back of a spoon. This will be the pizza sauce.

Preheat an oven with a pizza stone at 500 degrees. Pull the pizza dough and set it on the hot pizza stone. Use a large spoon to spread the chorizo pizza sauce on the dough, then top with mozzarella slices, chicken, and a drizzle of chile verde. Cook the pizza for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 5-10 minutes (if you value your soft palate). Top with a sprinkle of cilantro and enjoy!