Growing up, my parents used to take my sister and I to Chicago once per year. We would see the sites, and go shopping at stores that we didn’t have around us in Wisconsin, but best of all, we would get to try out new and unique restaurants. One year, we decided to try out a restaurant called Heaven on Seven, and it was here that we received our first introduction to Cajun Cuisine. We were all blown away by how good it was, and it became a yearly tradition to eat there.
After a couple of years of enjoying the food, my parents decided to take a cooking class that was offered by the restaurant, and it was that experience that helped shape my taste palate. This class taught my parents about the combinations that create some of the unique Cajun flavors, and more specifically, it introduced us to andouille sausage, a staple in many recipes.
When my husband and I first started dating he didn’t have any experience with Cajun cuisine, but as we dated longer he became more willing to try new foods. Eventually I had him try gumbo, and he loved it. Especially the andouille in it. I gradually began to make him more Cajun food, and he always loved anything that had andouille in it.
Because of his love for andouille, I decided that I needed to create a Cajun pizza once I started to make my own homemade pizzas this summer. With a combination of Cajun Alfredo sauce, chicken, and andouille sausage, this pizza checks off all the right boxes, and it’s probably my favorite out of all three pizzas I make. If you have tried and loved Cajun food in the past, I highly recommend trying this one out!
Directions – Cajun Alfredo Sauce
Just like my Buffalo Chicken Pizza, I’m going to divide this recipe into a sauce portion and a pizza portion. I haven’t tried it on pasta yet, but I think this sauce would be as delicious on noodles as it is on pizza. It’s honestly something that I cannot wait to try. For this reason, the sauce deserves it’s own section in this post.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups Whipping Cream
2 tbsp Parsley
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp Cajun Seasoning
½ tsp White Pepper
¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1. In order for the sauce to become the correct consistency, the whipping cream needs to be simmered for 15 minutes before anything else happens. It is very important to make sure that the cream is at a low simmer, and not a high boil. Stir the cream the entire time to prevent clumps sticking to the sides of the pot.
Kitchen Tip 1: If you double this recipe you will most likely have to simmer the cream even longer to thicken it up. The more cream required, the longer it will take to change in consistency.
2. After the whipping cream has thickened, add in all of the seasonings and mix them in until they are incorporated.
3. Once the sauce is seasoned, melt the Parmesan cheese into the mixture. Make sure to stir until the cheese is entirely melted.
4. Let the sauce sit on warm for about 10 minutes to finish thickening it up.
Kitchen Tip 2: Because this sauce has a whipping cream base, it is helpful to keep it warm until you are ready to use it. Whipping cream dishes can be difficult to reheat. If you must reheat it, use a low heat setting to do this. Heating it over a high temperature could cause the ingredients in your sauce to separate out.
Directions – Cajun Chicken Andouille Pizza
After the sauce is made, it is fairly easy to throw the pizza together. In these instructions I will detail the process when using my Homemade Garlic Pizza Crust, but if you are using a different crust, make sure to follow those baking instructions.
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
Cajun Alfredo Sauce
6 oz Chicken
Olive Oil
Cajun Seasoning
6 oz Andouille Sausage
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Kitchen Tip 3: Before the pizza dough is rolled out, it is helpful to have all the other ingredients prepped, meaning the sauce is done, and the chicken and andouille are cooked. The sauce is very easy to make up ahead of time and keep warm, and the meats can be taken care of half an hour before you are ready to start the pizza. While you are working on these elements, preheat the oven to 400 degrees so it is ready for the crust.
1. The chicken can either be grilled or baked in the oven ahead of time, but no matter which process you pick make sure to rub the chicken with a thin layer of olive oil and then coat it in a layer of cajun seasoning on both sides of the breast. I prefer to grill the chicken because then I can throw the sausages on the grill during the last five minutes of cooking time to lightly warm them up. Because andouille is a smoked sausage, it should have been cooked ahead of time and only needs to be warmed up.
2. After the chicken and andouille are cooked it is time to break them down. Shred the chicken into tiny pieces, and cut the andouille into coins first, then cut the coins in half. By cutting the meat into smaller pieces it allows you to get a little bit of both meat with each bite of pizza taken.
3. Once all of the elements have been prepped, roll out the pizza dough and put it in the oven for 5 minutes. If you are using my Homemade Garlic Pizza Crust make sure to follow the instructions in the recipe while rolling it out.
4. When the crust has been pre-baked, take it out and quickly add a layer of sauce and both of the meats across the surface. I like to make the sauce layer thick enough that I cannot see the crust beneath it, but I prefer a saucy pizza. Feel free to put on the amount you feel comfortable with. You may have leftover sauce depending on your preferences. Once the ingredients are spread out, put the pizza back in the oven for 15 minutes. DO NOT ADD THE CHEESE YET.
Kitchen Tip 4: It is best to apply the ingredients in step four as quickly as possible so the pizza dough is not out of the oven too long. Interrupting the baking process for a lengthy duration of time can create a doughy end product.
5. After the 15 minute baking time, the pizza is ready for the final step – the cheese. Using all the cheese in the ingredients list will create an ultra-cheesy pizza. This is the way my husband prefers it, but if you are not a cheese lover, feel free to put on less. When you are satisfied with the way the cheese is spread out, put the pizza back in the oven for 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
This pizza comes out of the oven looking like a gourmet product. You will feel like such an accomplished chef when looking down at it, and it tastes delicious! Enjoy!
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