Do you have a designated leftovers night? I have a few friends who are so diligent at "cleaning out" their fridges; and I so admire them for that. One person I know from ladies Bible study has, for many years, so religiously done a "Wednesday leftovers bar." She would simply take out all the leftover food containers, warm them up, and arrange them buffet style. Everyone picked whatever looked good to them; and just like that, the week's leftovers GONE!
Last week Tuesday, I ended up with a few sheets of unused phyllo dough having made Greek Baklava (it was amazing btw; recipe forthcoming). I also had almost one half of a rotisserie chicken in the fridge. Rotisserie chicken is one of those items I buy on a whim because it smells so good as I walk past it in the grocery store; note to self: don't shop hungry. But, I always ask myself later, "how do I make leftover rotisserie chicken exciting?"
Eureka! Leftover night is going GOURMET! Phyllo pizza with chicken, garden veggies and fresh herbs! Super easy and delicious! In fact, my family devoured the phyllo pizza and asked for an encore soon. I hope you give this a try.
Here is how I made it:
First, I preheated the oven to 375F. Then, I prepared my toppings starting with shredding the leftover rotisserie chicken in a bowl. Next, I chopped up green peppers, red onions and an olive variety (black and green). I took some small tomatoes and sliced those up in rounds. Stemmed some fresh cilantro and mint leaves. And, of course, grabbed some mozzarella cheese. I set each of these ingredients aside.
Next, I melted half a stick of butter and combined that with olive oil. I brushed a large baking sheet with the oil-butter mixture and began laying my phyllo sheets in it. I laid the first sheet down and brushed it with the oil-butter mixture; continued to layer the phyllo adding oil-butter to each sheet until midway through (sixth sheet). This is important to note early on: phyllo dough dries and breaks easily, so make sure to cover with a damp towel as you work.
At the midway point, I spread half of the shredded mozzarella leaving a one-inch border. I continued with the remaining phyllo sheets following the same process above.
I brushed the very top sheet with the oil-butter mixture and spread evenly the remaining cheese and toppings I prepared, minus the cilantro and mint leaves. Again, I made sure to leave approximately one-inch border. Sprinkled with very little salt and lots of black pepper, and brushed the veggies with a little of the butter-oil mixture.
Before placing in the oven, I cut up my phyllo pizza into three-inch squares. Placed the pizza into the 375F oven for 20 minutes or until phyllo started looking nice and golden.
Lastly, I topped the baked pizza with the fresh cilantro and mint leaves. O, and a little crushed red pepper. Yumm!
Phyllo Pizza with Chicken, Vegetables and Fresh Herbs
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 4-6 1x
Description
Phyllo pizza with chicken, vegetables, fresh cilantro and mint leaves. The flaky phyllo dough and fresh herbs take pizza to a new level of gourmet. Easy and delicious! Makes a great dinner or appetizer.
Ingredients
- 12 sheets phyllo dough (12"x17")
- 3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups rotisserie or roasted chicken, shredded
- 2 cups small on-the-vine or grape tomatoes, washed, dried, sliced
- 1 cup green bell peppers, washed, dried, chopped
- ½ cup red onions, chopped
- ⅓ cup Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
- ⅓ cup green olives, pitted, chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, washed, dried, stems removed
- ½ stick butter, melted
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Prepare toppings as indicated in the ingredient section above. Set each topping aside separately.
- Melt butter and combine with olive oil; brush a large baking sheet with the oil-butter mixture.
- Assemble phyllo sheets in baking dish. Lay first sheet down and brush with the oil-butter mixture. Repeat with next five sheets.
- Now add half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Continue laying phyllo sheets one-at-a-time repeating the process and brushing each sheet with the oil-butter mixture.
- Coat the top sheet with the oil-butter mixture and add the second half of the shredded mozzarella.
- Now, evenly spread pizza toppings: chicken, tomato (pet dry with napkin), green pepper, onion, and olives (hold the cilantro and mint leaves for later). Sprinkle with a little salt and a lot of black pepper, and brush the veggies with a little of the oil-butter.
- Cut pizza carefully into three-inch squares, and place in the 375F oven for 20 minutes or until phyllo dough turns golden brown.
- Remove from oven and top evenly with the fresh cilantro, mint leaves and crushed red pepper, if using.
Notes
- Recommended for this Recipe: Our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives!)
- Visit our store to browse our spices, olive oils and bundles!
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Pizza, Mediterranean Pizza, Phyllo Pizza, Pizza with Chicken, Pizza with Vegetables
Try these delicious recipes:
Homemade Pizza with Three Cheeses, Steak and Figs
Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Toast Recipe
I want to make this ahead of time....is this something that could be made ahead of time and refrigerated?
Hi Joan, if you like, you can prep the fresh ingedients ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until ready to assemble. It's best to make this the day you plan to serve it, although leftovers will heat well in the oven.
Can you please make a video on this recipe? I've been cooking for years but illiterate in working with phyllo dough. I've attempted a couple dishes with it, but they came out looking pretty sad.
Thanks for your hard work. Keep those recipes coming. I need to cut back on the olive oil though; I've gained a lot of weight lately.
Wow! This was outstanding! I love all the interesting flavors. Thank you, I cant wait to make this again!
★★★★★
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Anne!
It's interesting Suzy, I also ended up with a few sheets of unused phyllo dough this week -- I used them on the bottom of my feta and spinach frittata dish before placing in the over. Just another level of yum and no leftover phyllo 🙂
4 of your recipes in 5 days - this Is also delicious. I was concerned about the phylo dough sticking to pan so lined the bottom with parchment paper. Allowed us to not cut it beforehand and slid it right out onto a cutting board. Where I will alter next time is I believe it needs some wonderful garlic. Maybe add minced garlic with the veggies or put some in butter/oil mixture for dough or both! Never can have too much garlic.!
★★★★★
Wow, Susan! I'm honored! And this is one oldie-but-goodie recipe. Thanks for checking it out!
Can’t tell you how many times I have made this. Yummy beyond words. Making it again as I type this. Altered this way:
Added 4 cloves of minced garlic and minced in with tomatoes - yum!
Used roasted diced tomatoes (drained juice)
No olives - not a family favorite
★★★★★
Hello, Suzy!
I found your blog a few months ago while searching for a tabbouleh recipe. I subscribed immediately and have loved all your recipes (I try to make at least 1 or 2 a week, usually more!). I just made this phyllo pizza - now that I know how to use phyllo (thanks to you), I want to use it for everything! I was blown away by the excellent flavor in this dish just from a few simple veggies, chicken, and herbs. Wow!
I decided to try more Mediterranean dishes because I love the flavors. My children now ask when I make a new recipe, "Mama, is this Mediterranean?" They are so excited to try each new dish and I'm thankful that they've enjoyed most of them, as has my husband. You've even inspired me to cook more seafood. Thank you for all these wonderful, flavorful, delicious recipes!
★★★★★
Emily, thank you so much for taking the time to share! I loved hearing from you! And I'm honored you're enjoying the recipes. Wow! This one is an oldie-but-goodie for sure. So glad you reminded me of it!
I love the idea of the stuffed crust! (layering in the mozzarella under a sheet of fillo) I plan to try this recipe very soon as it looks amazing. Thanks for posting!
★★★★★
Thank you, Lauren! Honestly, this is one of my go-to recipes...you can use any ingredients you already have with phyllo/fillo as your base! Such a versatile dough. Hope you check out more of my phyllo/fillo recipes!
Really gotta try phyllo dough one of these days.