Chicken Apple Sausage and Caramelized Red Onion Pizza

I know.  The name of this pizza is really long.  But when I am looking at recipes, whether online or in a cookbook, I want to know what it is without having to analyze the ingredients list and directions.  You know, like when you look in the church cookbook and see recipes like “Nancy’s Potluck Casserole” and “‘Meal in One’ Buffet.”  (I made up the first one; the second one is straight out of a cookbook I have.)

I use a different crust recipe than Kimiko.  You can find hers here.  I am currently trying to perfect mine, so that will have to be a future post.

The concept for this recipe has its roots in Thanksgiving.  Back in November, I shared my Loaded Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe.  It calls for chicken apple sausage.  I had a few links leftover so I stuck them in the freezer to make stuffing at a later time.  I never got around to that stuffing and was tired of moving the sausage around when trying to find other things.  So I decided to find another use for it.

As I said in my stuffing post, you can find chicken apple sausage in most major grocery stores.  I buy Aidells, a local brand.

I think the main key to making this pizza amazing is proper caramelization of the onions.  They need to be cooked slowly to really develop the sugars.  I usually cook them ahead of time to ensure enough time.

The quantities in this recipe are to serve only as a guide.  We like really saucy pizza; some people don’t.  Want less meat?  Use one link instead of two.  Pizza is one of those dishes that you can’t mess up by tweaking the ratios.

Chicken Apple Sausage and Caramelized Red Onion Pizza

2 red onions

2-3 Tbsp. butter

1 pizza crust, pre-cooked

½-¾ c. pizza sauce

3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 links chicken apples sausage, chopped

¼ lb. feta cheese, crumbled

Slice onions into ¼-inch slices.

Melt butter in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat.  Add onions, sauté until golden brown, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Remove from heat.  Spread sauce on crust.  Sprinkle half of the Monterey Jack over sauce.

Spread onions evenly over pizza and top with remaining Monterey Jack.

Distribute sausage over onions and cheese.  Sprinkle with feta.

Bake in preheated 425° oven until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden, about 12-15 minutes.  Let rest about 5 minutes before cutting.