California Chicken Club Pizza

The expansion conversation. The formal one. At the kitchen table — but which kitchen table? The restaurant's counter, this time. Because the restaurant is where the business conversations happen now. Wanda, Patricia, James, and me. The team. The four people who run Sarah's Table and who are now being asked to imagine: what if the table were bigger?

The proposal: a new location. Not instead of Gallatin Pike — in addition to. Or a bigger space on Gallatin Pike (the landlord mentioned that the adjacent unit, 400 additional square feet, might become available in 2025). The expansion: more seats (twelve instead of six), a proper kitchen (not the current kitchen-with-a-counter-in-front-of-it but a real restaurant kitchen with a pass-through window and a prep area), and the capacity to serve dinner (dinner! Sarah's Table for dinner! The church open for evening services!). The expansion is: two years away. The planning starts now. The planning is the roots. The roots are how everything I've ever built has started: underground, invisible, growing in the dark until they're strong enough to hold the weight of the thing above.

Wanda said: "I've been waiting for you to say this." She's been WAITING. Again. Wanda has been waiting for me to say things since the first screening. The woman is patient. The woman is the most patient co-conspirator in Nashville catering. She said: "I'm in. Whatever it is, I'm in." Whatever it is. She doesn't need the details. She needs the direction. The direction is: bigger. The direction is: more. The direction is: the table gets another leaf.

James said: "Can we add a smoker? I want to do brisket." BRISKET. The boy wants brisket on the menu. The boy has ambitions that extend beyond pulled pork into the slow-smoked promised land of central Texas transplanted to East Nashville. I said: "We'll talk about the smoker." We'll talk about it. Because talking about the smoker is talking about the future and the future is: brisket and bigger and more and the table extending in every direction and the direction is: forward. Always forward. The Mitchell direction.

I made the team dinner: Earline's chicken and dumplings. The meal that celebrates and comforts and says: something new is happening and the new thing is big and the dumplings are the bridge between the current and the coming. The dumplings floated. The team ate. The planning has begun.

I know the story says chicken and dumplings — and Earline’s recipe will always belong to that night — but what I keep coming back to in the days since is the feeling of feeding people who are building something with you, people who say “I’m in” before they even know the details. This California Chicken Club Pizza is the recipe I’ve been making on the planning nights since: it’s layered, it’s generous, it feeds a table that’s getting a new leaf. It tastes like forward motion.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 18 min | Total Time: 38 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb prepared pizza dough, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh baby arugula
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450°F. Allowing the surface to heat fully ensures a crisp bottom crust.
Shape the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch round. Brush the edges with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and dust lightly with garlic powder and black pepper.
Build the base. Spread the ranch dressing evenly over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edge. Layer on the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses.
Add the toppings. Distribute the shredded chicken and crumbled bacon evenly over the cheese layer. Arrange the tomato slices and red onion over the top. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if using.
Bake the pizza. Carefully transfer the pizza to the preheated baking sheet or stone. Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned at the edges.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately top with the fresh arugula and avocado slices. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Slice into 8 pieces and serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

California Chicken Club Pizza — The Meal That Said Something New Is Happening