Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

Pizza Chicken Tikka by Meeta K. Wolff

By Meeta K. Wolff

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes includes rising and marinating time

Makes: 2 pizzas 26 cm in diameter

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

  • 150g Italian pizza "00" flour

  • 150g all-purpose flour

  • 8g fine sea salt

  • 2g active dry yeast

  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Chicken Tikka Masala

  • 250g low-fat natural yoghurt

  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 4 teaspoons ginger, finely grated

  • 4 teaspoons ground turmeric

  • 2 teaspoons garam masala

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 850g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise

Pizza

  • 250g mozzarella cheese, sliced

  • 1 large red onion, sliced

  • 1 each green and red bell pepper, sliced

  • 1 recipe roasted tomato pizza sauce

  • 1 bunch coriander leaves

      • Method

      1. To make the pizza dough combine flours and salt in a larger mixing bowl.

      2. In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 ml lukewarm tap water, the yeast and the olive oil, then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.

      3. Knead the rested dough for another 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.

      4. To make the pizza, place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape. Transfer to a pizza pan.

      5. To make the chicken tikka begin by preparing the masala or spice mixture. Mix garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl. Using only half of this spice mixture whisk together with yoghurt and salt in a medium bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill for 4-5 hours.

      6. Preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside sheet. Arrange chicken on rack in a single layer. Broil until chicken starts to brown/blacken in spots about 10 to 12 minutes. The chicken will not be cooked through as it will finish cooking on the pizza. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.

      7. Preheat a pizza stone in the oven at 250C. Put together the pizza by spreading some of the tomato sauce over the base of each pizza. Top with the cheese, and scatter with slices of red onion, bell peppers, finally top with the chicken pieces. Place the pizza on the stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce is bubbling, the dough is golden and crisp and the chicken in cooked through.

Notes:

The dough is my go to pizza dough for a quick weeknight pizza fix. It is a flavorful dough that will last in the refrigerator for up to a week. Rise time will depend on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen or refrigerator. If you are in for a little challenge give this Basic Pizza Dough a twirl. The original recipe is taken from “The Bread Baker's Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

As with all pizza toppings you can add as much of the toppings as you like. We prefer less rather than more. The recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala is a fairly large one and you should have some leftovers after topping both the pizzas. Freeze the rest or I usually like using the leftovers on a big salad or for wraps the next day.

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