Meals · Indian fusion

Indian Chicken Pizza

Homemade pizza with a buttery makhani sauce, smoky tandoori chicken tikka, onion, capsicum and mozzarella, finished with coriander and chaat masala.

Indian Chicken Pizza

Prep 30 min · Cook 30 min · Total 60 min + 1 hr dough rise · Serves 4

Ingredients

Dough (two 30 cm pizzas)

  • 300 g Bread flour or maida
  • 1 tsp Instant yeast
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 200 ml Warm water

Tandoori chicken tikka

  • 350 g Boneless chicken thighs, in 2 cm pieces
  • ½ cup Thick yogurt
  • 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp Mustard oil
  • ½ tsp Salt

Makhani sauce

  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 200 g Tomato passata
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • ½ tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Kasuri methi
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Cream
  • ¼ tsp Salt

Toppings

  • 250 g Low-moisture mozzarella, grated
  • 1 Onion, in petals
  • 1 Green capsicum, diced
  • 2 Green chillies, sliced
  • 3 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp Chaat masala

Method

  1. Make the dough. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, add the water and oil, and knead 8 minutes until smooth and springy. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
  2. Marinate the chicken. Mix the chicken with all the tikka ingredients and leave while the dough rises (up to overnight in the fridge).
  3. Make the sauce. Melt the butter, fry the ginger-garlic paste for 30 seconds, then add the passata, chilli, garam masala, kasuri methi, sugar and salt. Simmer until thick enough to hold a line, then stir in the cream. Cool.
  4. Char the tikka. Heat the oven to its highest setting, at least 250°C, with a tray or pizza stone on the top shelf. Spread the chicken on a lined tray and grill or roast it for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked and charred at the edges.
  5. Top. Halve the dough and stretch each piece into a 30 cm round on floured baking paper. Spread with sauce, then cheese, chicken, onion, capsicum and chilli.
  6. Bake. Slide the pizza, on its paper, onto the hot tray and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese is bubbling. Repeat with the second one.
  7. Finish. Scatter with coriander and a good pinch of chaat masala while hot, and cut.

Tips

Keep the sauce thin on the base and the chicken in a single layer; a heavy, wet topping is what makes home pizza soggy in the middle.