Chicken Tikka Pizza Recipe

When my family lived in India, we fell in love with the fusion pizzas served at Pizza Hut. In addition to standard favorites such as pepperoni that are served in the U.S. there was a variety of pizza options that had an Indian twist. One such pizza, known as Chicken Tikka Pizza quickly became our favorite. After we returned to the U.S., we found ourselves craving Indian pizza. After a lot of trial and error, I finally came up with a recipe that at least closely resembles the pizza we ate in India. Below is my own recipe for Chicken Tikka Pizza.

First, make the pizza dough. You may use the recipe below, use a favorite pizza dough recipe of your own, or start off with a store bought pizza crust. Please note that the recipe below is for two large pizzas.

Pizza Dough Recipe

4 cups lukewarm water

1.5 tbsp. yeast

1.5 tbsp. salt

6 cups flour

In a very large bowl combine the water, yeast and salt. Mix in the flour, using a dough whisk or your hands. It is not necessary to knead the dough. Allow the dough to rise for at least two hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the Chicken Tikka.

Chicken Tikka

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp. plain yogurt

2 tsp. garlic ginger paste

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. crushed ajwain seeds

½ tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. garam masala

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Marinate chicken in all the ingredients except the butter for at least two hours. After the chicken has marinated, bake the chicken at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until done.

Chicken Tikka Pizza Sauce

8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tbsp. tikka masala or curry powder

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp oil

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Chicken Tikka Toppings

Prepared chicken tikka

8 ounces mozzarella cheese

¼ thinly sliced red onion

1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and coarsely chopped

2 thinly sliced tomatoes

2 limes, cut into small wedges

Now it's time to assemble the pizza!

First, divide the dough into two portions. Roll each portion of dough out in a size and shape that fits the pizza pans you are using. I've used both large round pizza pans as well as large rectangular baking sheets for this recipe and both have worked fine. Just bear in mind that the smaller the pan, the thicker the crust will be, so choose extra large pans if you prefer a thinner crust.

Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, then top with mozzarella cheese, chicken tikka, red onions, cilantro, sliced tomatoes and limes.

Remove the limes before eating, squeezing the juice from the limes on the pizza first if desired.

Yields: 2 large pizzas