Chicken Tikka Pizza

Friday nights are pizza nights here.  It was a tradition in my family growing up so it's been fun to carry it on with my husband (and now our little baby who can hold her own when it comes to food).  While my usual go-to is some kind of homemade veggie pizza, I was definitely intrigued when I saw a recipe for chicken tikka masala pizza.  We LOVE this recipe for chicken tikka masala and it seemed like a fun twist on pizza. 

We really enjoyed this!  The garam masala and ginger add a great amount of spice and change it from Italian to Indian.  I added a generous dose of chopped spinach and red bell pepper which went really well with the pizza. 

I altered the recipe by using whole wheat pizza dough instead of the recommended pita for individual pizzas.  My way took longer to cook (although it just takes 20 minutes).  I've written out the directions if you want to make individual pizzas or one whole pizza.  Either way, it'll be delicious! 

Chicken Tikka Pizza
Taken from: Cooking Light
Serves 4
The original recipe calls for individual pizzas make on pita or flatbread.  I made this one pizza made with homemade dough. 

• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
• Cooking spray 
• 5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 large (28-ounce) can unsalted diced tomatoes, drained (the original recipe called for a 14 oz can but I liked the extra sauce)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas (I'm sure you could substitute individual flatbreads or naan) OR 1 round of pizza dough
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup) plus more, if desired
• several handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

1. Move oven racks to very top and very bottom of the oven. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Cut chicken in half horizontally. Combine chicken, yogurt, and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Broil 5 minutes on each side on top rack.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Finely chop tomatoes with a knife, use an immersion blender or  place tomatoes in a mini chopper and pulse until almost smooth. Add oil to pan. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, ginger, red pepper, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes; simmer 4 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and cream; cook 1 minute. Cut chicken into pieces. Add chicken to pan; toss.
4. If using pitas: Place pitas on baking sheet. Broil 1 minute each side. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken and sauce onto each. Top with spinach, then top with onion, red bell pepper and cheese. Broil 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
5. If using pizza dough: Preheat oven to 450 (if you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven on the bottom rack when you start to preheat it). Roll out pizza dough.  Place pizza dough on a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet (or pizza peel, if you have one).  Spoon chicken and sauce onto pizza dough.  Top with spinach, then top with onion, red bell pepper and cheese.  If using a pizza stone, gently slide pizza off of the baking sheet and onto pizza stone. Bake pizza on the bottom rack until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-17 minutes.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.