Chicken Tikka Pizza
چکن تکہ پیزا
Chicken tikka pizza is where Pakistani taste met Italian bread, and it has been the bestselling pizza in the country for years. The secret is in the chicken: small pieces marinated in yogurt and spices, cooked until dry and slightly charred, and given a minute of charcoal smoke () so the pizza tastes of the barbecue. Make the chicken a day ahead and the pizza comes together in 20 minutes.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 30 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the chicken with the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, lemon juice and salt. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
Heat the oil in a on high heat and cook the chicken for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until the marinade dries and the edges catch. For a smoky taste, give it 2 minutes of with a piece of hot charcoal, then cool. Wet chicken makes a soggy pizza, so cook it dry.
Press the risen dough into two oiled 10-inch pans and let it rise for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 240°C (or its highest setting) with a rack at the bottom.
Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce, leaving a 1 cm border. Scatter a third of the cheese, then the chicken, onion, capsicum, green chili and olives, and finish with the rest of the cheese.
Bake for 12–15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling with golden spots and the base is crisp underneath (lift an edge to check). Sprinkle with oregano and chili flakes, rest 2 minutes, then slice.
Kitchen notes
Use low-moisture mozzarella (the block or grated 'pizza cheese' kind), not fresh mozzarella balls, which make the pizza watery. Mixing in a little cheddar adds flavour.
Leftover chicken tikka or boti from a barbecue makes excellent pizza topping; just cut it small.
Don't overload. A crowded pizza steams instead of baking and the middle stays doughy.
A Pakistani original
When pizza shops opened across Pakistan, customers wanted the flavours they already loved, and chicken tikka on a cheesy base was an instant hit. Today almost every pizza place, from big chains to the corner shop in a small town, has tikka pizza as its top seller. It’s often the first pizza that visitors from abroad try and remember.
The chicken is the star
The difference between a great and an ordinary tikka pizza is the chicken. Marinate small cubes in thick yogurt and tikka spices, then cook them on high heat until completely dry with a few charred edges. Wet chicken leaks water onto the pizza. A minute of gives that barbecue smell that shop pizzas have. Leftover chicken tikka works even better.
Cheese and baking
Use low-moisture mozzarella for the stretch, with a little cheddar for taste. Put some cheese under the toppings to glue them down and the rest on top. Bake on the lowest rack of a very hot oven so the oiled pan fries the base crisp while the cheese bubbles.
Serving
Serve with garlic mayo for dipping the crusts, hot wings and a cold drink. Make the base with our pizza dough; for a different flavour try fajita pizza.
Questions people ask
Can I make it without an oven?
Yes. Cook it in a heavy lidded frying pan on low heat for 12–15 minutes, as in our tawa pizza, until the base is golden and the cheese melts under the lid.
How do I get the shop-style 'crown crust'?
Roll the border of the dough around thin strips of cheese or a line of chicken and press to seal before adding toppings. Brush the edge with garlic butter after baking.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 640
- Protein
- 34 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
