Recipes

Chicken tikka pizza at home: dough, sauce and the spice that makes it taste like a pizzeria

گھر پر چکن تکہ پیزا

Last reviewed 15 November 20264 min read

Short answer

Knead a simple yeast dough and rest it for an hour, marinate chicken in dahi, red chilli and garam masala and cook it dry, then mix tomato paste with a teaspoon of pizza seasoning for the sauce. Bake at your oven’s hottest setting for 12–15 minutes (or cook covered in a heavy pan on low) and finish with oregano and chilli flakes.

Makes:: 2 medium pizzas
Prep:: 90 min
Cook:: 30 min

Ingredients

Dough: 2 cups (250 g) maida, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp sugar, ¾ tsp salt, 2 tbsp oil, about ¾ cup (170 ml) warm water
Chicken: 250 g boneless chicken in small cubes, 2 tbsp dahi, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice
Sauce: ½ cup tomato paste or thick puree, 1 tsp pizza seasoning, a pinch of salt and sugar, 1 tsp oil
Topping: 2 cups (200 g) grated mozzarella, 1 capsicum and 1 onion in thin slices, olives if you like
To finish: oregano and crushed red chilli

Method

Mix the maida, yeast, sugar and salt, add the oil and warm water, and knead for 8–10 minutes into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
Meanwhile mix the chicken with dahi, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt and lemon juice. Rest 30 minutes, then cook in a dry pan on medium-high for 8–10 minutes until fully cooked and the liquid has dried.
Stir the tomato paste with the pizza seasoning, salt, sugar and oil. Taste: it should already be bold, because it is the flavour of the whole pizza.
Heat the oven to its hottest setting (220–250°C) for at least 15 minutes, with the tray inside.
Divide the dough in two and stretch each piece by hand into a 9–10 inch round on a greased tray. Spread half the sauce thinly, then cheese, chicken, capsicum and onion.
Bake 12–15 minutes, until the base is golden underneath and the cheese bubbles with a few brown spots.
No oven: cook the base in a greased heavy pan or tawa with a lid, on low heat, for 12–15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bottom is crisp.
Straight out of the oven, sprinkle oregano and a pinch of chilli flakes, slice and serve.

Why homemade pizza often tastes flat

Most homemade pizzas fail at the sauce, not the dough. Plain tomato paste is sour and one-note; the pizzeria taste comes from dried herbs, garlic and a little chilli cooked into the sauce.

That is all pizza seasoning is: oregano, basil, thyme, garlic and chilli flakes, already balanced. One teaspoon in half a cup of tomato paste is enough for two pizzas.

Oregano goes on at the end

Dried oregano burns and turns bitter in a very hot oven, so keep it for the top after baking. Rub a pinch between your fingers over the hot pizza: the heat wakes up the smell.

Same for chilli flakes: put them on the table and let everyone add their own.

Make it your own

Fajita: swap the tikka spices for 1 tsp peri peri seasoning and add extra capsicum. Veggie: mushrooms, sweetcorn and onion, with a little more pizza seasoning in the sauce.

Leftover sauce keeps for 3 days in a closed jar in the fridge and makes a quick pasta or garlic bread spread.

Everything for pizza night in one order

The Pizza Night Kit has pizza seasoning, oregano, crushed chilli and peri peri in four 100 g pouches, enough for many Friday nights. Cash on delivery, next day in Lahore.

Common questions

Can I make pizza without an oven?

Yes. Cook the topped base in a greased heavy pan or on a tawa with a lid, on low heat, for 12–15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bottom is crisp.

What is the difference between pizza seasoning and oregano?

Oregano is one herb. Pizza seasoning is a ready blend of oregano with basil, thyme, garlic and chilli. Use the blend in the sauce and plain oregano on top after baking.