Tandoori Chicken Pizza

I am a grilled yard bird lovah since forever. Too many photos exist of 3 year old Laura Lee with barbecue sauce all over her chubby face. Luckily, these days I live a few short minutes away from the world’s greatest butcher shop. I began to hear about Hopkins Meat Packing on my first day in town. They’ve been in business forever and quite simply are THE BEST. On our first visit we were shocked at our inability to even get onto the parking lot. That’s when we realized they were having one of their periodic massive sales on chicken breast. 40 pounds for $40! Simply unheard of!! Yes, please. We giddily purchased 80 pounds (yes we have a roomy freezer). And ever since I have been experimenting with recipes that go beyond the basic.
This Tandoori Chicken Pizza quells my grilled chicken yearnings in complement to the many strong Indian herbies & spices I crave like cardamom, cilantro & mint. The chutney & raisins offer their sweetness and spinach cools the heat of the serrano.

Is it a 30 minute meal? Umm, not exactly. Does it fit into the unfussy, whole foodie oft paleo vibe? Wellll, it is delicious. And easily adaptable. You can cut the time by using rotisserie chicken instead of home grilled, & dough from your favorite pizza joint instead of by hand. Like all my recipes, this one begs to be tinkered with. I’ve successfully used a cauliflower crust, made it Chicago-style in a cast iron skillet instead of pizza pan, added or omitted cheese, chilies, almonds, etc… The key is to keep the flavors bright & sharp. Otherwise, have at it.

Tandoori Spice Rub

Indian style dry rub for use in Tandoori Chicken or any other recipe enhanced by Indian flavors

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Tandoori Spice Rub

• 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 2 tbsp Tumeric
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Paprika
• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cloves
• 4 pods Cardamom crushed using mortar & pestle

Method

 

1. Stir together all ingredients.  Store in an airtight container

Notes

My version of this rub is heavy on garlic & cardamom. Remember that a little of cardamom goes a long way. It also has a touch of cloves. Although perhaps not traditional, it adds to the party. Omit if your preference.

Tandoori Grilled Chicken

Tandoori spiced chicken breast used for Tandoori Chicken Pizza

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 3 tbsp Plain Full Fat Yogurt Use Greek, cow's milk, coconut, whatever you like
• 2 tbsp Tandoori Spice Rub plus more for grilling
• 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice about 1/2 a lemon
• 1-2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast one large breast is plenty for pizza recipe

Method

 

1. Mix spice rub, yogurt, lemon juice in bowl.  Add whole chicken breasts to coat.  Cover and marinate in fridge for 4-8 hours.  Grill chicken on grill of choice.  Do not overcook as it will be cooked again on pizza.  When done let rest for 10 minutes before cutting

Tandoori Chicken Pizza

Thin crust pizza with the flavors of Tandoori Chicken

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 22 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 tbsp Mango Chutney use at room temp or even lukewarm
• 1-2 oz Feta Cheese Crumbled
• 1 Tandoori Grilled Chicken Breast
• 1 oz Golden Raisins
• 1-2 handfulls Fresh Spinach, rinsed and dried well
• t tsp Tandoori Spice Rub
• 1 handfull cilantro leaves
• few sprigs Fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 serrano pepper sliced very thin remove seeds to lessen heat
• 1 pizza dough I love Williams-Sonoma's recipe for food-processor dough
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1-2 Scallions, white tops only
• salt to taste
• garlic powder to taste

Method

 

1. Stretch or roll out pizza dough onto pizza pan of choice.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Spread chutney onto crust in thin layer.  Top pizza with chopped chicken, torn spinach leaves, raisins, feta, and scallion.

   Bake pizza 10-12 minutes until crust browns & toppings wilt.  Serve topped with mint and cilantro.  Drizzle with more olive oil and dollop with chutney as needed

Notes

Use this recipe as a base. It begs for your favorite crust. Homemade, store bought dough, even naan all work well. My favorite homemade dough for ease & taste is by Williams-Sonoma.
Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, other types of cheese, red peppers, and yogurt would all be welcome additions.

I love to make chutney but already had some peach mango chutney on hand so used it with no problem