Butter chicken pizza

4.91 from 10 votes

Try desi pizza and you'll never go back.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: butter chicken pizza

Servings: pizzas

Author: romain | glebekitchen

1 28 oz can tomatoes You want a brand with only tomatoes and salt. Basil really doesn't work well here.
2 green chilies jwala aka finger hot, seeded (or 1/2 of one medium jalapeño)
2 tbsp garlic ginger paste
1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder - a mild chili powder available at Indian grocers (see note)
2 tsp kasoori methi - also available at Indian grocers. You should make the trip.
1 tsp kosher salt 2/3 tsp regular table salt
1/2 tsp tandoori masala - guess what? You can get this at an Indian grocer... There's a link to a recipe in the notes as well.
3 tbsp neutral oil vegetable, canola etc

1 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless left whole
2 tbsp tandoori masala - try to get one that isn't mostly salt
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
2 tsp kasoori methi
1/2 tsp kosher salt - but only if your tandoori masala isn't already well salted
a bit of naga pickle if you like spicy (optional)
enough neutral oil (e.g. canola) to make a slurry 2-3 tbsp

2 pizzas worth of dough - if you have a pizza oven try the glebekitchen recipe. It took me 10 years to get it to where I'm happy. For a regular oven use what works for you.
8 oz fior di latte fresh mozzarella. Torn into 3/4-1 inch pieces
butter chicken sauce
chicken tikka
thinly sliced red onion
thinly sliced green chilies - I actually like jalapeños over jwala green chilies for this. Your call.
finely chopped cilantro

Hand crush the tomatoes, removing the stems as you go. If you own a food mill use that instead. A food mill is a great thing to own if you're into pizzas.
Cut the chilies in half and remove the seeds and membrane (pith). Discard the stems.
Heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients over medium low heat.
Add the garlic ginger paste. Fry until it stops sputtering.
Turn the heat to low. Add the kashmiri chili powder, kasoori methi, tandoori masala and salt. Stir to get everything combined and gently fry the spices for about 45-60 seconds. This is called blooming spices and it's a fundamental technique in Indian cooking. This is why you added 3 full tablespoons of oil. Less and it gets really hard to do.
Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices. Stir to combine.
Toss in the green chilies and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.
Let cool. Puree in a blender. You want a nice smooth sauce.

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Stir to combine. You should have a slurry texture.
Add the chicken and coat evenly with marinade. Use tongs. Commercial tandoori masalas have food colouring in them. Food colouring and fingers make a terrible combination.
Refrigerate for 1-4 hours. You don't need to wait if you are jammed for time. Just go straight ahead. Marination is a surface phenomenon with the exception of salt. You do not need to marinate chicken tikka for 48 hours. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There's no food science to support it...
Preheat your oven to 400F convect or ready your grill. Cook until you get an internal temperature of 165F. The chicken will cook a little more on the pizza.
Let cool and cut into pieces (about 1/4 inch thick). Set aside.

I like to drizzle some of the butter chicken sauce over the pizza as it comes out of the oven. A squirt bottle is good for this. It's a flashy touch. A bit of fun. Up to you. If you want to do it have it ready before the start.
Open your pizza dough. If you can possibly avoid it don't use a rolling pin. Use your hands. And always protect the cornice (the edge or rim of the pizza). You want the edges to rise above the rest of the pizza. I do anyway.
Spoon the butter chicken sauce onto the middle of the pizza and spread it out. I use two spoons for this. One to spoon and one to spread. That way I don't cross contaminate my sauce if I'm keeping leftovers.
Scatter the chicken tikka overtop. Follow that up with the fior di latte. Strew some red onions and green chilies overtop
Cook the pizza as you usually do. At 750-800F that should take about 90 seconds.
To serve drizzle with butter chicken sauce and top with a little finely chopped cilantro.

If you can't find kashmiri chili powder you can use 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and 2 1/2 tsp paprika.

You can make great tandoori masala at home. But you'll have to go to an Indian grocer I bet...