Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza is obviously not your regular pizza. I guess you could call it a fusion dish.
Chicken Tikka Masala - Is It Indian or British?
Chicken Tikka Masala is on the menu of almost every Indian restaurant. It's a creamy, delicious tomato-based curry, and the spice level often varies greatly, depending on the cook.
There is dispute about the origins of the dish. It has been claimed that chicken tikka masala was invented in Glasgow, Scotland, and it has even been called the British national dish. This claim is disputed by Indian chefs, who say that this curry is, in fact, an Indian invention, and a thoroughly Indian dish.
This international food fight is actually quite amusing, and it even made the news back in 2009. Regardless of origins, chicken tikka masala is easy to make at home. And you get to control the amount of fat, sodium and even sugar. Swap out the cream for Greek yogurt and you won't notice any difference, but your curry will be a whole lot healthier.
Why Not Naan Pizza?
I have mentioned before, that I love to make pizzas with naan bread, and when I make my homemade naan, I always freeze some just for that purpose. So, after making tikka masala, I pulled some naan out of the freezer. It occurred to me that a chicken tikka masala pizza on naan makes a whole lot of sense.
And yes, it does. It makes delicious sense, in fact. We loved these individual naan pizzas. You don't need to make your own naan, you can buy them in the store. Nobody's judging. But, It's really easy to do if you want to give it a try. I didn't use a lot of cheese, because I wasn't sure how it would work out. It worked out great, so I'm leaving it up to you to add more if you choose. Also, I added some fresh tomatoes to the pizzas to balance the creamy sauce.
This chicken tikka masala pizza recipe is a quick one. Using chicken thighs means that you can skip the step of marinating the chicken in the yogurt, and it will still be tender and juicy.
Recipe
Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza- Naan Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon dried turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 156 ml can low sodium tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 6 naan breads
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, salt, chilli flakes and tomato paste
- Process until smooth
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium high
- Add chicken pieces, cooking until browned, about 5 minutes
- Add spice and tomato paste mixture, stirring until fragrant
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in yogurt
- Simmer about 5 minutes
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment
- Assemble pizzas: divide chicken tikka masala over each naan bread
- Top each pizza with tomato halves, then cheese
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling
- Garnish pizzas with cilantro or parsely
Notes
Nutrition
Kim
Hi, so i make my own naan. With this recipe should the naan be cooked already or can i add the toppings onto the raw dough and bake?
Tx Kim
Colleen
Hi Kim, For this recipe I used already cooked naan. I haven't tried using raw dough, so I can't advise, but if you do and it works well, I would love to hear back from you and I'll put it in the recipe notes. Enjoy your pizza!
Agness of Run Agness Run
Everyone who knows me well knows that I cannot resist a good pizza recipe. Your recipe is a must-try one, Coleen!
Colleen
Thanks Agness! I feel the same way about pizza!
Ayngelina Brogan
I am SO all over naan pizza, but I never thought to make it with chicken tikka - weekend goals!
Colleen
Ayngelina, right? Hope you give it a try. Have a great weekend!
Jessica
Individual naan pizzas are the best! And I love the idea of using chicken tikka masala. I always have naan in my freezer, so I'm definitely pinning this for future suppers!
Colleen
Hi Jessica! I agree on naan pizzas. You'll love the chicken tikka on them, too. 🙂
Bernice Hill
Homemade pizza is the best and using naan as a base is so quick n easy. I always use chicken thighs and I have NEVER made my own naan but I should!
This post has made me SO hungry Colleen!
Colleen
Hey Bernice! So glad I made you hungry 🙂
Karly
My favorite Indian dish in pizza form? Sign. Me. Up. This looks SO good- perfect for a fun Friday night family dinner!
Colleen
Hey Karly! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, this is a fun family dinner, for sure. I hope you try it! 🙂