This month I have a few new recipes that take a few extra steps to make. With the news cycle constantly spewing out insane inhumanity it can get very depressing, I can’t imagine the despair the Ukrainian people are going through. amongst all the pain there is so much goodness, generosity, courage and kindness that is so inspirational. Cooking meals that take time feels very cozy in times like this, at least to me. Even though I have plenty on my plate, long hours in the kitchen is not something Im in a mood for, but cooking, feeding are some of the acts i feel comforted and when something makes me sad and depressed I find calm in feeding.
Like I said this recipe is a bit time consuming even though we are not making the pizza dough. We will be making the base tikka masala sauce and toppings from scratch. I promise it will be worth your time. The sauce and toppings if made extra will easily double as next day’s meal. The basic naan recipe has been an Indian household favorite base for pizza and it works really well. Now that we get pretty awesome store-bough ones it makes the whole process that much easy. For the sauce it’s a quick shortcut method for tikka masala. The two toppingsI chose perfectly compliment each other adding a veggie and protein for a balanced meal. Use the same marinade to make tofu tikka for vegan or vegetarian option. Ive made tofu tikka topping several times and it turns out just as delicious. For the cauliflower, finely chop the cauliflower, pan sautéed on a skillet for crispy bits and grill the chicken on the same skillet or preheated oven, the marinade adds an amazing bold flavor that takes the pizza over the top. If this is you’re weekly meal prep I highly recommend make extra chicken, it tastes better the next day and is very versatile to use in salads, sandwiches or bowls.
Tikka Masala Naan Pizza
Equipment
- Skillet
- Oven
Ingredients
- 4-6 Plain or Whole grain Naan, store-bought or homemade
- 1 small or ½ medium cauliflower, broken into small pieces
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast or tenders you may not need all of it, save the rest for snack or sandwiches once cooked
- 8 ounce fresh low moisture mozzarella
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalepeno, sliced optional
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Tikka Marinade
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon mild smoked paprika or Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder, or use less for milder flavor
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- salt and pepper as needed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Masala Pizza Sauce
- 2 cups tomato sauce, I like bottled passata or 14 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Â inch piece ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves also called  Kasuri methi optional
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon sugar to balance the flavors
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Start by marinating the chicken. Mix all the ingredients for the chicken and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge if you have the time.
- Heat butter or oil in a sauce pan to make the sauce. Add the garlic, ginger and sauté for a minute until fragrant. Now add the tomato sauce, garam masala, sugar, chili powder and cook until some of the moisture has evaporated. For pizza you’ll need a slightly thick sauce. Season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the fenugreek leaves if using. Heat through and set aside.
- Chop the cauliflower into small bite sized pieces and onions thinly. Set the onions aside.
- Heat a skillet with oil and pan fry/saute the cauliflower until they start to get crispy golden bits. Cook the cauliflower until tender sautéing occasionally. Set aside.
- Grill the marinated chicken in a preheated oven or on a hot skillet until cooked through about 5-8 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the breasts. Chop the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.
- Warm the naan on at a time on a very hot skillet for 2 minutes on each side.
- Transfer on a kitchen board. Place a warmed naan spread about ¼-1/3 cup sauce evenly leaving out 1/2 inch of the edges. Place 2-3 sliced mozzarella to cover the naan, it need not cover the entire surface. Spread about 3-4 tablespoons of sautéed cauliflower and chopped tikka chicken.
- ransfer the pizza naan into the oven so the cheese melts and everything heats through. Serve garnished with sliced onions and cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- The chicken tikka maybe more than what you’ll need for the pizza. The left over tikka makes an excellent sandwich filler or snack.
- Both regular or wholewheat store-bought naan work in this recipe. Whole wheat is slightly healthier.Â
- Add cayenne depending on how spicy or mild you want the pizza. ½ teaspoon is mild.Â
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