Butter Chicken Pizza: Garam Masala Tuesdays

This is going to be a very short post. My head’s not being supportive today, but I do want to make sure I get a GMT post out on Tuesday.

Today’s GMT is not really indian but more fusion food. Its amazing how we Indians have “indianized” almost all cuisines possibles and I have to say while I cringe on americanization of Indian cuisine I do love indian flavors in some of my favorite cuisines- Indian chinese FTW! Today I am Indianizing (is that a word?) an italian classic- pizza! Cringe all you want but its so good!

If you remember I have done this before. Remember the chicken tikka pizza from the blog? One of my friends tried it and this is what she had to say. Today I am posting a butter chicken pizza recipe. If you love butter chicken you will love this.

One of my childhood friends was coming to Dallas and initially I had planned to make dinner at home. The plan changed to appetizers and drinks at home and dinner outside. Since I had already prepped everything for butter chicken- made the makhani sauce, marinated the chicken and got naans from the store I decided instead of making butter chicken why don’t I make butter chicken naan pizza and serve it as an appetizer. My friend loved it and so did we!

The difference between this butter chicken naan pizza and the chicken tikka pizza I have posted earlier lies in the sauce and also the base.

The butter chicken sauce is more creamy and is more complex in terms of flavor even though it has more or less the same spices. Instead of using regular pizza base (this Peter Reinhart pizza dough recipe is the one I use when I make homemade pizza), I used store bought Garlic Naan. So easy!

Butter Chicken Pizza: Garam Masala Tuesdays

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Author: Shumaila

Recipe type: Appetizer, Main

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the makhani sauce (can be made ahead and frozen)

• 3 medium sized tomatoes
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted (skin peeled and seeds removed)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 tbsp butter (add more if you feel like- the more the tastier the results)
• 2 inch stick of cinnamon
• 1 black cardamoms
• 3-4 small green cardamoms
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds
• 2-3 tbsp cashew paste
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi
• 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste

For the chicken tikka (marinate and keep for 2 hours before grilling)

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (for the pictures I used breast meat but I always get better results with thighs)
• 4-5 tbsp yogurt/sour cream (if using yogurt I generally strain it to thicken it and remove extra water)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (squeeze excess moisture by pressing it between your hands)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp oil (if you have access to mustard oil that would be best else any vegetable oil will do)
• 2 tbsp gram flour/besan (helps the marinade stick to the chicken)
• ½ tbsp red chilli powder (or to your preference)
• 1 tsp kasoori methi (crushed between the palms of your hand)
• 1 tbsp fried onion paste (or if you are lazy 1 tsp onion powder)
• red food coloring (I leave it out but if you want to mimic restaurant style then please add)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder

For pizzas:

• Store bough garlic naans or whole wheat naans
• Mix of Shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
• Makhani sauce
• Grilled chicken tikkas
• Sliced onion rings
• Cilantro for garnish
• Bell peppers
• Green chillies, for added spice

Instructions

For the chicken tikka:

1. Remove any moisture on the chicken pieces. Make few shallow cuts on the chicken thighs- this helps the marination to penetrate better.
2. Mix all the ingredients listed under the marinade except for the chicken. Season the marinade and adjust the seasoning if required.
3. Add the chicken and let marinate for at least two hours, or overnight. Make Makhani sauce.
4. Grill chicken occasionally basting with oil or butter. I generally broil the chicken on a baking tray lined with foil and cook on each side for about 8 minutes, basting it with melted butter/oil and then turning it over and broiling for another 6-8 minutes or till cooked. You can also bake them for 15 minutes, turning them over in a preheated 425 F oven.
5. Chop the cooked thighs into smaller pieces. And keep aside.

For the Makhani sauce:

1. Boil the tomatoes with the ginger, cashews and garlic. Then churn with the roasted red bell pepper in a blender.
2. Heat butter in a pan and add the whole spices- cinnamon, green and black cardamom and methi seeds. Once the seeds start to sizzle, saute the green chillies in it. Add the onions and cook till translucent. Add the tomato puree. Cook the gravy well, till the oil separates. Add in the kasoori methi and the paste to give the gravy some red color. You can add some butter and cream once the gravy is cooked to give it a richer taste. Once cool, churn in the blender to make a smoother sauce. This sauce can be frozen and kept and should keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

For the pizzas:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place a pizza stone or baking tray in the oven.
3. Slather a dob of butter on the naan.
4. Spread makhani sauce.
5. Add the chicken tikka, and veggies.
6. Top with cheese and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, till cheese on top is melted and slightly browned.
7. Cut into slices and serve.

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