I really have no words to describe how delicious this pizza tastes. It was buttery, creamy, spicy, comforting, herby, heaven on earth in my mouth. I think Indian food is one of the most flavourful, aromatic cuisines and every time I make something with all of these delicious spices I just can’t wait to eat it. Sure, there are a lot of ingredients in this dish but it really doesn’t take too long to bring everything together and trust me, it’s worth it!

Yield: Makes 2 naan pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 tbsp Greek yogurt for chicken + ½ tbsp for sauce
• ½ tsp turmeric for chicken + ½ tsp for sauce
• ¼ tsp cumin for chicken + ½ tsp for sauce
• ¼ tsp salt for chicken + ¼ tsp for sauce
• pinch of pepper
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp curry powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 tbsp butter
• ½ of a large shallot (about ¼ cup), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup tomato purée
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp cornstarch slurry (½ tbsp water + ½ tbsp cornstarch, whisked together)
• 1½ tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp caraway seeds
• ¼ cup peas
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 pieces of naan bread (I used 1 package of Stonefire, 250g, all-natural naan)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp of Greek yogurt, ½ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Add the chicken, mix together and let marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.

Mix the chili powder, cinnamon, curry, cayenne and remaining turmeric, cumin and salt for the spice mix for the sauce. Set aside.

Heat the canola oil on medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the chicken and shallots and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium low, remove the chicken and set aside but keep the shallots in the pan. Add the garlic, butter, spice mix, bay leaf, ginger and cook for one minute. Slowly stir in the tomato purée and coconut milk. After about 2 minutes of the sauce simmering, add in the cornstarch slurry, gently stirring until all incorporated. Let the sauce cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes, occasionally stirring until thickened, and then add in the remaining ½ tbsp of yogurt. Let the sauce rest on low heat so it can develop an intense and rich flavour until all the ingredients are ready to be assembled. Remove the bay leaf before adding sauce to pizza.

Rub 1 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle ¼ tsp of the caraway seeds on each piece of naan bread. Bake for 4 minutes in the oven and then remove to add the pizza toppings. Toasting the caraway seeds on the naan beforehand will allow them to release the earthy flavour onto the naan, giving it a little extra ‘zing’ to the pizza and also intensifying the peppery taste of the fresh cilantro with every bite.

Spread the sauce evenly on each piece of naan bread, sprinkle on the cheese, the peas and finally the chicken. Bake in the oven for 6-7 minutes, until the crust is crispy enough to your preference. For this recipe, I like the crust a tad crispier so it can hold the thick butter chicken sauce. Let the pizza rest for a minute before cutting so it has a chance to tighten up and not become a huge pizza mess. Sprinkle on the scallions and cilantro before serving.