Chicken Chorizo and Chilli Pizza

With the weekend nearing again, why not try this chicken, chorizo and chilli pizza recipe for a delicious treat. Pizza is definitely a favourite in my household and in the past, I have spent lots of money on ready prepared pizzas.

One day when I had some spare time on my hands, I decided that I would make a pizza from scratch. I love cheddar cheese and most ready prepared pizzas use mozzarella so I got myself all excited at the thought of having a pizza covered with cheddar.

During my research on pizza making, I discovered that it was not ideal to use cheddar alone on my pizza due to how it melts but I did discover small amounts can be used without affecting the quality of the pizza so I decided I could make my special pizza with a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. I also love Red Leicester cheese and the colour is amazing so opted to use it along with cheddar and mozzarella. 

In my practices with different topping I created this pizza recipe which is my ultimate pizza recipe. The first time I perfected this recipe, I was over the moon. My family were all asking me to make it again the following day. I did refuse as I had spent so much time trying to perfect my recipe that I was positive that I didn’t want to see another pizza for at least a month.

This chicken, chorizo and chilli pizza is absolutely delicious and is now one of my favourite recipes. Give it a try and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. The recipe is easier than you think and you’ll be a perfect pizza maker in no time.

The Chicken

• For this recipe, it is easier to begin with the preparation of the chicken. It gives you time to bake, cool and slice the chicken before it is needed.
• The chicken is seasoned for flavour which makes this pizza even more delicious. If you prefer you can even purchase ready prepared chicken breast which is already sliced.

The Pizza Sauce

• The recipe includes the pizza sauce and again you can purchase pizza sauce or use ready prepared passata. I do recommend making the sauce from scratch to get the best tasting pizza. The sauce can be prepared in around 10 minutes.

The Pizza Dough

• I use a stand mixer when making pizza dough but it is easily done by hand.
• Warm water is needed to activate the yeast so ensure the water is around 38C/100F. If you don’t have a thermometer and you are unsure of the right temperature then mix 100ml of boiling water with 200ml of cold water and then measure out the 260ml needed for the dough.
• When the dough is rising ensure the room is not too cold. In the winter, you may have to turn on your home heating to ensure the dough rises.
• If you’re using a pizza platter/pan ensure it is a minimum of 12 inches for this recipe.

The Additional Toppings

• For the cheeses, I use grated mozzarella, cheddar cheese and red Leicester. The combination of these 3 cheeses give the pizza a delicious rich flavour.
• Mozzarella is an Italian cheese that is commonly used on pizza.
• Cheddar cheese is an English hard cheese with a sometimes-sharp taste. It comes in mild, medium or mature flavours and is the most popular cheese consumed in the UK. It is not often used on pizzas but can be used on pizza in small quantities.
• Red Leicester is an English cheese that is very similar to cheddar cheese but is orange in colour unlike cheddar which tends to be more of an off-white colour. The reason for its colour is due to annatto extract being added to it during its production.
• I used Chorizo for this recipe but you can use pepperoni instead.
• If you don’t eat pork, you can purchase turkey chorizo as a good substitute.
• Birds eye chillies are small chilli peppers that have a pointed end and are either red or green. They are fairly hot but have delicious flavour. If spicy foods are not your thing then you can use chopped bell peppers instead.

Ingredients for Chicken Chorizo and Chilli Pizza

Chicken

• 1 small chicken breast fillet
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon onion powder/granules
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic granules/powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Pizza Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ onion (finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 200g tinned tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Pizza base

• 400g strong bread flour
• 2 tsps salt
• 2 tsps caster sugar
• 1 sachet of fast action dried yeast (7g)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 260ml warm water

Additional toppings

• 160g grated mozzarella
• 30g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
• 30g red Leicester cheese (grated)
• 40g chorizo slices
• 20g birds eye chillies (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (to drizzle)
• 10 fresh basil leaves

How to Make Chicken Chorizo and Chilli Pizza

Prepare the chicken

1. For the chicken breast fillet. Place the fillet into a zip lock bag and to the bag also add the salt, onion powder, paprika, garlic granules, black pepper, soy sauce and olive oil. Close the bag and shake it around to ensure all the seasonings coat the chicken and then place the bag in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/400^oF/200^oC and bake the chicken for 18 minutes. Once baked set aside to cool then chop into small cubes.

Prepare the tomato sauce

2. For the marinara. In a small saucepan add the olive oil and warm on a low heat. Add the chopped onions and chopped garlic then lightly fry until slightly brown. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, dried basil, dried oregano, sugar and salt then stir to combine all the ingredients. Allow to simmer for around 4 minutes then remove from heat, cover and set aside to cool.

Prepare the pizza dough

3. To a stand mixer bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar, olive and yeast then whisk. Pour in the warm water and mix on a medium setting using the dough hook until it comes together in a ball.

4. Pour the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film (plastic wrap). Allow the dough to rise for around 1 hour in a warm area.

5. While the dough is rising, grease a pizza platter or a baking tray with olive oil and set aside. Once the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to gas mark 8/450^oF/230^oC. Punch the dough to release any air then divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and freeze half the dough in a freezer bag for when needed.

6. Use your hands and shape the other half of the dough into a circle. Push and pull the dough outwards in the shape of a circle to stretch the dough. This step can be done by rolling out the dough with a rolling pin. Ensure it is as thin as possible then lift and place the dough onto the pizza plater or baking tray.

Assemble the pizza

7. Spoon on the pizza sauce and use the spoon to spread it evenly around the dough’s surface. Sprinkle on the mozzarella then sprinkle on the cheddar and red leicester cheese. Add the chorizo, chopped chicken and bird’s eye chillies ensuring they are even distributed around the pizza. Drizzle on a tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake the pizza

8. Bake the pizza for 12 - 15 minutes or until the crust goes golden brown. Remove from the oven and add the basil leaves then serve.

Nutrition

Calories	Fat	Saturates	Carbs
286kcal	14.3g	5.8g	22.4g
Sugars	Fibre	Protein	Salt
4.7g	1.5g	17.0g	0.9g

Storage

Store any leftover pizza in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat the pizza in an oven for around 10 minutes or microwave for 2 minutes. Reheat pizza thoroughly throughout when reheating.

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