Every time we head into town to see a play or musical, we always try to pick a new restaurant for dinner. There are some great dives and food trucks downtown, so it’s always fun to try something new. Recently, we went into town to see Mama Mia and stopped by a great little Indian-Italian pizzeria. I was so impressed by the fusion between the Indian and Italian cuisines that I immediately knew that I wanted to try it myself.
This tandoori chicken pizza is made with marinated tandoori chicken, cheese, and a homemade cilantro-mint chutney served on a large piece of fluffy naan bread.
When testing this pizza recipe, I actually tripled the amount of tandoori chicken so that I could have some of the spiced chicken for lunch and dinner the next day as well. Tandoori chicken is great to put on the barbecue or serve alongside some spicy cashew rice (one of my favorite side dishes!).
I made the cilantro-mint chutney using herbs from my little backyard garden. After getting fed up with constantly buying parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, and rosemary from the grocery store that only last a week, I built two planters and filled them with herbs and vegetables. Now, I have so many herbs that I’m giving baskets of them away to family and friends. However, I love always having fresh herbs on hand.
Plus, I think they are much stronger in flavor than the ones that come in the little plastic packages in the grocery store.
Even though I have more herbs and strawberries than I know what to do with, I’m still waiting on my first tomatoes to ripen. Today is the first day that I’ve seen even a hint of a blush color. Knowing our luck, they probably won’t turn red until we are a few weeks into our road trip.
Oh well, I’ll just have to make a tomato recipe the first day we’re back!
Recipe Card
Tandoori Chicken Pizza with a Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Ingredients
For the Cilantro-Mint Chutney:
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
- ½ cup light packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced, seeds and veins removed
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
For the Tandoori Chicken Marinade:
- 1 cups Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger, grated
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 9 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Other:
- 4 large pieces of naan (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 (14oz.) can artichoke hearts, quartered
- ½ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Mint-Cilantro Chutney:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready for use, up to 2 days.
Tandoori Chicken Marinade:
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, allspice, garam masala, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and Thai red curry paste. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the chicken thighs to two zip-top bags. Pour half of the marinade into each bag, seal the tops, then shake the bags until the chicken thighs are well-coated in marinade. Refrigerate for 24 hours, shaking the bags occasionally to redistribute the marinade.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a roasting rack on top. Place the chicken thighs onto the rack, making sure the chicken pieces don't touch. Brush any remaining marinade over the chicken.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before assembling the pizza.
Assembling the pizza:
- Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
- Top each piece of naan with a few tablespoons of the cilantro-mint chutney, and the desired amounts of shredded mozzarella, artichoke hearts, and tandoori chicken.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove the pizzas from the oven and garnish with cilantro. Slice and enjoy!
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