Peri Peri Chicken Pizza.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's taken me an entire week to write this post.

Simply because, this was the first full week of work after Ramadan and Eid, and honestly, we are all still getting back into our normal routine.

So, if you like me, have been feeling very unproductive post-Ramadan, try to slow down and recharge those batteries. Get your priorities right and into to-do lists and see how things go.
And on the food front, treat yourself to a homemade pizza. Especially if like mine, it has peri peri chicken on it!

I've included a homemade marinade for the chicken in this recipe but if you don't have time, feel free to use a ready-made one. I did just that the first time I baked it and the pizza was amazing. Have a wonderful weekend!
Pizza, previously: spicy korean bbq chicken pizza // smoky chicken tikka pizza // bbq chicken pizza

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Pizza Dough:

1. Warm Water
2. Dried Yeast
3. Plain Flour
4. Salt
5. Sugar
6. Olive Oil

For the Peri Peri Chicken:

1. Olive Oil
2. Malt Vinegar
3. Salt
4. Paprika
5. Dried Oregano
6. Black Pepper
7. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
8. Peri Peri Sauce
9. Garlic
10. Green Chillies
11. Pickled Peppers
12. Lemon

12. Chicken Breast Pieces

For the Peri Peri Pizza Sauce:
1. Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
2. Salt
3. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
4. Sugar
5. Balsamic Vinegar
6. Peri Peri Sauce

Toppings:
1. Cheddar
2. Dried Oregano
3. Fresh Coriander

Bismillah, let's begin!

First job, make the pizza dough. If you haven't got the time or the energy, use ready-made. Otherwise, take 145 ml Warm Water.

And, some dried yeast. Make sure that it's not out-of-date!

Add 1 teaspoon Dried Yeast to the warm water.

Give it a quick stir.

Cover with clingfilm and leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, grab a big bowl.

Add in 260 grams Plain Flour.

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

Next, grab the olive oil.

Pour in 1 tablespoon Olive Oil.

Next, you can do this by hand or use a machine.


Using a dough hook ...

... give everything a stir.

Meanwhile, ten minutes should have passed and the yeast should be all bubbly.

With the machine running on low, pour in the yeast water in stages.

You may not need all of it so it's best to add the yeast in slowly.

Keep adding in ...

... until a rough dough ball has formed.

Let the machine knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl.

Cover tightly with clingfilm.

And, cover with a tea-towel to help keep the dough warm. Leave the bowl in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

You can make the marinade in a blender or food processor, if you wish. I made it in a bowl and blended with a stick blender.

Side-note: If you are feeling extra lazy, skip the marinade and just use a peri peri marinade from the supermarket. There's no judgement from me - it's what I did the first time I baked this pizza!


Whenever you're going to blend something, begin with the liquids. It makes everything blend so much easier.

Let's begin by pouring in 4 tablespoons Olive Oil into our bowl / food processor.

Followed by 2 tablespoons Malt Vinegar.

Malt vinegar is the kind you would shake over your chips!


Next, the dry seasonings.

1 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Paprika

2 teaspoons Dried Oregano


1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper


Next, red chilli. We buy dried red chillies and grind them at home!

Add in 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes.


Next, peri peri sauce/marinade. Use any brand you like!

Squeeze in 3 tablespoons Peri Peri Sauce.


Next, the fresh things!

3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Green Chillies, roughly chopped


Next, pickled peppers!


I am obsessed with these things! They're slightly spicy and are preserved in the best pickle. You can leave them out or substitute with a bell pepper.

I added in 3 Pickled Peppers.

And, I almost forgot! Squeeze in the Juice of 1/2 Lemon.

Our marinade is ready to blend. If you're doing this in a food processor, give it a whiz until smooth!

I used a stick blender and blended until smooth.

The marinade is done so time to add the chicken.

This marinade would be great with fish, lamb or beef too. I went with chicken and threw in 1 pound (500 grams) Chicken Breast Pieces.

Stir and leave to marinade for a few hours. To be honest though, I cooked mine straight away and it was perfectly fine!

To cook the chicken, I used a grill pan but a normal frying pan would be fine too. Heat a grill pan over a high heat. Brush it with a little Vegetable Oil.

Place the chicken onto the hot pan in a single layer. Save any extra marinade for later!

Set a timer for 1 minute and do not touch the chicken!

Once the timer goes off, turn the chicken and set a timer again for 1 minute.

After the minute, turn the heat right down.

Cover with a lid or a piece of foil and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes until completely cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked ...

... gather the pieces into the middle of the pan.

Add the extra marinade on to the chicken.

Give it a good toss.

Let the chicken get all smoky until the marinade is well cooked and heated through - a few minutes!


Remove the chicken onto a plate and let it cool a little.


Slice the chicken up and let it cool completely. The chicken will be quite spicy at this point but once on the pizza, everything will balance itself out.

Whilst the chicken cools, stir up a peri peri pizza sauce. Into a bowl, place:
130 grams Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
Pinch of Sugar
A few drops of Balsamic Vinegar
4 tablespoons Peri Peri Sauce


I used a lemon and herb one but any will do!

Stir up and the sauce is done! Taste and adjust as needed.

Once the dough has risen and the chicken is cool, we're ready to assemble and bake our pizza.
Before doing anything, get the oven on to 220C / Gas Mark 7.

Take a 13 inch (34 cm) round pizza tray and roll the dough out to fit it.

Spoon over the peri peri pizza sauce.

And, spread!

Place on the peri peri chicken.

Then, sprinkle on 200 grams Cheddar, grated. You can use more or less, if you wish.

Sprinkle with Dried Oregano, to taste.

Before finishing with Fresh Coriander, to taste.

Bake for 15 minutes at 220C / Gas Mark 7 until the base is golden underneath and the cheese has melted and is bubbling.

Let it cool slightly before slicing!

Serve with your favourite sauces. I made my new favourite green sauce which I'll be sharing soon!

I hope this pizza makes it to your next pizza night!

Full Written Recipe:

Peri Peri Chicken Pizza.

Prep Time: About 1 hour + 15 minutes.

Bake Time: About 15 minutes.

Serves: Slices into 8 large slices.

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough

145 ml Warm Water

1 teaspoon Dried Yeast

260 grams Plain Flour

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

For the Peri Peri Chicken

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Malt Vinegar

1 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Paprika

2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

½ teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes

3 tablespoons Peri Peri Sauce

3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Green Chillies, roughly chopped

3 Pickled Peppers

Juice of ½ Lemon

1 pound (500 grams) Chicken Breast Pieces

Peri Peri Pizza Sauce

130 grams Tinned Chopped Tomatoes

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Crushed Red Chilli Flakes

Pinch of Sugar

A few drops Balsamic Vinegar

4 tablespoons Peri Peri Sauce

Toppings

200 grams Cheddar, grated

Dried Oregano, to taste

Fresh Coriander, to taste

Method

To make the pizza dough, stir the warm water and yeast together in a jug. Cover with clingfilm and leave for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the plain flour, salt, sugar and olive oil. Stir.

Slowly, add the yeast water and mix by hand or with an electric dough hook until a rough dough ball forms. Knead the ball for a few minutes longer until it is smooth.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

To marinade the peri peri chicken, take a food processor or a bowl and a stick blender. Into the bowl, place everything except the chicken. Blend until smooth and then stir in the chicken. Marinade for a few hours or use straight away.

To cook the peri peri chicken, heat a grill pan over a high heat. Brush it with a little vegetable oil. Place the chicken on in a single layer and brown for 1 minute on either side. Save the excess marinade in the bowl.

Then, cover the chicken with a lid or a piece of foil and turn the heat right down. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is done.

Once cooked, add the excess marinade from the bowl and toss. Let the marinade heat through completely.

Then, remove the chicken from the heat and cool completely before slicing into bite-size pieces.

To make the peri peri pizza sauce, simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Before assembling the pizza, pre-heat the oven to 220C / Gas Mark 7.

To assemble the pizza, take a 13 inch (34 cm) round pizza tray. Roll the pizza dough to fit the tray and place it onto the tray.

Spread the peri peri pizza sauce over the base. Then, place on the chicken, grated Cheddar, dried oregano and fresh coriander.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the base is golden underneath and the cheese has melted and is bubbling.

To serve, cool slightly and slice!

This Time One Year Ago:

hoisin chicken wraps with sweetcorn + cucumber salsa

This Time Two Years Ago:

driving tests + couscous + milkshakes

This Time Three Years Ago:
watermelon granita

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your pizza,

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!