The combination of the sweet, spicy peanut sauce, chicken, sweet peppers and a drizzle of sweet chili oil is an amazing combo. It truly is the perfect marriage of Thai food and pizza... two of my favorite foods!
I have been in love with Thai Chicken pizza ever since the first time I tasted a frozen California Pizza Kitchen one several years ago. It's the only frozen pizza I have a hard time sharing with anyone else.
Or at least, I did! I was so sad the day I realized they stopped making it (or at least, they stopped selling it in any of the grocery stores in my area... do you still have it in yours?).
Anyways, since the closest CPK restaurant is over 2 hours away I just haven't been able to get my fix. I still find myself looking in the frozen pizza aisle every time I go to the grocery store... even though it has been a few years since I have seen it there!
I have been missing those sweet, spicy flavors for way too long... and now that I've found the perfect pizza crust, I decided it was time to get down to business!
Now, you've probably seen a few Thai Chicken pizza recipes floating around lately, or maybe you even tried the one that Papa Murphy's had a little while ago... But if there's no peanut sauce on that pizza, it's just not the same thing!
Thai Chicken Pizza with Peanut Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
pizza dough*
for the sauce (makes enough to sauce 2 pizzas!):
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic chili paste or chili oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger)
2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
for each pizza:
1-2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped cashews or peanuts
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons sweet chili oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven (and your pizza stone) to 500ºF. *See my Perfect Pizza Dough recipe for more directions on making your own restaurant-style dough!
In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth and combined. If it's too thick, you can add a touch of hot water to thin it out. Taste and adjust the seasonings to taste. (Remember, the flavors of the pizza toppings will round out the peanut sauce flavor!). Toss the chicken with a few tablespoons of the sauce and set aside.
Shape your dough into a large round. (If you'd like, brush a little bit of olive oil around the edge for the crust). Spread some of the sauce onto the center of the pizza. Sprinkle 1 cup or so of the shredded mozzarella over the sauce. Sprinkle the chicken, onion & pepper evenly over the top. (You can also add some shredded carrots here too... Yum!).
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top (as much as you'd like!) and place onto your baking stone in the preheated and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.
When the pizza is done to your liking, remove from the oven and top with the fresh chopped herbs, the chopped nuts and drizzle lightly with the sweet chili oil.
Slice and serve!
