The coming weekend is President’s Day weekend. Most schools in Phoenix are closed on President’s Day, so that means hungry kids at home. There are two things that are almost irresistible to any school age kid in the present generation. Yes, you guessed it right. Nintendo DS (and its many variations) and PIZZA!!!!! If Moms succeed in introducing some educational games into their kids’ DS and sneak in a couple of vegetables in their pizzas, it would be mission accomplished. I am not so sure about the DS part, but I do have a couple of ideas how to make the kids’ pizza delicious and healthier.
I am posting the recipe for a different kind of pizza with toppings that range from fresh grilled chicken tikka and Indian cottage cheese or paneer. Both are a very good source of lean proteins that kids need. Also throw in a few slices of bell peppers, onions and tomatoes and it gets healthier. Vegetarians can skip the chicken and add tofu or mushrooms along with paneer. Right now, in Phoenix there are deals on red and green bells peppers and boneless, skinless chicken in Sprouts and Basha’s. Both Fresh & Easy and Fry’s have pasta sauces on sale. You also get very good fresh pizza dough in Fresh & Easy. You can get paneer from any Indian grocery store like Lee Lee or Little India. So stock up on these items and make fresh home made pizza for the little ones when they run around the house this weekend.
Chicken tikka and paneer pizza
Ingredients (for chicken tikka marinade)
- ½ lb skinless boneless chicken (thigh or breast)
- ½ tsp salt
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tsp tandoori chicken masala
Ingredients (for pizza)
- 1 large pizza dough (frozen or fresh)
- 1 cup pasta sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend
- ½ cup bell peppers (cut into 1” pieces)
- ½ cup onions (cut into 1” slices)
- ½ cup paneer cubes (or raw paneer cut into 2” pieces)
- A few slices of fresh tomato
- 1 tsp olive oil
Method
Cut the chicken into 3” long strips and marinate overnight with the chicken marinade. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place chicken strips 2” apart. Brush each piece with a little olive oil. Bake chicken for 7 minutes. Take out the tray from oven, turn each chicken strip over and bake for an additional 3 minutes. Pierce to make sure the chicken is well cooked and the juices run clear. Now set the oven on broil and place the baking tray on the top rack. Let the chicken sizzle for 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on them through the oven window. They should have a little char marks but not burn. Turn off the oven, remove the chicken strips on to a bowl and discard the foil. You can also do this a day before and refrigerate the chicken tikkas.
Heat oven to 375 F. Lightly dust a pizza pan with flour and place the pizza dough on it. Use a pastry brush to smear some olive oil over the dough. Bake the pizza dough in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Take out the warm pizza dough from the oven and spread the pasta sauce all over it. Place the onions, bell peppers, chicken strips, paneer and other toppings on the pizza. Sprinkle the cheese all over the toppings. Now put the pizza back in the oven. Let it bake till the cheese bubbles and the onions and bell peppers are caramelized (7-8 minutes). Slice into wedges and serve hot.
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