Tasty Mexican Chicken Pizza

It’s time to finally start twisting the pizza recipe a tiny bit. Let’s have some fun with it today. This is a really good recipe for those of you that aren’t scared by an unusual recipe idea. It’s not the Mexican pizza they sell in restaurants, though. It’s an actual pizza, but Mexican style.

Now, there are a couple of different things you can play around with once you get familiar with this recipe, which is something I enjoy quite a bit. The freedom and spontaneity this dish allows for is great! You can replace the chicken with any other meat you prefer, you can replace the sauce with any other Mexican-style sauce, or you can add and subtract anything else on here to switch things up a little bit. I swear that I’ve made this dozens of times and there are still a bunch of things I haven’t gotten around to trying yet. I’ve got a great recipe for the sauce if you want it homemade. Either way, I’ll include it below the pizza recipe.

What you’ll need:

2 cups chipotle ranch dressing (recipe below)
1 store-bought pizza crust
1 bag of pre-cooked store-bought refrigerated chicken
1 green bell pepper (diced)
3 cups of shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 cup or diced onion

Preparation:

First, you’re going to lay the pizza crust on a flat surface. Then, you’ll take a VERY SMALL amount of the sauce and spread it out over the crust. (You don’t want to do too much of the sauce because it’s so tangy, unlike a pizza sauce. So, start out by doing way less than you think should go on there and you can always drizzle more over the top later.) Next, place the chicken in even amounts over the top and sprinkle the bell pepper and onion on top of that. Now, it’s the cheese that piles onto that stuff. Now, I say this in almost every recipe I write, but I use more cheese than this all the time. You can give or take some cheese if you’d like, but just know that you can’t mess this recipe up with more or less of it. Bake in the oven for about ten minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and serve with the rest of the chipotle ranch in the middle of the table for those who want to add more.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing:

What You’ll Need:

1 pack of Ranch dressing mix (I use Hidden Valley, but there’s tons out there.)
2 cups of sour cream (one time I tried to combine this and the ranch by buying the chip dip ranch dressing, …let’s just say you shouldn’t make that mistake.)
2 tablespoons of lime juice (and you can add a teaspoon of lemon if you’d like, too)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
3 tablespoons of chipotle peppers (use a food processor to puree it.)

Preparation:

First, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and mix on a chop setting until everything is diced up (you don’t have to add chopped ingredients this way.) Then, use a wooden spoon to get everything off the sides of the food processor and back into the mix. Stir it around a little bit until everything is together again and put the lid back on. (It’s important that every little thing in this sauce is actually in the sauce and not just on the sides of your food processor. It’s not a large dish or anything, so each flavor is pretty important.) Now, switch your processor to a finer setting and mix everything for about a minute or until it becomes a sauce. Throw it in the fridge or some ice and let it cool for about a half hour and then serve. Enjoy!