Chicken Enchilada Pizza

So the hubbs has already “decided” which chocolate chip cookie recipe is going to win our ongoing chocolate chip cookie bake-off. He’s convinced that no recipe is going to beat the NYT recipe we’ve been loving since the beginning. Now, I’m determined to beat it and am up to my eyeballs in cookie dough today. Should have the next round of cookies up for you tomorrow. Any recipes you’d suggest I should try to challenge his favorite?

Anyway, on to the pizza. This is definitely a non-traditional “Mexican” recipe for this week, but it fits right in with the pizza obsession that we have at this house. The recipe idea comes from Jessica at How Sweet It Is. Love her blog by the way. Pretty sure I want to make almost every recipe she posts!

The toppings here are exactly what you would expect. Mexican seasonings, onions, bell peppers, enchilada sauce. Unlike many pizzas, the veggies in the topping are sauteed prior to topping the pizza. I love this for two reasons. First, the cook time softens the onions so you don’t get that harsh raw onion bite. Second, the cook time pulls out some of the water from the veggies avoiding soggy pizza slices later. For the crust, I swapped in my own homemade whole wheat version that we’ve been loving lately. The recipe is so easy, and it makes 3 pizza crusts at once (freeze the extras!). I’ll get it posted here at some point! My only other advice. Don’t forget the extra toppings after baking. 🙂 Enjoy!

(Printable Recipes)

Chicken Enchilada Pizza
Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat pizza crust (homemade or purchased)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (or other colored pepper)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 to 1 cup enchilada sauce
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
6 oz. Monterey jack cheese, freshly grated
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 avocado, thinly sliced
sour cream or plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a pizza stone in the oven while it preheats. If you do not have a pizza stone, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add olive oil. Add onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, and garlic to the skillet with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, green chiles, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Stir to coat and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

If using a pizza stone, roll out the dough on a pizza peel or parchment paper. If using a baking sheet, you can roll out the dough directly on the baking sheet. Spread about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the pizza dough. Add a small sprinkle of cheese. Top with the chicken and vegetable mixture. Cover evenly with the remaining cheese. If using the pizza stone, transfer the dough to the hot stone from the oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. If using a baking sheet, bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. Drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce if desired and top with sour cream or Greek yogurt.