I love Chinese food, and there is something magical about stir-frying. Add some oil in a wok, bring the temperature to high, and place any meat or vegetable you like in it. You can be sure that it will come out delicious! My favorite ones include chow-mein, spicy chicken, beef with broccoli, and fried shrimp. Today, we are focusing on spicy stir-fry chicken, which is a quick and delicious meal that you can serve with noodles or rice. With a touch of soy sauce and ginger, it turns into a festive plate. However, I had enough noodles and steamed rice lately (that’s not really possible) and wanted to create something new.
On a side note, another cuisine that I like very much is Italian. I always enjoy blending different ethnic foods into one plate. So, I decided to combine stir-fried chicken and crispy pizza in one single dish and came up with this recipe; Spicy stir-fry chicken pizza. To me, it turned out super tasty. I hope you like it too. Be aware that this pizza has the potential to become one of your classics if you like Asian food.
What tools you will need:
If you like stir-fried meat and vegetables, you definitely need a quality wok in your kitchen cabinet. It is a quick and easy way to prepare tasty food at home. All it takes is a few tablespoons of oil in the pan, and you can prepare any meat or vegetable within minutes. Here is a great 14-inch Wok from Kenmore Hammond Flat. It sells like bread and butter for a good reason. Made from carbon steel, this handy wok retains and distributes heat evenly, which is the most important thing when making stir-fry. Notice that it comes with acacia wood handles that resist heat and provide an ergonomic grip for your safety and comfort. Even better, you can have a complete non-toxic cooking experience since the nonstick coating of the wok is PTFE and PFOA free.
Additionally, it is best if you get yourself a quality pizza stone whether you use a pan or not. There are many options out there, but some stones can crack easily at high temperatures. Here is a special one for you; Cast Elegance Theramite pizza stone. If you are looking for durability and convenience, look no more. This pizza stone is extra durable that it can stand up to very high temperatures. You do not need to worry that it would crack. Besides, it absorbs dough moisture to make the perfect crispy crust. Thanks to its special engineering and design, you can make restaurant quality pizza at home. So, I recommend baking without a pan if you get one of these for yourself.
Spicy Stir-Fry Chicken Pizza Recipe
This spicy chicken stir-fry pizza recipe has the potential to become your easy go-to dinner! It is a combination of the best of both worlds; Chinese cuisine meets Italian. We will top the pizza with stir-fried chicken breasts (or thighs if you like). You can either prepare them yourself or order takeout. I added a quick recipe below. Stir-frying is basically is a technique where we fry ingredients with vegetable oil at a high temperature. I consider it as amplified sautéing. Eventually, the cooking time is pretty short. Please keep in mind that you should toss and stir the chickens continuously so that you don’t burn them.
Moreover, we are making the pizza sauce from scratch with freshly pureed tomatoes. I recommend you start with the pizza sauce first so that it has time to cool down before spreading it on the crust. Alternatively, you can also purchase ready-made pizza sauce if that is too much work for you.
Spicy Stir-Fry Chicken Pizza
Course: MainCuisine: Italian, AsianDifficulty: Easy8
servings1
hour20
minutes1
hour20
minutesIngredients
- Pizza dough
3 cups pizza flour (you can also use bread flour)
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
- Sauce
4 -large tomatoes, pureed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon pepper paste
1 tablespoon bbq sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
- Stir-fried chicken topping
1 pound (454 g) grilled chicken breast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (use your favorite one)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon hot sauce (your preference)
- Other toppings
12 Oz (340 g) mozzarella cheese, grated
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
7 Oz. (200 g) mushrooms
3 tablespoons corn kernels
3 tablespoons pickled sweet cucumbers
Directions
- Making the pizza dough
- Place the pizza flour into a large bowl.
- Add the lukewarm milk, sugar, and yeast.
- Stir and let the mixture get foamy for a minute.
- Add the olive oil and start kneading with a spatula or by hand.
- Once the dough starts to develop, add salt and continue to knead for a few minutes more. Your goal is to attain a slightly sticky and soft dough.
- Cover the dough bowl and set it aside for thirty minutes.
- Transfer the dough onto the dusted counter.
- Roll the dough into a round pizza shape, and place it in the oil-brushed pan.
- Let it rest for another 30 minutes before adding sauce and toping.
- Preheat the oven to the highest setting.
- Stir-fry chicken
- In a small bowl, combine one teaspoon of cornstarch, one teaspoon of hot sauce. Blend well.
- Cut the chicken breast into small size cubes, preferably bite-size.
- Add two tablespoons of oil to the wok.
- Place the chicken breasts in the pan.
- Add salt, minced garlic cloves, and ginger.
- Stir and toss continuously.
- Pour the sauce that we made earlier into the pan.
- Continue to cook and stir for another minute.
- Remove the wok from the heat, and place the chicken breasts on a plate, and let them cool down.
- Adding pizza sauce
- If using a pizza pan, brush it well with olive oil.
- Peel and puree the tomatoes.
- Add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a small pan.
- Bring it to medium-low heat.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and cook for about five to seven minutes.
- Make sure to stir frequently.
- Remove the tomato puree to a small bowl and let it cool down for twenty minutes.
- Combine all the pizza sauce ingredients and the cooked tomato puree in a small bowl.
- Stir well with a whisk until all is blended uniformly.
- Spread the sauce on the pizza crust.
- Adding pizza toppings
- Slice the red bell pepper and onion julienne style (in thin strips).
- Slice the sweet pickled cucumbers as thin rounds.
- Slice the mushrooms.
- Next, add half of the grated mozzarella cheese onto the crust.
- Add the sliced onions, stir-fried chicken, pickled cucumbers, corn kernels, and bell peppers.
- Bake the pizza at the highest setting for ten minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and add the rest of the mozzarella cheese on the crust.
- Bake for another ten to fifteen minutes or until the mozzarella cheese starts to get browned.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down for about five minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Preheating the oven is crucial when baking pizza. Do not put the pizza inside the oven as soon as it reaches the highest setting. Wait at least 10 minutes for the oven to stay at that level, as the temperature will drop down when you place food in it. Plus, try not to open the oven door unnecessarily.
- I used chicken breast for the stir-fry. However, you can use chicken thighs as well. It is all up to your preference.
Why does a wok make a difference?
Using a wok enables the cooks not to over or undercook the ingredients. The cooking process is short and fast. It includes adding a small amount of oil to the pan and frying the ingredients at high heat. Note that you can cook the food from all sides easily, and the wok does a better job to keep the heat evenly. In short, it is an advantageous method against regular pan-frying.
Why stir-fry is healthy?
Cooks use a very small amount of oil when they are stir-frying, which is a huge health advantage in comparison to regular frying. In other terms, you get less added oil in your food. Additionally, the cooking process is very fast, especially if you use a wok. The fried food does not soak as much oil as it does in regular frying or deep frying. Another advantage is that the stir-fried vegetables retain more nutrition.