Thai Chicken Pizza is All About The Peanut Sauce
Well, it’s not totally about the peanut sauce, but the peanut sauce is what makes this pizza Thai-inspired. We toss already-cooked chicken—thank you, meal prep day—with the same peanut sauce that you know and love from our chicken satay recipe. What makes this peanut sauce oh-so-good? It’s a saucy mixture of creamy textures and big flavors, and it features one of our all-time favorite go-to ingredients. Here’s what’s in it:
- Coconut milk. Full fat is the only way to go, as far as we’re concerned. The “light” stuff is basically just slightly-milky water.
- Thai red curry paste. This is our favorite brand, but you can use whatever brand you like best.
- Creamy peanut butter. Use the “natural” kind—look for an ingredients list that just says “peanuts” or at most “peanuts, salt.”
- Salt & sugar. For balance.
- Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
What Else Goes On Thai Chicken Pizza?
The toppings on this unusual pizza are a study in contrast. We wanted crisp textures, a lightly-spicy, creamy sauce, and of course (of course!) cheese. Once you’ve made your peanut sauce, toss it with some cooked chicken, and assemble your other ingredients. You’ll need:
- Hoisin sauce. We use hoisin sauce as a base for this easy chicken pizza recipe—it’s a total flavor bomb and lays a wonderful foundation for the rest of the toppings.
- Pepper Jack cheese. Jack cheese is a notoriously good melter, and we opted for pepper Jack here to complement the spicy flavors in the peanut sauce.
- Red onion. The sharpness and crunch brings a wonderful freshness to this pizza. A little goes a long way, though, so do slice it thinly.
- Bean sprouts. Reminiscent of takeout pad thai, which inspired this pizza, and also a simple way to bring lots of crunch and freshness.
- Cilantro. Herby brightness! But, if you’re a cilantro hater, just skip it.
- Dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped. Crunchy, nutty goodness to echo the peanut sauce that slicks the chicken. We told you this pizza was all about contrasting textures, and it truly is.
- Red pepper flakes. Totally optional, but we love just a smidge more heat on our pizza.
You’ve Loaded Up Your Pizza Dough. Here’s How To Get It Into The Oven.
You spread your pizza dough—store bought, procured from a friendly local pizza shop, or even homemade gluten free pizza dough—and loaded it up with peanut sauce chicken, onions, cheese, and all the fixings. But wait a second, somehow you’ve got to get it into the oven. Fear not! We’ve got not one but three ways for you to do that.
- If you’re lucky enough (or pizza-crazed enough) to own a pizza peel, this is its moment to shine. Use it to slide the pizza from your countertop to a preheated pizza stone in the oven.
- No pizza peel? No problem! While your pizza stone (or baking sheet) heats, assemble the pizza on a piece of parchment paper. That way, when the stone is hot and ready, you can easily slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone.
- You can also assemble the pizza directly on the pizza stone or baking sheet—this way, you don’t have to worry at all about moving it. The only downside is that the bottom of the crust will not get quite as crisp because you can’t preheat your stone or baking sheet.
Tools You’ll Need:
- Pizza stone or baking sheet.
- Mixing bowl.
- Cheese grater.
- Pizza peel. (optional, but handy!)
Pizza Pizza Pizza!
Is there a single word capable of making us as happy as the word “pizza”? Doubt it. Now that you’re on a roll, here are four more pizza recipes to try:
Love It?
We hope so! If you make this Thai chicken pizza recipe, we’d love to hear about it! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
