A colourful fusion pizza with a crisp homemade cornmeal crust, shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, yellow pepper and melted Mexican cheese. Fresh cilantro and green onions add a bright finish.
Place 95 g flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the warm water and olive oil.
Beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds.
Increase to high speed and beat for 1 minute.
Stir in the yellow cornmeal and remaining 95 g flour.
Mix until a soft dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Knead for approximately 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel.
Leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
Lightly coat a 14 ร 10-inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
Sprinkle the baking sheet with the additional cornmeal.
Press or roll the dough into a 14 ร 10-inch rectangle.
Prick the crust evenly with a fork.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.
For the Chicken Topping
Sprinkle 110 g cheese evenly over the partially baked crust.
Arrange the shredded chicken, drained tomatoes and chopped yellow pepper over the cheese.
Sprinkle the remaining 115 g cheese over the toppings.
Return the pizza to the oven.
Bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden.
Remove the pizza from the oven.
Sprinkle with the sliced spring onions and chopped cilantro.
Cut into 4 equal portions.
Serve immediately.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Suggestions
Serve the pizza with a crisp green salad, avocado slices, fresh tomato salsa or a spoonful of sour cream. Lime wedges and sliced jalapeรฑos can be offered separately.
Recipe Notes
Drain the tomatoes thoroughly to prevent the crust from becoming soggy. Warm water should feel pleasantly warm rather than hot because excessive heat can damage the yeast. A shop-bought rotisserie chicken is a convenient shortcut.
Variations
Add black beans, sweetcorn, sliced jalapeรฑos or chopped red onion. Monterey Jack or Cheddar can replace the Mexican cheese blend. Turkey can be used instead of chicken.
Storage
Refrigerate cooled pizza slices in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer until thoroughly hot and crisp. Individual slices can be frozen for up to two months.
Wine Advice
A fruity Zinfandel complements the roasted tomatoes, chicken and melted cheese. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc is a lighter choice that works well with the cilantro and yellow pepper.
Mexican cornmeal chicken pizza combines a crisp homemade crust with shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, yellow bell pepper and plenty of melted cheese. Cornmeal gives the base extra texture, while cilantro and spring onions provide a fresh finish. It is a colourful fusion meal for family dinners, weekends or Cinco de Mayo.
Why Cornmeal Improves the Crust
The homemade dough contains both wheat flour and yellow cornmeal. Wheat flour develops gluten, which provides elasticity and allows the dough to hold its shape. Cornmeal contributes a slightly grainy texture, a golden colour and a subtle sweetness that works especially well with the Mexican-inspired toppings.
Additional cornmeal is sprinkled over the baking sheet before shaping the dough. This reduces sticking and gives the underside of the crust a light crunch. Do not add too much, as loose cornmeal can burn at the high oven temperature.
Preparing the Pizza Dough
Warm water activates the yeast, but it should not be hot. Water that feels comfortably warm is usually suitable. Combine it with part of the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and olive oil before adding the cornmeal and remaining flour.
Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. It may feel slightly more textured than ordinary pizza dough because of the cornmeal. After kneading, cover it and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. This brief pause relaxes the gluten and makes the dough easier to press into a rectangle.
Baking Mexican Cornmeal Chicken Pizza
The crust is partially baked before the toppings are added. This step is particularly useful because drained tomatoes still contain moisture. Pre-baking helps the base remain crisp instead of becoming soft beneath the chicken, vegetables and cheese.
Prick the shaped dough with a fork to prevent large air pockets. Bake until the edges just begin to colour, then add half of the cheese. This first cheese layer creates a barrier between the crust and the moist toppings. Arrange the chicken, tomatoes and pepper over it before adding the remaining cheese.
Choosing and Preparing the Chicken
Any plainly seasoned cooked chicken can be used. Leftover roasted chicken works well, while shop-bought rotisserie chicken is a convenient shortcut. Remove the skin and bones before shredding, and avoid chicken with a strongly flavoured glaze that may compete with the other ingredients.
Keep cooked chicken refrigerated until needed and return leftovers to the refrigerator promptly. General advice about preparation and storage is available from the FDA page on safe food handling.
Building Fresh Mexican Flavours
Fire-roasted tomatoes add a deeper flavour than plain diced tomatoes. Drain them thoroughly before placing them on the pizza. Yellow bell pepper contributes sweetness and colour without making the topping excessively spicy.
Fresh cilantro and spring onions are added after baking so they retain their colour and flavour. Jalapeรฑos, black beans, sweetcorn or chopped red onion can also be added. Keep the total quantity of toppings moderate because an overloaded pizza may develop a damp centre.
Serving Ideas
Cut the rectangular pizza into four large portions for a main meal. It can also be divided into smaller squares for a party platter. Serve it with avocado, tomato salsa, lime wedges or a crisp salad from the salad recipes collection.
For more homemade options, browse the pizza recipes. Other meals featuring cooked poultry can be found among the chicken recipes.
Dietary Considerations
The original recipe contains wheat and cowโs milk but does not include eggs, nuts or soy as direct ingredients. Check the labels on the cheese blend, cooked chicken and cooking spray when avoiding allergens because packaged products may contain additional ingredients or cross-contamination warnings.
Use gluten-free flour, gluten-free cornmeal and an appropriate yeast mixture for a gluten-free variation. Dairy-free shredded cheese can replace the Mexican cheese blend, although melting performance varies considerably between brands.
Storage and Reheating
Allow leftover slices to cool before placing them in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to three days. Reheat in an oven or air fryer until thoroughly hot. These methods restore more of the crustโs texture than microwave reheating.
Individual slices can be frozen for up to two months. Wrap them separately before freezing so they can be reheated as needed. This Mexican cornmeal chicken pizza offers a practical balance of crisp crust, hearty protein and colourful toppings.
In ungreased 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan, toss mushrooms, bell pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Sprinkle with ยผ teaspoon of the salt; toss to mix.
Spread evenly in pan.
Bake 12 to 16 minutes, stirring once, until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, yeast, remaining ยฝ teaspoon salt, the warm water and 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil.
Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds.
Beat on high speed 1 minute.
Stir in remaining 1 cup flour and the basil to form a soft dough.
On lightly floured surface, knead dough about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.
On cookie sheet, press dough into 14 x 10-inch rectangle; prick with fork.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown.
Brush crust with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
Spread roasted vegetable mixture and tomatoes evenly over crust; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes longer or until vegetables are warm and cheese is softened.
Stir in half of the flour, the salt, sugar and 1 teaspoon oil.
Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
Place dough on lightly floured surface.
Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and springy.
Grease large bowl with shortening.
Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides.
Cover; let rise in warm place 20 minutes.
Gently push fist into dough to deflate.
Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours. (If dough should double in size during refrigeration, gently push fist into dough to deflate. )
Move oven rack to lowest position.
Heat oven to 425ยฐF.
Grease cookie sheet or 12-inch pizza pan with oil.
Sprinkle with cornmeal.
Using floured fingers, pat dough into 12-inch round on cookie sheet or pat in pizza pan.
Press dough from center to edge so edge is slightly thicker than center.
Cut cheese into ยผ-inch slices.
Place cheese on dough to within ยฝ inch of edge.
Arrange tomatoes on cheese.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of the basil, the oregano and capers.
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.
Bake about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.
Notes & Wine Advice
Shredded Mozzarella and Tomato Pizza: Substitute 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz) for the fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over dough. Add remaining ingredients as directedโexcept sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese before drizzling with oil.Tip Fresh mozzarella is very different from the familiar blocks of mozzarella or shredded mozzarella. The fresh version is usually made with whole milk, is white colored and has a delicate, sweet, milky flavor and much softer texture. Some cheese shops, delis and large supermarkets may carry an Italian import called โbuffalo mozzarella,โ which is made with water buffalo milk or a combination of cowโs and water buffalo milk. Fresh mozzarella is packed in water or whey and is often formed into balls or slices.
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