Tex-Mex Cheesy Pizza

Ingredients

Equipment

• Pizza tray
• Pizza cutter
• Oven

Instructions

1. 1

   Step 1: Prepare the chicken

   Season the chicken with salt, black pepper and paprika or chili powder. Cook until fully done, then cut into small pieces.

2. 2

   Step 2: Prepare the dough

   Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface and stretch it into a round pizza shape.

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the sauce

   Transfer the dough to a pizza tray and spread the tomato or pizza sauce evenly over the surface.

4. 4

   Step 4: Add cheese

   Cover the sauce with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese.

5. 5

   Step 5: Add Tex-Mex toppings

   Spread the cooked chicken, sweet corn, black beans, jalapeños and diced red and green bell peppers evenly over the pizza.

6. 6

   Step 6: Extra cheese

   Add another generous layer of mozzarella on top for an extra-cheesy pizza and a long cheese pull.

7. 7

   Step 7: Bake

   Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned.

8. 8

   Step 8: Slice

   Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for 1 to 2 minutes, then slice it with a pizza cutter.

9. 9

   Step 9: Serve

   Serve immediately while hot and cheesy.

10. 10

    Step 10: Why a hot, fast bake and pre-cooked toppings make this pizza work

    This pizza bakes in only 10 to 15 minutes, and that short bake is exactly why every topping is cooked before it goes on. A pizza oven window that brief is enough to melt cheese, crisp a crust and warm toppings through, but it is not enough to cook raw chicken or raw vegetables safely and evenly. So the recipe cooks the seasoned chicken first, cuts it small, and spreads it with sweet corn, black beans, jalapeños and diced peppers over the sauce and cheese. By the time the pizza goes into the oven at 220°C (425°F), everything on top is already cooked, and the bake only has to finish the job: brown the crust, bubble the cheese and bring the whole thing together. The heat itself does specific work. At 220°C (425°F), the crust sets and turns golden quickly instead of drying out during a long, slow bake, and the cheese melts fully and starts to brown at the edges. That is also why the recipe uses two layers of mozzarella rather than one thick blanket on top. The first layer goes directly on the sauce and acts as glue: it holds the chicken, corn, beans and peppers in place so they do not slide when you slice. The second layer goes over the toppings and melts down around them, which is what gives the long, stretchy cheese pull when you lift a slice. Using low-moisture mozzarella, as the tips suggest, matters here too. Fresh mozzarella releases a lot of water as it melts, and that water pools on the pizza and softens the crust; low-moisture mozzarella melts cleanly and stays stretchy. The last detail is the short rest. One to 2 minutes out of the oven feels like nothing, but it lets the cheese set just enough that slices hold their shape instead of sliding apart, while the pizza is still hot and cheesy when served. If you assemble ahead, the recipe allows up to 2 hours refrigerated, and a cold pizza from the fridge simply needs a couple of extra minutes in the oven to make up for the chill — the same hot, fast bake, just slightly longer.