Chicken Enchilada Pizzas
These Chicken Enchilada Pizzas are gluten-free thanks to corn tortillas, and then topped with beans, chicken cooked in homemade enchilada sauce, and sprinkled with an array of Tex-Mex taco toppings that we all know and love. It’s new and exciting enough to give pizza a second life at your house from week to week. If you’re a big fan of enchiladas, then I highly recommend these pizzas because it’s two of our favorites dishes rolled into one. They’re fully customizable so keep that in mind the next time you’re in need of a quick and easy dinner idea.
Chicken Enchilada Pizzas
Switch up pizza night by making these exciting and delicious Chicken Enchilada Pizzas! Crispy tortillas topped with beans, homemade enchilada sauce, chicken, cheese, avocado, tomato, and all of your favorite taco toppings!
Servings: 16
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Cast iron skillet
- Pizza stone or baking sheet
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 cups water or chicken stock
- 2 ounces dried guajillo chiles
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 small tomatoes diced
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pizzas:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika or chipotle powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 corn tortillas
- 16 ounces refried beans
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 ripe avocados halved, seeded and sliced
- 2 small tomatoes diced
- 3 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the water and chilies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until soft and tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, drain (reserving the liquid) and let cool to room temperature. Once cool enough to handle remove the stems and seeds and place in the blender.
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Season both sides of the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is hot, place the chicken in a single layer. Cook until the first side is browned, about 5 to 8 minutes, flip over and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes on the second side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or platter and set aside to cool. Once cool, shred the chicken with your fingers or two forks.
- Going back to the sauce, in the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, cook the onion, tomatoes and garlic over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and cumin and cook for about 1 minute. Then transfer the veggie mixture to a blender along with the chilies and about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Blender until completely smooth, adding as much of the remaining cooking liquid as needed to create a smooth pourable sauce that is still somewhat thick. Pour the mixture into a large bowl or measuring cup through a fine mesh sieve, discarding all of the pulp.
- Heat that same skillet once again over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, carefully add in the enchilada sauce, being careful to to get hurt from the splatters. Stir and cook for about 1 minute, then lower to a simmer and stir in the shredded chicken. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on low until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Preheat a pizza stone in a 450°F oven (or as high as your oven will go).
- To assemble the pizzas, spread the corn tortillas with a thin layer of refried beans. Top with the chicken enchilada sauce mixture and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Cook the pizzas in batches by carefully transferring the topped corn tortillas onto the hot pizza stone. Cook until the edges are crunchy and golden brown, and the cheese is bubbly and melted, about 5 to 8 minutes. Carefully transfer the cooked pizzas onto a baking sheet or wooden board. Continue cooking the rest in the same manner.
- Top the pizzas with avocado, tomatoes, radishes, cotija cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Enjoy!
