Chicken Fajita Pizza
چکن فاہیتا پیزا
After tikka, fajita is Pakistan's second favourite pizza. It borrows the smoky, cumin-and-paprika flavour of Mexican fajitas: chicken strips and peppers cooked fast in a hot pan, then piled on a cheesy pan pizza. It's a little milder and sweeter than tikka pizza, which makes it popular with children. The fajita spice mix on this page keeps for months and is also good in wraps and rice.
- ⏱ Total: 45 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, pepper, sugar and salt. This is your fajita spice. Toss the chicken strips with it and the lemon juice and leave for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a on high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in one layer and cook for 4–5 minutes, turning, until browned and just cooked through. Lift out.
In the same pan, stir-fry the capsicum and onion for 2–3 minutes until bright and slightly charred but still crunchy. Mix with the chicken and let cool.
Press the risen dough into two oiled pans, let it rise 30 minutes, and heat the oven to 240°C. Spread with sauce, scatter a little cheese, the fajita filling and the rest of the cheese.
Bake on the lowest rack for 12–15 minutes until bubbling and golden. Drizzle with a little BBQ sauce if you like, and slice.
Kitchen notes
Make a jar of fajita spice: multiply the spice amounts by 6 and store airtight for up to 6 months. Use 1 tbsp per 350 g chicken.
Use a mix of coloured peppers for a pizza that looks as good as it tastes.
The same filling makes quick fajita wraps: roll it in warm tortillas or parathas with garlic mayo and lettuce.
From Tex-Mex to Pakistan
Fajitas are a Tex-Mex dish of grilled meat strips and peppers. Pakistani pizza shops borrowed the spice blend and the colourful peppers and made “chicken fajita” one of the country’s most ordered pizza flavours. Most Pakistanis know fajita as a pizza first and a Mexican dish second.
The fajita spice
The flavour comes from paprika, cumin and oregano, with a little garlic, pepper and sugar. Smoked paprika gives a barbecue taste without a grill. Mixing a jar of the spice saves time and is useful far beyond pizza: rub it on grilled chicken, stir it into rice, or use it for wraps and sandwiches.
High heat, short time
Fajita chicken and vegetables should be cooked fast in a very hot pan, in a single layer, so they brown instead of stewing. The peppers should keep their crunch and bright colour. Let the filling cool before topping the pizza so it doesn’t make the raw dough sticky.
Serving
Make the base with our pizza dough. Serve with garlic mayo, coleslaw and hot wings. For the spicier classic, try tikka pizza; with no oven, the tawa pizza.
Questions people ask
Is fajita pizza spicy?
It is mildly spiced and smoky rather than hot. Add green chilies or chili flakes for heat, or leave out the chili powder for children.
Why cook the vegetables first?
Raw peppers and onions release water in the oven and stay hard. A quick, hot stir-fry softens them slightly and adds a charred, sweet flavour.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 610
- Protein
- 33 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
