Homemade Cheese and Chicken Enchilada Pizza Recipe
Your Friday night cravings just met their match in this homemade chicken enchilada pizza recipe. A Mexican food Italian food mash up that doesn’t make you choose between your favorite foods. Fluffy crispy crust, spicy flavorful red enchilada sauce, melty cheese, crisp onions, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of sour cream turns your favorite enchiladas into a craveable handheld bite! So ditch the takeout menus and make real homemade pizza with fresh ingredients the whole family will love! Full recipe card below.
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Why Chicken Enchilada Pizza Works
When we get down to the basics of Mexican food and pizza, you realize there are a lot of crossover ingredients. What makes this enchilada pizza work is how well the flavor profiles overlap. Enchilada sauce, especially red enchilada sauce, shares a tomato base with traditional red pizza sauce. Cheese is non-negotiable in both cuisines. Chicken, peppers, and onions translate seamlessly from tortilla to dough. The format is different, but the cravings align.
Enchilada Pizza Ingredients
Most pizza recipes have similar kinds of fixings but this unique chicken enchilada pizza combo takes Mexican pizzas to the next level! I will break down what I use and why and give you a few alternatives.
- Pizza Dough – Nothing beats homemade pizza dough especially if you have a pizza oven. Homemade crust is simply better. The taste is unbeatable and if you have gluten sensitivity, you can control the type of flour being used. If you have never made pizza dough before, it’s easier than you think 😉 If you decide to give homemade dough a try, my favorite pizza dough takes about 24 hours to make. If you don’t have that much time, I have a shorter rise pizza dough perfect for beginners. If you like thin crust pizza, my STL style crust is cracker thin, requires no yeast, and is made on a pizza stone. If you need a fast weeknight dinner option, you can also make pizza on a baking sheet with store bought dough.
- Pizza Sauce – This wouldn’t be a chicken enchilada pizza recipe without the enchilada sauce, now would it? This enchilada pizza skips the normal red sauce for a mild heat enchilada sauce. I have a go to favorite enchilada sauce I buy at the grocery store that is a great time saver, but you can also use homemade enchilada sauce if you prefer.
- Chicken – Shredded chicken is great especially if you are using leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or pre-cooked chicken. It keeps the recipe fast. Canned chicken is also a great alternative. My go to method requires just a little more effort. I pressure cook skinless chicken breasts because I always have them in my freezer. Ready in just 20 minutes and you can toss it into the Instant Pot frozen. Then simply shred it with a fork or dice it up into small pieces once cooked.
- Onion – A white, yellow, or red onion will work here. I have used all of them with no problems. Even green onions work as a topping in this recipe.
- Jalapenos – If you like a little bit of extra heat, jalapenos are a great addition. Feel free to omit this if you are not into spicy food or make sure to remove the seeds for a milder heat. You can also use green chiles as an alternative. Pro Tip: To speed up the chopping process, I use this slicer. It is truly a game changer when it comes to prep work!
- Cheese – You can use whatever type of cheese you would like. I personally think a mix of a good melting cheese like pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese and sharp cheddar cheese produce a great cheese pull consistency with a lot of flavor. Pro Tip: If making your pizza in a high heat pizza oven, I recommend shredding your own cheese. Bagged cheese melts differently since it is coated with additives during packaging. If you have a stand mixer you can use this cheese grater attachment to shred your cheese in seconds!
- Cilantro – This adds a herbal component of freshness that really elevates the flavor. If you don’t have fresh cilantro, skip it. Dried cilantro tastes nothing like the real thing in my opinion.
- Sour Cream (optional) – A drizzle of sour cream on top once the pizza is cooked is SO good, holy cow! Totally optional, but worth it IMO.
- Additional Toppings – Feel free to add anything you would include in your favorite enchilada recipes. Green, yellow, or red peppers if you have them. Canned or fresh corn and a handful of black beans. A drizzle of taco sauce on top or a sprinkle of chili powder on the chicken or pizza is really tasty too!
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Homemade Cheese and Chicken Enchilada Pizza Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 ten inch pizzas 1x
Description
Delivery has nothing on homemade pizza and this Mexican pizza fusion will have you savoring every last bite. Chicken enchilada pizza was simply meant to be when you realize Mexican food has so many ingredients in common with pizza. It’s like eating your favorite enchiladas in pizza form. Fluffy crispy crust, spicy flavorful red enchilada sauce, melty cheese, crisp onions, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of sour cream! You will have a hard time stopping at just one slice!
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough (homemade or pre-made dough)
- 6 oz Chicken Breast cooked and diced or shredded
- 1 cup Enchilada Sauce divided
- 1/2 White Onion sliced
- 2 Jalapeno Peppers chopped
- 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1/2 cup Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tbsp Sour Cream
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven according to pizza dough instructions.
- Cook chicken and dice or shred with a fork once cooked.
- In a small bowl, mix chicken with 6 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce and set aside.
- Chop onions, jalapeno, and cilantro and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface or using semolina (it won’t leave your crust bitter like flour), stretch out pizza dough into a circular shape.
- Using a few spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce, spread on the top of the dough. The easiest way to do this is to use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly across the whole thing leaving about an inch of dough exposed along the edges. I usually use 3-4 tablespoons per pizza.
- Add a small sprinkle of cheese before topping. This helps keep the toppings stuck to the pizza.
- Add the chicken pieces to the top of the enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Add onion, jalapeno, and cilantro to the top of the pizza.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake pizza in the preheated oven according to pizza dough instructions or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
- Drizzle each pizza with a small amount of sour cream.
Equipment
Notes
Makes three 10 inch pizzas
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Entree, Pizza
- Method: Bake, Pizza Oven
- Cuisine: American, Mexican
More Fancy Pizza to Try
- Homemade Basil Pesto Chicken Pizza
- Chicken Curry Pizza with Homemade Sauce
- BBQ Bacon Chicken Aloha Pizza
- Lemon Ricotta Basil Pizza
- Bacon Apple Blue Cheese Pizza
- Kung Pao Chicken Pizza
- Caribbean Jerk Chicken Pizza
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Storage
If your eyes were bigger than your stomach, store leftover pizza in the fridge in an airtight container, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil for up to 3 days. If you make one of my homemade pizza dough recipes, use or freeze raw pizza dough within 3 days.
When to Make Enchilada Pizza
Pizza is my absolute favorite food, so pizza night is every Friday. Takeout might seem like the perfect solution until you discover how much you love making your own pizzas! This is a great recipe for a Cinco de mayo party or when you are craving Mexican food and pizza at the same time. Just add your favorite toppings or fresh veggies and the only thing you will be asking is, what pizza should we try next? No matter when you make it, this enchilada pizza recipe will become one of your family favorites.
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