Tomatillo Zucchini Chicken Pizza
Visually, I was hoping this pizza would be greener, but despite the muted colors, the flavors were as vibrant as can be. The chicken thighs were slow braised in a tomatillo sauce until tender, and the whole mess was spread onto the dough in place of a traditional tomato sauce. Add some charred corn, shaved zucchini, and cojita cheese, and this Mexican inspired pizza is bright, spicy, and full of unexpected flavors.
Garlic and jalapenos start the sauce. Tomatillos go in next and then the whole thing gets blended.
Braise your chicken thighs this sauce until falling apart.
Corn in last.
A spicy and tangy sauce for a pizza. Also with the chicken and corn both IN the sauce, it is easier to put this pizza together.
Fresh shaved zucchini on top with tons of cotija cheese.
Fresh out of the oven it’s a beautiful thing.
The flavors here all matched perfectly. Tang and lightly sweet tomatillos were a great contrast to the salty cheese.
The corn and zucchini got me all excited for summer too.
Click for the Pizza Dough Recipe.
Tomatillo Zucchini Chicken Pizza
A fresh summertime pizza with chicken, zucchini, and corn all in a tomatillo sauce and topped with cojita cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 3 Jalapenos
- 10 Tomatillos
- 1 Lime
- 1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 3 Ears Corn
- Cojita Cheese
- Zucchini
- Pizza Dough
Instructions
- For the sauce – garlic and jalapeno in some oil to brown, add about 7 to 10 tomatillos and smash them down a bit. Add a splash of lime and water and cook about 15 minutes, smashing up the tomatillos when possible. Blend until smooth. Sear some chicken thighs in a pan in some oil and add the tomatillo sauce. Simmer stirring often to prevent sauce from burning. When chicken is tender (about 35 minutes), shred it up and add your charred corn. Remove from heat.
- Spread this chicken/corn/tomatillo sauce on your pizza dough, top with cotija, some shaved zucchini, and more cotija. Bake as hot as your oven will go until browned nicely.
Despite it not being super bright green, it was still vibrant and tasty. One of your best pizza flavor creations yet.
That looks amazing. I’m not sure that I’d have the willpower to actually put the tomatillo and chicken mixture on a pizza crust and take the time to bake it, though–I have a feeling I’d end up just throwing it into a series of tortillas and eating it as quickly as possible.
Any other options for the Cotija cheese? Something similar? Have not seen that one in my Wegman’s.
Any fresh crumbly cheese will work. queso blanco, queso fresco, ricotta salata. Even feta would work in a pinch, but I would sort of tone it down with some mozzarella if you have to go that route.
This looks great! I grew tomatillos for the first time this year so I’ve been looking for ways to use them, can’t wait to try this!