Spicy Mexican Pizza

Here is one pizza that is hard to get a picture of. One second it's there and the next, well who knows. We could call it Houdini pizza because it can just disappear in the blink of an eye. But if you're lucky enough to grab a slice before the whole thing goes then you will see why this za can't stay around too long. 

We had our friend Matt over to enjoy this za with us. I made the crust in kind of a rush this time, so I was really hoping that it would turn out nearly as good as always. I took a bite and instantly loved what I had created. Matt took his first bite and made some sort of noise - a gasp maybe? I wondered if that was actually a gasp of horror and was expecting him to come up with some half-hearted compliment saying how the pizza was "alright." But to my surprise, he was actually quite impressed with the food, as was my spouse. Phew! It was a gasp of satisfaction. No need to come up with some excuse of my own to try and pardon my shoddy cooking skills. Mexican pizza = success.  

You know you can never go wrong with Mexican. It's always great, or at least good. I mean, you'd have to be really anti-USA if you can say no to chips, salsa, and a cold margarita. It's hard to get tired of Chipotle, Moe's or other burrito joints. And places that host taco Tuesdays? I'll be in line. So why not bring those flavorful delights to a homemade za? And did I mention that this pizza goes very well with a margarita? Can't say that for too many other traditionally Italian dishes. 

I made mine using some rotisserie chicken as a topping. I know, you are thinking that rotisserie chicken has no business being on a Mexican-themed pizza. Well, I cooked the chicken myself using a recipe for a spice blend that is in fact quite spicy. You can find that recipe here. Or you can just be lazy and get some other chicken cooked elsewhere.

I have yet to convince my husband that it is possible to make a rotisserie chicken in the crock pot at home. Just because you see them being cooked on a spinning stick behind the meat counter does not make it a rotisserie chicken...it is the spice blend that makes it taste that way. When we were engaged, he wanted to put a rotisserie cooker on our wedding registry. Knowing that he is a lover of kitchen gadgets that never get used (um, we've currently got 3 crock pots, a rice cooker, a griddle, 2 blenders, 2 George Foreman grills, coffee pot, coffee grinder, toaster oven, I'll stop there) I had to draw the line. But it was not just that easy for him to give up the dream of seeing a chicken "rotiss" in his own kitchen. (Definition of the word rotiss: the act of a chicken cooking on a rotisserie.) Anyway, I cooked the chicken in the crock pot. We still don't have a rotisserie cooker. And we're doing just fine that way. 

The real hero of this pizza just may be the Boar's Head 3-Pepper Colby Jack cheese. It is spicy. It is savory. It is magnificent. Regular Colby cheese won't do and neither will jalapeño cheese. Go to your deli counter and get 6 slices of this for your za right now. And maybe a couple extra to enjoy at another time, because if you like spicy, you will regret it if you don't. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup hot salsa (mild or medium if you're a wimp)
• 1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken
• 1 large bell pepper
• 6 slices Boar's Head 3-Pepper Colby Jack Cheese, chopped into small pieces

Method:

• Get that za stone into the oven and crank it to 500 degrees. 
• Chop your bell pepper into small pieces and sauté it with a little olive oil until the pieces are soft and beginning to brown. I used a yellow bell pepper because that was the only option that looked good at the store at the time. I would have preferred red if those had looked healthy on the shelf, but I thought I might turn into a zombie upon ingesting that selection of bell peppers.
• When the stone is good and hot, place it on some hot pads on the counter and place the crust on top. 
• Next, spread the salsa on followed by the sauce. You can use a greater salsa to sauce ratio if you please, but I do enjoy the sauciness of pizza sauce, and I don't want the za to taste completely like a taco.
• Top with chicken, peppers, and cheese.
• Back into the oven it goes for 10-12 minutes.
• Take it out, let it cool for 10 minutes more. 
• Eat up until you pop. You earned it, you pizza maker, you.