Chicken Taco Pizza

Whenever we would go to Pizza Hut, my mom would insist on ordering taco pizza … and, why not? It’s delicious. But, because it’s such a complex process (apparently) the cooks there refused to do a half and half with one half beef and the other half chicken – for me, of course. What always struck me as odd was that they were fine with doing half taco and half anything else. But, I digress. I found a taco pizza recipe (made with beef, ironically) in a magazine once upon a time. Naturally, I did some tweaking and voila … chicken taco pizza. Note: this recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas.

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced small
4 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 - 13.8-oz. cans Pillsbury pizza crust
1 - 16-oz. can refried beans
3/4 cup chunky salsa
2 cups shredded Mexican or taco cheese
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°. In a saucepan, cook the chicken in oil until no longer pink. Season with paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until chicken is well coated with seasonings. Drain excess grease. Set chicken aside. Meanwhile, roll out and form crusts on two greased pizza pans or ungreased pizza stones. In a small bowl, combine the refried beans and salsa; spread over crusts. Top with chicken and sprinkle with the cheese. Evenly spread onion over cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven. Top with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.