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Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Chicken Pizza has a thick, soft crust topped with a spicy cream sauce, plus cooked chicken, vegetables, cheese, salsa, and pickled jalapeños. It’s so good!
This thick-crust chicken pizza – with layers of Tex-Mex flavor throughout – is easy and fun to make. It’s a great change of pace for pizza night, or for a Cinco de Mayo celebration!
We start with store-bought pizza dough for convenience (or make your own pizza dough following this recipe). Then, we created a creamy white sauce that’s been flavored with pureed sliced, pickled jalapenos – adding a gentle, flavorful heat to every bite.
Next, we topped our Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Chicken Pizza with rotisserie chicken, sauteed peppers and onions with taco spices and cheese before baking. More pickled jalapenos, some homemade salsa or pico de gallo, and chopped fresh cilantro top things off.
With a cold beer on the side, you’re going to love this flavorful, creamy pizza!
Why You’ll Love Mexican Sheet Pan Pizza
- The layers of flavors in every bite are absolutely delicious! (This has become one of our favorite pizzas of all time!)
- It’s easy to make, thanks to store-bought ingredients that allow you to take some shortcuts while preparing the pizza. But don’t worry – you won’t be sacrificing any flavor!
- This pizza is made in a sheet pan and yields twelve generous slices. So it’s great for feeding a hungry crowd.
Key ingredients and Substitutions
- Pizza Dough – You can make our homemade pizza crust if you’d like (see the recipe here), or buy a store-bought pizza dough for convenience. You will need two pounds (32 ounces) of dough in total.
- Zesty Cream Sauce – We combined whole milk, butter, flour, sour cream, and pureed jarred jalapenos together with some seasonings. The mixture was cooked to form a thick and creamy sauce for the base of the pizza.
- Cooked chicken – Use the meat from a rotisserie chicken (or roast your own).
- Bell Peppers – We chose yellow bell peppers for a bright pop of color on our pizza, but any variety of bell peppers will work for this recipe.
- White Onions – Choose white onions for this recipe as they add a nice crisp bite of flavor compared to other sweeter onions.
- Taco Spice – Use some of our homemade taco seasoning mix (it’s always good to have some on hand!) or a store-bought taco spice blend.
- Cheese – Both shredded yellow cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese are used in the pizza. If you really want to spice things up, swap in Pepper Jack cheese for the more mild Monterey.
- Toppings – More pickled jalapenos, fresh salsa or pico de gallo, and fresh cilantro are used to garnish the pizza.
Note: We used mild, sliced pickled jalapenos in our recipe, but if you want things extra zesty with more of a spicy kick, used hot pickled jalapenos.
Special supplies needed
- Sheet tray (13X18-inches)
- Food processor or blender to puree the jalapenos
- Small and medium saucepans, to make the sauce
- Sauté pan to cook the peppers and onions
Chef’s Tip – Weigh out two pounds of room temperature pizza dough and form into one rectangular piece before placing in the oiled pan. Then stretch and relax the dough as you prepare the other ingredients. (If you try to piece a few dough balls together after you’ve placed it in the oiled pan, they will not stay connected because of the oil. Make sure you form one piece of dough on your counter first.) Also, let the pizza dough rise a bit before adding the toppings.
How do I make Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Chicken Pizza?
- Bring dough to room temperature, then stretch into a rectangle. Place in an oiled sheet tray and keep stretching and relaxing it while you prepare the other ingredients. (This will also give the pizza dough a chance to rise a bit.)
- Drain the jarred jalapenos, then puree with a little of the milk.
- Make the sauce by melting butter in a saucepan, then adding flour to make a roux. Add warm milk and the pureed jalapeno slices, then the sour cream and seasonings.
- Sauté peppers and onions in olive oil, then season with the taco spice mix.
- Pick meat from a rotisserie chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Pour some fresh salsa or pico de gallo into a strainer to drain.
- Spread dough to the edges of the sheet pan, then cover with sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, chicken, salsa, peppers and onions, shredded Monterey jack cheese, and more jalapeno slices.
- Bake the pizza until the crust is cooked through and the cheese is melty. Broil briefly to brown the top of the pizza – just until golden.
- Cut into 12 squares and serve immediately.
Frequently asked Questions
Can I make Mexican Sheet Pan Pizza ahead of time? Pizza is one of those things that needs to be assembled and baked together. You could of course measure out and precook the sauce and toppings ahead of time, then assemble and bake when you are ready to serve. (Just don’t forget to let the pizza dough come to room temperature before handling.)
How do I store leftovers? Store covered and refrigerated for up to three days (if it lasts that long).
How do I reheat leftovers? For best results, reheat leftovers in the oven.
Can I freeze? Yes, pizza in general freezes pretty well. Just thaw before placing back in the oven to reheat.
Can I make this in a round pizza pan? Yes – a larger, round pizza pan should accommodate the two pounds of pizza dough.
You might like these other Pizza recipes:
- Meat Lover’s Pizza
- Keto Sheet Pan Pizza
- Apple Crisp Pizza
- Upside-Down Deep-Dish Skillet Pizza
- White Barbecue Pizza with Prosciutto and Caramelized Onions
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
2 pounds pizza dough (32 ounces), use store bought or follow our recipe here
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups whole milk, divided
1/2 cup jarred and drained pickled jalapeno slices, divided (mild or hot, your choice)
3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Few drops of your favorite hot sauce
1 large white onion (about 8 ounces), cut in half top to bottom, then cut with grain in half circle slices
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into thick short strips
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (see our homemade taco seasoning here or buy packaged)
6 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pound cooked diced chicken meat (pulled from a rotisserie chicken, or roasted at home)
1 cup fresh salsa or pico de gallo, drained well
6 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Pull pizza dough from refrigeration and form multiple dough balls into one two-pound dough ball then shape on your counter into a rectangle.
Place two tablespoons of the olive oil onto a standard 13×18 sheet tray and place dough rectangle on the oil and begin stretching and forming with your hands to fit the pan. The process will take time so start preparing your other ingredients and keep coming back and stretching to the edges of the pan.
Place a few tablespoons of the milk in a small food processor and add ¼ cup of drained jalapeno slices and puree to smooth.
Heat the remaining milk to hot in the microwave or in a small sauce pan and add the pureed mixture.
In a medium to large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Cook this over medium for three minutes, stirring often.
Slowly add the hot milk while whisking to form a thick sauce.
Stir in sour cream, salt, pepper and hot sauce and once combined, remove from heat and set aside.
Start preheating the oven to 400 degrees F with oven rack in center
In a large saute pan, place remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and over medium heat, add onion and pepper strips and saute to soften, but still with a little bite, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the taco seasoning and set aside.
Make one final stretch of the dough and press slightly up the sides. It will shrink back a bit which is fine. Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes so it gets a little puffy.
Use a rubber spatula and spread the sauce over the top of the dough to about a half inch from the edges.
Sprinkle on all of the cheddar, all of the chicken, all of the drained salsa, the cooked peppers and onions, the Monterey jack cheese and the rest of the drained jalapeno slices.
Bake for 20 minutes and start checking bottom and edges for browning. Bake for up to five more minutes as needed then place under the broiler to brown the top.
Our pizza took exactly 23 minutes to bake and two minutes under the broiler with the pan left in the center of the oven during both steps.
Sprinkle on cilantro before cutting.
Cut in the pan or slide out onto a cutting board and cut 3X4 into 12 slices.
Use a metal or hard plastic spatula to lift pieces out onto plates for serving. May need a knife and fork to eat.
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