Creative Chicago Pies: 6 Deep Dish Pizza Recipes To Savour This September 

Deep dish pizza is not the sort of food preparation that quietly arrives at your dinner table. It lands with heft: an unbelievably tall, buttery crust loaded with generous amounts of cheese, substantial fillings, and a layer of tomato sauce crowning the top. The Chicago-style deep-dish pizza emerged in 1943 with the opening of Pizzeria Uno, where Ike Sewell helped establish the now world-famous pie. Unlike the flatter pizzas associated with Naples and New York, this pizza's structural integrity is pie-like, leaving ample room for a more lavish filling. 

While the culinary construction format has more or less remained the same, its variations have hardly stayed frozen in time. Deep dish pizza continues to attract attention because it is wonderfully adaptable, being a familiar home for smoky meats, punchy pickles, roasted vegetables, Indian spices, and even breakfast ingredients, thanks to its sturdy crust. Here are some creative and unmissable versions of deep dish pizza worth baking, whether you are feeding friends, celebrating a birthday, or simply craving an unapologetically comforting dinner.

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Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 250g pizza dough
• 250g boneless chicken, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup thick yoghurt
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ cup tomato purée
• 2 tbsp cream
• ½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 150g mozzarella, grated
• 50g cheddar, grated
• ½ small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Marinate your chicken with yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, garam masala, and salt for at least 30 minutes.
2. Then heat butter in a pan and cook the chicken until lightly charred and almost cooked through. Time to add tomato purée and simmer for 5–7 minutes.
3. Now stir in cream and dried fenugreek leaves, and then cook until the sauce thickens. Allow your chicken mixture to cool slightly.
4. Grease a 9-inch deep pizza or cake tin. Remember to stretch your dough across the base and all the way up the sides.
5. Then spread half the mozzarella cheese all over the dough. Add your butter chicken, onion, and green chilli, followed by the remaining mozzarella and cheddar. Now bake at 210°C for 25–30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
6. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Also read: Regular Pizza Vs Wood-Fired Pizza: Know The Difference

Mushroom, Walnut & Blue Cheese Deep Dish Pizza

Earthy mushrooms, crunchy walnuts and pungent blue cheese create a sophisticated sweet savoury flavour contrast that appeals to kids and adults alike. This is the deep dish to serve at a relaxed dinner party when you want something more nuanced than your usual pizza.

Image credit: Pexels

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 250g pizza dough
• 200g button or chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 75g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 100g blue cheese, crumbled
• 100g mozzarella, grated
• ¾ cup tomato pizza sauce
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Melt butter in a pan and sauté your onion and garlic until softened. Add mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until their moisture evaporates and the edges begin to brown.
2. Now season with thyme, black pepper, and a little salt, then stir through half of your walnuts.
3. Time to grease a 9-inch deep pan and press the dough across the base and sides.
4. Spread your mozzarella and mushroom mixture all over the dough and then spoon the tomato sauce across the surface, before scattering your blue cheese and the remaining walnuts.
5. Finally, bake at 210°C for 25–30 minutes, until the crust is crisp around the edges and the cheese has melted.
6. Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Tandoori Prawns & Pickled Onion Deep Dish Pizza

Smoky tandoori prawns meet bright, vinegary onions in a festive pizza without overdoing it. The combination makes an impressive centrepiece for seafood lunches, dinner parties, or special home hosting events.

Image credit: Pexels

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 250g pizza dough
• 200g cleaned prawns
• 3 tbsp thick yoghurt
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 150g mozzarella, grated
• ¾ cup tomato pizza sauce
• ½ capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp oil
• Fresh coriander
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Combine your prawns with yoghurt, tandoori masala, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice and salt. Let it marinate for 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, toss the sliced onion with vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Leave it be for at least 15 minutes to lightly pickle.
3. Now, heat oil in a pan and cook the prawns over high heat until lightly charred and almost cooked, before removing from heat.
4. Press your dough into a greased 9-inch deep pan. Add half your mozzarella cheese, followed by the prawns, capsicum and pickled onion.
5. Spoon the tomato sauce all over the filling and finish with the remaining mozzarella. Time to bake at 210°C for 20–25 minutes.
6. Finally, garnish with coriander and a little extra pickled onion before serving.

Also read: Monsoon Pizza Mania: Iconic Pie Recipes For A Rainy Day

Lamb, Feta & Mint Deep Dish Pizza

Juicy, spiced lamb, salty feta and refreshing mint give this pizza a distinctly Mediterranean character. The resultant pie is substantial enough for a main meal yet unusual enough to earn a place on any dinner party table.

Image credit: Pexels

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 250g pizza dough
• 250g minced lamb
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 150g mozzarella, grated
• 100g feta, crumbled
• ¾ cup tomato pizza sauce
• ½ cup roasted red pepper, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Fresh mint leaves
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté your onion and garlic until softened. Now, add minced lamb, oregano, cumin, pepper, and salt.
2. Cook until the lamb has browned and the mixture is fairly dry. Stir in your roasted red pepper.
3. Now press the dough into a greased 9-inch deep pan and cover the base with mozzarella cheese.
4. Add the lamb mixture and spoon your tomato sauce over it. Then scatter the feta cheese all over the surface.
5. Bake at 210°C for 25–30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the feta has softened.
6. Leave the pie to rest for 5 minutes, then scatter fresh mint generously before slicing. 

French Ratatouille & Goat Cheese Deep Dish Pizza

Slow-cooked vegetables bring a sweetness and savouriness to this dish that other preparatory options just cannot touch, while tangy goat cheese gives the deep dish pizza a distinctly European flourish. It is a lovely vegetarian option for Sunday lunches, summer entertaining, or just a relaxed dinner with friends.

Image credit: Pexels

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 250g pizza dough
• ½ aubergine, diced
• ½ courgette, diced
• ½ red pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 120g goat cheese, crumbled
• 100g mozzarella, grated
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh basil, to garnish

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook your onion and garlic until softened. Then add aubergine, courgette, and red pepper and sauté for 7–8 minutes.
2. Stir in your chopped tomatoes, thyme, pepper, and salt. Then cook for another 8–10 minutes until the vegetables are tender, and the mixture is thick rather than watery.
3. Now, press your dough into a greased 9-inch deep pan and spread the mozzarella cheese all across the base.
4. Then spoon your ratatouille gently over the cheese layer and crumble the goat cheese generously over the pizza top.
5. Bake at 210°C for 25–30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the goat cheese is lightly browned.
6. Rest the pie briefly and garnish with fresh basil leaves before slicing and serving.