Pureed (IDDSI Level 4)
Completely smooth foods/extremely thick liquids with no lumps that hold their shape on a spoon and don’t require chewing.
Some dishes feel inevitable the moment you think of them. Curried chicken and pizza bianca come from different corners of the world, but they share a core idea: warmth, comfort, and balance. This Curried Chicken Pizza Bianca brings those elements together in a way that feels both familiar and new; creamy, aromatic, and deeply satisfying without the acidity of traditional tomato sauce.
Pizza bianca, or “white pizza,” has deep roots in Italy’s baking traditions, where dough was brushed with olive oil and salt before the first pizzas ever met tomato. With a small remix to the texture, this recipe showcases how to pregel bread to achieve the Pureed (IDDSI Level 4) diet texture. Add to that the gentle heat and complexity of a mild curry, and you’ve got a fusion that makes culinary sense: bread as a canvas, cream as balance, spice as contrast.
How This Fusion Works
The base here is a simple bianca: olive oil, garlic, and a light ricotta or yogurt base instead of tomato. It’s neutral by design, which lets the curried chicken stand out. The chicken itself is cooked with turmeric, cumin, and coriander, just enough to perfume it without overwhelming. Pickled artichoke hearts are a soft variation on a typically excluded ingredient; the brine helps to soften fibers and using only the tender center of the artichoke makes it easier for everyone to manage. Adding spinach or your favorite greens rounds out the meal and bring it to a spinach artichoke dip flavor profile that is only elevated by the extra spice and fortified with the chicken’s protein.
Curry on bread isn’t new; cuisines have been trading flavors for centuries with modern cooks viewing food through a more global lens. Pizza bianca becomes the perfect vessel for that shared language. And from a technique standpoint, the blend works because both traditions rely on gentle heat and moisture management. Curry needs time for spice to bloom, without burning. Pizza bianca dough needs steam and oil to keep tender. Their built for each other.
Texture and Accessibility
This dish also happens to be easy to modify for people managing chewing or swallowing difficulty. The crust of the majority of these IDDSI informed recipes are pregelled, as bread is a sneaky challenge item for dysphagia or dental issues. Chicken should be processed to the particle size that fits your current diet: pureed for level 4, minced to fit between fork tines for level 5 and diced to fit within the length across fork tines for level 6. Due to the fiber content of the vegetables, I have been using purees for the artichoke and spinach portions, which blends easily with the ricotta-yogurt base. Even for those without texture restrictions, this creates a creamier, more balanced flavor base for the pizza.
Make this Recipe for Your IDDSI Level
As written, this recipes is at IDDSI Level 4 Pureed. This recipe can also be adapted for Level 3 Liquidized, Level 4 Pureed, Level 6 Soft and Bite Sized, and Level 7 Easy to Chew. See the adaptation instructions below or if you are printing the recipe, they will be included in the notes section.
Level 3 Liquidized (Smooth enough to drink or pour; no chewing): Follow the recipe and then slowly add chicken stock while blending further until it matches the correct flow speed. You will need to use a flow test (especially at the time of serving since temperature can influence it) to verify this.
Level 5 Minced and Moist (Soft pieces that fit between fork prongs in a puree; minimal chewing): Due to the fiber content of spinach and artichokes, I would still recommend pureeing them, but you can keep the chicken minced to 4mm pieces in the curry.
Level 6 Soft and Bite Sized (Tender pieces smaller than the width of fork prongs): Keep the veggies as a puree but you can include bite size (15mm) chicken chunks vs the puree.
Level 7 Easy to Chew (Foods that are soft and easily bite into pieces): You may be able to enjoy the flatbread without modification, and you can keep the chicken in larger bite sized pieces. The veggies might be blitzed/minced to break down some of the fiber to help keep them from pulling off the pizza in one big piece.
Curried Chicken Pizza Bianca Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Blend the flatbreads into crumbs and pregel with water, broth, or cream. Lay out into individual rounds. Cover and allow to pregel.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium. Add the chicken, curry powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir 6-8 minutes over medium heat until cooked to 165℉. Set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Sauté the chopped spinach just until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Blend into puree.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and optional lemon or nutmeg until smooth.
- Blend the chicken with a dollop of the bianca sauce until pureed. Top the pregelled crusts with the ricotta-yogurt sauce first, then top with the veggie and curried chicken purees.
SLP Notes
Testing Method: This recipe should pass the spoon tilt and fork drip tests defined by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). The puree should sit in a mound on a spoon, sliding off in one bite when tilted/ lightly flicked, with no thin liquid separating. The puree should sit on top of a fork and should not drip through the fork tines (small “tail” is ok). Adjusting Consistency: If the mixture is too thick, add small amounts of liquid (broth, sauce, milk, or water) one teaspoon at a time. If too thin, add a thickening ingredient such as instant potato flakes, pureed vegetables, or thickener as clinically appropriate. Temperature Caution: The viscosity of purees changes with temperature. Always test after reheating or chilling, as thinner or thicker consistencies may alter the IDDSI level. Storage & Reheating: Refrigerate promptly and reheat gently, stirring between intervals. Always retest consistency before serving. Make it fit your Level: Level 3 Liquidized: Follow the recipe and then slowly add chicken stock while blending further until it matches the correct flow speed. You will need to use a flow test (especially at the time of serving since temperature can influence it) to verify this. Level 5 Minced and Moist: Due to the fiber content of spinach and artichokes, I would still recommend pureeing them, but you can keep the chicken minced to 4mm pieces in the curry. Level 6 Soft and Bite Sized: Keep the veggies as a puree but you can include bite size (15mm) chicken chunks vs the puree. Level 7 Easy to Chew: You may be able to enjoy the flatbread without modification, and you can keep the chicken in larger bite sized pieces. The veggies might be blitzed/minced to break down some of the fiber to help keep them from pulling off the pizza in one big piece.How do I…
Adjust the macros?
Protein: Use extra shredded chicken or stir in lentil puree to a Greek yogurt–based sauce instead of ricotta blend.
Fat: Top pizza with a drizzle of garlic infused oil or fold cashew or almond butter into the sauce to increase. Use nonfat yogurt, use chicken breast and light mozzarella.
Carbs: Use cauliflower rice or puree in place of flatbread crust.
Make it fit my eating style?
Gluten-Free: Use a GF pizza crust for breadcrumbs or swap for rice or potatoes.
Dairy-Free/Vegan: Use spiced chickpeas or tofu for proteins, cashew cream cheese for sauce base.
Make it fit my spoons?
Use precooked chicken or rotisserie leftovers, canned chickpeas for vegan.
Use store bought blend for curry powder.
Curried Chicken Pizza Bianca fits comfortably into the new wave of globally fluent comfort food, the kind that respects origins without treating them as novelty. It’s built on skill and intention: using technique to keep textures soft, flavors balanced, and the experience communal. It’s also a reminder that “fusion” doesn’t have to mean complicated, just curious.
Keep Reading
If you are looking for more Indian flavor, this dysphagia friendly dal can be added to your dinner lineup. If you’re looking for something sweet, try this refreshing lemon thyme berry pudding recipe.
Every recipe here is designed for texture sensitive eaters: from dysphagia to dental issues to picky eaters. Get recipe roundups and practical tips by joining the mailing list.
