Invented in pursuit of more interesting ways to use chicken mince, today’s recipe is a SOS take on lahmacun, Lebanese pizzas made with flatbreads topped with a thin layer of meat. Astoundingly fast to make, and extremely versatile – use any ground meat, add vegetables, and endless topping options!
Dear Lebanese nationals
Dear Lebanese nationals,
Please don’t be offended by this recipe I’ve called a “Lebanese pizza.” I know they’re actually called manakish (among other names), made with homemade dough and come with various toppings.
I adore them all – I’d have the za’atar ones with every meal, the cheese ones stole my heart, and the meat ones – called lahmacun in Turkish – wow. Just wow!
So I don’t present today’s recipe as the real deal, but wanted to give a nod to the inspiration behind it, hence the name. Think of it as a SOS version of lahmacun for all those nights you’ve got no time to cook.
And an interesting way to use chicken mince, which can be so dull and bland!
Ingredients for 8 minute Lebanese pizza
The speed of the recipe relies on a no-chop mince meat topping, store bought Lebanese bread for the base, and toppings that call for nothing more than opening a jar.
But the main point I want to make here is versatility. There are loads of substitution options, and it’s hard to go wrong!
1. Spiced meat topping
Here’s what you need for the meat topping. The recipe was born on a day I was trying to think of interesting ways to use chicken mince, so that’s what I’ve used. It’s delicious as is, and I’m glad to have another great chicken mince recipe in my arsenal, but frankly, even better with fattier meats – lamb or beef.
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Chicken mince (ground chicken) – I’ve used chicken here but you can use anything you want – lamb (Lebanese favourite!), beef, turkey, even pork. The spicing for the topping works with everything, and the cook time remains the same.
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Baharat (aka Lebanese 7 Spice) is the shortcut spice here. It’s a spice mix used in Middle Eastern cooking that is made with – yup, you guessed it – 7 spices! Cinnamon forward (very Middle Eastern), usually with cumin, coriander, all spice and pepper, then the other spices vary between paprika, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, sometimes even garam masala. I’ve popped a homemade version in the recipe notes.
Find it at some large grocery stores (I get mine from Harris Farms, same price as dried herbs), fresh produce stores, Middle Eastern stores. Don’t fret if you can’t find it, substitute with any Middle Eastern or Moroccan spice mix (sold at all grocery stores), something more exotic like an Egyptian or African spice mix, Harissa paste, or even a Shawarma spice mix (from this recipe).
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Tomato paste – Used in the meat mix for traditional Lebanese pizza. Adds a touch of colour and flavour. I substituted ketchup in an emergency. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it worked!
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Garlic – Because we love how much the Lebanese love garlic.
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Parsley or coriander/cilantro (OPTIONAL) – I added it because I had it, for a touch of colour and flavour. But it is by no means essential.
Tip: try adding shredded zucchini and carrot into the mixture, to sneak some vegetables in and make the meat go further!
2. lebanese bread for the base
Are you familiar with this large pita bread? It’s a staple at every grocery store here in Australia! Don’t worry if you can’t get it. This recipe will work with any flatbread. Or even tortillas!
Lebanese bread – this is a type of flatbread that is sold in every grocery store here in Australia. It’s like a large pita bread – about 30cm / 12″ in diameter, a thin double layer of bread that can be separated. It’s not bready, like this type of pita pocket, which is why it cooks up crispy quite quickly.
Other suitable flatbreads – Anything fairy thin but not paper thin (won’t be sturdy enough) that will go crispy when pan fried.
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Tortillas will work, though they won’t be quite as crispy. I’d make then quesadilla style (spread with meat, toppings, fold then fry).
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Greek pita bread, the thin kind not bready kind (like Golden Top brand, pictured in Lamb Souvlaki) is ideal.
3. TOPPING OPTIONS
I can’t stress enough though – toppings are essential, else it’s a little boring. I really recommend at least feta and olive oil, or anything that serves a similar purpose – goats cheese, labne, drizzle of yogurt mix with lemon, or even sour cream.
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Feta – I like to use Danish feta because it gets a bit smeary, though the more crumbly Greek feta is just as good. Goats cheese is extra excellent! Got leftovers from last weeks’ Goat Cheese Risoni?
Other ideas – Labne, yogurt, sour cream, avocado sauce (yes!), tahini sauce or whipped tahini yogurt sauce would also be fabulous. Essentially, a crumble or drizzle of something a little creamy goes a long way here.
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Extra virgin olive oil – Chicken mince is so lean, so this too is highly recommended. Though, if you use a creamy drizzle sauce in place of feta, you mightn’t need it.
Everything else pictured is recommended but not essential! Here’s some notes on each:
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Toasty pine nuts – or sesame seeds (za’atar vibes), or almonds (chopped, flakes, slivers), walnuts or pistachios (pretty!)
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Red pepper flakes – Because a little fiery heat makes everything more interesting!
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Parsley or coriander/cilantro – For some fresh green and herby touch. Substitute with dried oregano (sprinkle it on top, like we do Greek Salad).
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Lemon – Nice fresh finish, channeling the tangy touch you get from sumac in real Lebanese Pizza.
More ideas!
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Sprinkles – Za’atar, dukkah, sumac or other spice mixes
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Chilli crisp or other chilli sauce – a swish of sriracha would totally work!
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Salsa like pico de gallo or even a bit of finely chopped tomato
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Olives or other pickled veg, chopped / finely sliced
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Rocket / arugula – Just a small handful (think – Rocket Prosciutto Pizza)
I have to stop here, else this post will be lengthy!! But you get the idea. 🙂
How to make this 8 minute Lebanese Pizza
4 minute prep, 3 minute cook, 1 minute toppings. YOU GOT THIS!
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Mix the spiced meat topping ingredients in a bowl.
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Trim the Lebanese bread so it fits in your pan. Only trim along one side so the bread stays together.
Pan size – I use my large non-stick pan which is 30cm/12″ wide (this one).
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Spread the meat all over the bread, like you would peanut butter on toast! It will be and should be fairly thin.
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Pan fry the meat side down for 1 1/2 minutes on high heat until there are some golden patches. No longer – chicken mince dries out in a flash!
(PS Don’t skimp on oil when pan frying, else the bread will just burn rather than go golden and crispy).
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Crisp base – Turn with tongs (the meat sticks!) then pan fry the bread side for 1 1/2 minutes until crispy, lowering the heat slightly if needed so the bread doesn’t burn.
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Sprinkle with toppings. Baseline is feta or goats cheese + olive oil, everything else just makes it even better.
Cut like pizza then devour!
Also – proof it’s crispy enough to pick up:
Final words
Cooked Lebanese pizzas will keep for a few days, but I recommend reheating by pan frying to re-crisp the base and a fresh drizzle of olive oil to rejuvenate the chicken.
And final words of advice – don’t get hung up on having the exact ingredients listed. This recipe is more of a blueprint for you to use and make your own with what you’ve got!
Hope you can find 8 minutes in your day to give this a go. 😉 I promise you won’t regret it. – Nagi x
PS Some of you may have picked up that this recipe is like an open-faced Arayes, Lebanese meat stuffed pita breads, pan fried until crispy. Funnily enough, that’s where this recipe started! See Development Woe tales in the FAQ section below. 🙂
8 minute Lebanese pizza FAQ
None for this actual recipe but plenty leading up to it! This came into existence because I was determined to expand my chicken mince repertoire. It’s so lean, it overcooks so easily and I usually resort to adding cheese or serving with loads of sauce to compensate.
So, faced with a packet of expiring chicken mince, I had what I thought was a brilliant idea to try a chicken mince version of Lebanese Arayes, a recipe I shared a couple of years ago where raw spiced lamb mince is stuffed inside pita breads then pan fried until crisp.
In theory, it should’ve worked. In reality, it was bland. Chicken mince is way less flavourful than lamb mince, so cooking it inside bread where it doesn’t get browned just lacked flavour. I tried twice, dialling up the spicing, but it was still no good.
Recognising that the lack of meat browning was the problem, I then flipped to the Lebanese pizza idea where the meat is exposed so I could get colour on it. And it worked! It was so, so delicious, and kept getting more delicious the more toppings I put on it. 😂
So actually, it originally came about as an “open faced Arayes” but then I realised it had re-routed to be a variation of Lebanese pizzas, so I changed the name!
This recipe was a cinch! It’s a low-risk fast recipe so I didn’t need to do much testing on the cooking process. I made the same recipe with beef and pork to make sure they were still tasty using the same quantity of spicing and salt (which they were). I didn’t do lamb because it’s similar to beef in terms of amount of flavour it can take / needs – and I know it’s the best because lamb is a natural protein choice for Lebanese food and flavours. 🙂
Watch how to make it
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8 minute Lebanese Pizzas (Lahmacun!)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 3 minutes
Dinner, Main
lebanese, Middle Eastern
Servings1 x 30cm/12″ pizza
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Spiced Chicken Mince spread:
Toppings – essential! (Note 4)
Toppings – optional (makes it even better!)
Prevent screen from sleeping
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
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Trim bread to fit pan, mix filling, smear on bread. Heat oil on high, pan fry 90 seconds meat side down, then bread side 90 seconds until crispy. Top, cut, eat!
FULL RECIPE:
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Use a large 30cm/12″ non-stick pan. If needed, use scissors to cut one side of the Lebanese bread so it fits in your pan (Note 4)
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Mix the Chicken Spread ingredients in a bowl. Spread all across the surface of one side of the bread like peanut butter – use it all! It will be a fairly thin layer.
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Cook meat side – Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan over high heat. Place the bread in meat side down and cook for 90 seconds, pressing down lightly to encourage colour. The meat will stick to the bread!
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Crisp bread – Turn with tongs (there should be some golden patches) and cook the bread side for 90 seconds until golden and crispy (lower heat if browning too quickly).
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Toppings – Slide onto cutting board, sprinkle with feta, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with other toppings you choose. Cut into 8 like pizza, enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
When trimming to fit in the pan, only cut one side else the bread may separate when cooking.
2. Meat – I use chicken mince because this recipe came into existence when I wanted to do something interesting (but quick!) with chicken mince. Lamb is more traditional for Lebanese pizza (and delicious here!), though any mince/ground meat can be used.
3. Baharat – Lebanese / Middle Eastern spice blend, also called “Lebanese 7 Spice”, a blend that is uniquely heavy on all-spice and cinnamon. Find it at larger grocery stores (costs the same as regular spice mixes like Italian herbs), or make your own (below). Substitute with any Middle Eastern/Moroccan spice blend or 2 teaspoons of Harissa paste.
Homemade baharat / Lebanese 7 Spice:
1 tsp EACH ground all spice, cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/8 tsp each ground cloves, nutmeg powder
Based on this recipe from Silk Road recipes, tweaked to align with store bought I use.
4. Toppings – So many options! Read in post for suggestions.
Similar stuffed crispy bread-type-things
Clumsy heading. But you know what I mean!
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