California-style Barbecue Chicken Pizza recipe is easy to make at home! Perfect for parties or family dinners.
Ingredients
Dough
1 1/4cupwarm water
1package yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1teaspoonsugar
2eggs, beaten
4-5cupsflour
2teaspoonssalt
Filling
2-3chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped or shredded
barbeque sauce, recipe below or bottled
2 1/2cupsshredded smoked Gouda cheese
2cupsshredded mozzarella cheese
1cupchopped red onion
1/2cupchopped cilantro
Homemade Barbecue sauce
2cupsketchup
1cupbrown sugar
5-8drops hot sauce, Tabasco
1teaspoondry mustard
3tablespoonsWorcestershire Sauce
ground pepper
Instructions
Stir yeast and sugar into warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes until foamy.
In large bow of a stand mixer, mix eggs and salt, add yeast mixture. Add flour a cup at a time, just until dough pulls away from bowl. If using mixer, continue mixing with dough hook attachment until smooth and elastic. Put dough in large oiled bowl, and sit in warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled.
Heat all ingredients for bbq sauce in a pan on stove. Add additional sugar, hot sauce according to your taste. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat when sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to boil. Set aside.
Prepare Oven for Cooking
Place rack on lowest shelf in oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees for at least 30 minutes while dough is rising and topping ingredients are being prepared. Very important to have the oven HOT when placing pizza in oven.
To assemble:
Place the chicken in about 1/4 cup barbeque sauce and let sit for a few minutes. Roll out the pizza dough into a 14" circle and place onto a pizza pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or dusted with cornmeal. Spread about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of barbeque sauce onto the crust (depending on how saucy you like your pizza). Top with half of the chicken, half of the Gouda and mozzarella, and chopped red onion. Repeat the process with the ingredients on the other crust. You should have two 14" crusts or 4 small pizzas.
Bake at 450 for about 12 minutes until cheeses are melted and bottom of crust is golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle on fresh cilantro and a few pieces of chopped fresh red onion for color. Cut and serve immediately.
Notes
If you don't want to make homemade bbq sauce or don't have the time, I recommend a sweet and slightly spicy sauce, such as Sweet Baby Ray's.
This combination of fillings is also amazing on a pita or a greek pita bread, fill with toppings, Microwave on a paper towel just until cheese is melted, roll up, stuff (if pita) or fold in half and enjoy.