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BBQ Chicken Pizza

California-style Barbecue Chicken Pizza recipe is easy to make at home! Perfect for parties or family dinners. 

Course main
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, chicken, copycat recipe, main dish, pizza
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 minutes
rising time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 package yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 4-5 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Filling

  • 2-3 chicken breast halves cooked and chopped or shredded
  • barbeque sauce recipe below or bottled
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Homemade Barbecue sauce

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 5-8 drops hot sauce Tabasco
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Stir yeast and sugar into warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes until foamy.

  2. 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.

  3. 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

  1. 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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Recipe 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.