My son and I had a discussion a while back about how we never order chicken pizza because it usually isn’t that great, but how we also love it. After discussing what our ideal bbq chicken pizza would be, I set out to make it.
This recipe starts with my favorite pizza dough I have been using for 20+ years. It has great texture and always bakes up nicely. We decided on a white sauce, not tomato sauce, since this pizza would have bbq and buffalo sauce too. I used a simple garlic parm white sauce as the base.
We definitely wanted some blue cheese on this, so I used a combo of mozzarella and Monterey jack for the base cheese layer then topped with some blue cheese crumbles. Boneless chicken breast chunks were marinated in bbq rub and bbq sauce to make sure they were flavorful. I precooked the chicken in a skillet to make sure it was fully cooked before adding to the pizza. Red onion seemed like another good pre bake topping.
I rounded out the baked pizza with drizzles of bbq sauce, buffalo sauce, and ranch and some fresh sliced green onions and cilantro. We ate with extra buffalo sauce on the side. If you have a pizza steel, I highly recommend using one. When making pizza at home, the steel really helps the crust bake up nice and crisp on the bottom. If you don’t have one, you can flip over a baking sheet and use the back. This was delicious and I will definitely make this recipe again in the near future. Check out my other pizza recipes too!
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 cups bread flour give or take a bit
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the white sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp AP flour
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp salt more to taste
- fresh black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp garlic powder
For the chicken:
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce
- 1 tsp bbq rub mix
- 1 tsp salt
For the pizza:
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/2 red onion sliced thin
- sliced scallions for topping
- chopped cilantro for topping
- ranch, bbq sauce and buffalo sauce for topping
Instructions
To make the dough:
- If you are using a pizza steel, place it in the oven 1 hour before you will bake the pizza. Set your oven as high as it goes (mine is 550). If using a baking sheet, do this 20 minutes before you will bake the pizza, using a baking sheet in place of the steel. Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together. Add a little extra flour or water to get a smooth dough that isn't too stiff. Mix until the dough forms a smooth ball and passes the windowpane test.
- Spray a container with oil and place the dough in a let rise for 1.5-2 hours, covered. When ready to use, spilt into 2 equal parts and shape into a rough ball. Cover for 10 minutes, then roll out each ball when ready to top and bake.
To make the chicken:
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and combine with the salt, spice mix and bbq sauce. Let marinate for an hour up to overnight. When ready to cook, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside.
For the sauce:
- Heat the butter in a small sauce pan until melted over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking for a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk a bit at a time to avoid lumps. Whisk until the mixture begins to thicken then add the garlic, parmesan, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and let sit until ready to cook the pizza.
To make the pizza:
- Line the back of a baking sheet with parchment. This will help you slide your pizza into the oven. Lightly dust a counter with flour and roll or stretch your pizza dough into a circle. You can make this dough thin, or you can make a smaller circle if you want it thicker. Mine was probably about 10 inches in diameter.
- Spread a layer of sauce over the dough, leaving the edge clear. Spread the moz and mj cheese all over the top, then add chicken, red onion and blue cheese crumbles. Sprinkle a little more cheese over and slide onto your pizza steel. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese and crust are well browned.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle with bbq sauce, buffalo sauce and ranch and top with sliced scallions and cilantrol. Cut and serve.