Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Make pizza night a breeze with BBQ chicken pizza bursting with flavorful barbecue sauce, tender chicken, and gooey cheese in every bite. Pop it in the oven, and soon you’ll have a delicious flavor combo the whole family will love for dinner!

 

Why We Love BBQ Chicken Pizza

• Packed Full Of Flavor – This pizza feels a little special while packing a ton of flavor. You don’t need tons of effort or tons of ingredients to make a pizza that is thick, chewy and tasty.
• Great To Use Leftover Chicken Or To Meal Plan – This is a great meal to use up leftover chicken, and it can be a great way to meal plan. For example we may eat a rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken the first night as a family, and then any leftover meat goes on this pizza the next night.
• Less Expensive Than Takeout – I love a good pizza night, and this version is way less than most of the pizza places around me. It’s also way less oily than takeout, and doesn’t skimp on toppings!

When my kid was a toddler she really struggled with red sauce on pizza for a little while. We would make this pizza or a creamy white pizza about twice a month during that phase and it always hit the spot. The whole family would enjoy this bbq chicken pizza recipe together, and it quickly became a favorite pizza flavor.

Ingredients To Make BBQ Chicken Pizza

• pizza dough use my pizza dough recipe or store-bought pizza dough
• cornmeal – using a cornmeal with a finer grit, like for cornbread, will give you a better texture. I find grits to be too thick to use for pizza.
• all purpose flour for rolling the dough
• BBQ sauce divided, use your favorite sauce, it can be a spicy, tangy or a sweet sauce. You can also use a homemade BBQ sauce.
• cooked chicken chopped chicken, rotisserie chicken works great but you can also use leftover cooked chicken breast or chicken thighs. You can also use shredded chicken. I like to use the leftover chicken from the slow cooker BBQ chicken thighs for this recipe.
• salt
• garlic powder
• olive oil
• mozzarella cheese shredded, can also use provolone slices, or shredded gouda cheese (or use smoked gouda like they do at California Pizza Kitchen,) provolone cheese, Havarti cheese or just a shredded Italian blend of cheese. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the cheese choice for pizza at home!
• red onion chopped small
• cheddar cheese shredded, I prefer extra sharp

How To Make Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

1. Make the pizza dough with my pizza dough recipe, or if using store-bought dough allow the pizza dough to sit on the counter uncovered for at least thirty minutes so it stretches easier.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Add ¼ cup of cornmeal to the baking sheet and spread out over the pan with most of the cornmeal in the middle. You can also use a round pizza pan if you have one.
3. Lightly flour a clean countertop. Gently stretch and knead the pizza dough. Add a sprinkle of flour as you stretch the dough if the dough becomes sticky. Add flour to the rolling pin and roll the pizza dough until it is about twelve inches across

4. Move the dough to the prepared pan on top of the cornmeal. Curl the edge of the dough in just a little to give the pizza a thicker crust and a rounder shape.
5. Add about 6 tablespoons BBQ sauce to the the center of the pizza dough. With the back of a large spoon, spread the sauce evenly over the pizza crust. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the BBQ sauce.

6. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. In a medium sized bowl add the chicken and two tablespoons of BBQ sauce and stir well. Spread the chicken evenly across the mozzarella cheese on the pizza.

7. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, salt and garlic powder. With a silicone brush, brush the crust of the pizza with the olive oil.

8. Top the BBQ chicken with the diced red onions. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese across the top of the pizza.

9. Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Then enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Variation Ideas

Add Bacon – Chopped cooked bacon goes really well on this pizza!

Try Adding Vegetables – We like adding bell peppers for extra crunch to this pizza. Fresh spinach can also be tasty if layered between the bbq sauce and the mozzarella cheese layer.

Top With Pineapple – If you’re a person who likes pineapple on pizza, you’ll love pieces of pineapple on this pizza. Pineapple gives little bursts of flavor, and goes really well with the bbq sauce.

BBQ Chicken Pizza And Pizza Dough FAQ

How Long Will This BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe Last?

Expect this BBQ chicken will last for about three days. Store leftovers in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can You Freeze This BBQ Chicken Pizza?

Yes leftover bbq chicken pizza freezes well and easily. Freeze the pizza in a covered freezer safe container or freezer bag. You can expect the pizza will taste it’s best within 2-3 months.