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Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza is so easy to make at home! BBQ sauce makes an amazing substitute for pizza sauce and makes this pizza so irresistible.

A fun twist on traditional pizza, this recipe is totally customizable to whatever ingredients you have on hand: this can be made with leftover BBQ chicken *or* a rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce. You can use store-bought pizza dough or the 2-ingredient pizza dough, your choice!

Slice of bbq chicken pizza cut from a pie

Easy homemade pizza

Ever since I discovered the tricks for making delicious pizza at home with store bought dough, I've been enjoying experimenting with homemade pizza toppings. There are tons of pizza topping combinations I love, but one of my favorites is a BBQ Chicken Pizza.

If you've never tried it before, you're in for a treat! BBQ sauce is a nice departure from pizza sauce, and the combination of flavors and textures in this pizza are just divine.

This pizza is also a perfect way to use up leftover ingredients such as red onion, cooked chicken, or shredded cheese.

I'll show you two different ways to make pizza crust at home, depending on whether you like a more crisp thin crust or a puffier, chewier pizza dough.

Related recipe: Thai Chicken Satay Pizza

Ingredients for BBQ chicken pizza:

  • pizza dough (store bought or homemade - more on that below)
  • BBQ sauce
  • cooked chicken (such as rotisserie chicken or leftover dry brine roast chicken), chopped or shredded
  • red onion, thinly sliced
  • cilantro or basil

If you have leftover BBQ shredded chicken that's already combined with BBQ sauce, you can use that too!

It's amazing how much flavor comes out of these five simple ingredients!

What kind of pizza dough to use

I usually use store-bought pizza dough (or pizza dough we pick up from the pizzeria near us), following all my best tips for how to make great pizza from store-bought dough. This usually results in a classic puffy, chewy, absolutely delicious pizza dough, like the one you see below.

Slice of homemade BBQ chicken pizza

2-ingredient pizza dough from scratch

Once in a while I make the 2-ingredient pizza dough from Greek yogurt + self-rising flour... You can make self rising flour by mixing together regular all-purpose flour plus baking soda, and salt (ingredients I always have on hand).

This results in a thinner, crisper pizza dough, almost like a flatbread (like you see below). It also has a little tang to it from the Greek yogurt, but I find that the BBQ sauce on the pizza totally balances that out.

Related recipe: Baked Pretzel Crusted Chicken

BBQ Chicken pizza cut up on a pizza pan.

To make 2-ingredient pizza dough, combine 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1.5 cups self-rising flour (or 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons baking soda, and ¾ teaspoons salt) and mix with a fork until shaggy. Then use your hands to combine into a smooth ball. Roll out, using extra flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or pan.

Related recipe: Pizza Pinwheels

More pizza crust options

Of course, you can use a pre-baked crust or naan bread for the pizza crust for a totally fuss-free BBQ chicken pizza. For pre-baked crust, follow the baking instructions on the packaging. To use naan bread as the crust, bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes.

Instructions

Grab a rolling pin, some parchment paper, and a baking sheet before getting started. A 15x10-inch baking sheet or a 14-inch pizza pan works best.

Step 1: Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut parchment paper approximately the size and shape of your pizza pan.

Step 2: Roll out dough on the parchment paper, dusting the rolling pin and parchment paper with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Move the parchment paper with the dough onto the pan. Pre-bake un-topped dough for approximately 5 minutes.

Please note, you only need to pre-bake store-bought yeast dough. No need to pre-bake naan bread, pre-made crust, or 2-ingredient dough.

Step 3: Remove dough from the oven (if pre-baking). Spread on the BBQ sauce and evenly top with shredded chicken, a bit more more sauce, sliced red onion, and cheese.

Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.
Top cooked pizza with chopped cilantro or basil.

Shortcuts and substitutions

  1. If you don't already have cooked chicken in the fridge, a rotisserie chicken is a great time saver for this recipe.
  2. A variety of cheeses would work on a BBQ Chicken Pizza, so if you've already got cheese open in your fridge, go ahead and use that! I typically use mozzarella or Monterey jack, but you could also use gouda or cheddar... or a combination of cheeses. You can even add some spice with pepper Jack cheese.
  3. Try other toppings, such as roasted broccoli (roast before adding to the pizza), mushrooms, or olives.

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Slice of homemade BBQ chicken pizza

Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

A super simple homemade BBQ chicken Pizza made with rotisserie chicken (or any leftover chicken), BBQ sauce, and store-bought pizza dough. See notes for other pizza dough tips.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 266kcal
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pizza dough see notes for other pizza dough options
  • 1-2 tablespoons flour for rolling dough, as needed
  • 4-5 tablespoon good BBQ sauce
  • ½ small red onion sliced thinly
  • 1.5 cup rotisserie chicken (or other cooked chicken) shredded or chopped
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro or basil

Special equipment

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a piece of parchment paper to approximately the size of your baking sheet/pan.
  • Roll out dough on the parchment paper, dusting the rolling pin and parchment paper with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Move the parchment paper with the dough onto the pan. Pre-bake un-topped dough for approximately 5 minutes (see notes).
  • Remove dough from the oven. Spread on the BBQ sauce and evenly top with shredded chicken, some more BBQ sauce, sliced onion, and cheese.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Top cooked pizza with chopped cilantro or basil.

Notes

  • If you're using a store bought dough that's already pre-baked, skip the pre-baking step. Cook according to package instructions.
  • If using naan bread as the pizza crust, skip the pre-baking step and bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes.
  • If using the 2-ingredient pizza dough, mix 1 cup Greek yogurt + 1.5 cups self-rising flour until you get a smooth dough, and roll out, adding flour to the rolling pin and surface as needed to prevent sticking. Do not pre-bake this dough, just add the toppings and then bake. 
    • If you don't have self-rising flour, use 1.5 cups all-purpose flour + 1.5 teaspoons baking powder + ¾ teaspoons salt.
Dough rolling tip: If you don't want to use the parchment paper trick for rolling and transferring the dough, oil a baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and transfer the dough onto the oiled pan to bake.

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 784mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 153IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg
Recipe Rating




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Gemma @ MakeupMuddle.com

Sunday 16th of February 2020

This sounds like such a delicious recipe! I just had to pin it. I can’t believe how simple it is, and a 20 minute prep time too! 20 mins prep and 20 mins cooking time, meaning it’s quicker than takeaway and much more delicious too! Xo

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