BBQ chicken pizza? Hickory BBQ sauce and leftover chicken combine sweetness and heat in this recipe. Press the dough onto the pan, add toppings, and you’re done!
BBQ chicken pizza is an American staple. In 1980s California Pizza Kitchen, Ed LaDou developed it. (LaDou invented the smoked salmon pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago.)
The original had barbecue sauce, chicken, mozzarella, smoked Gouda, red onion, and cilantro after baking.
Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Pizza
This sheet pan recipe is similar to the original, but I use one cheese and thinly sliced jalapeño instead of cilantro, which I think makes the pizza shine. This is baked on a thin, golden crust.
I used a pre-made ball from the grocery store’s frozen department for the dough, but you could alternatively create a half batch of our no-knead pizza dough recipe. If you buy it frozen from the grocery store, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
I bought a rotisserie chicken as I didn’t have any leftover shredded chicken, but you could cook or use leftover chicken.
Barbecue Sauce?
I used a hickory sauce for its smokiness to give this pizza the most “barbecue” flavor. I used Hunt’s, but use your favorite barbecue sauce—or make your own!
Sheet Pan Pizza Dough Instructions
This recipe is basically assembly, making dinner easy.
Spreading the dough in the pan requires gentleness and patience to avoid tearing it. You can always pinch it back together if you do.
For optimal results, keep dough at room temperature. Still, it’ll take some coaxing to reach the pan’s edges and may spring back, but the pizza dough will relax over time.
If it’s hard, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients before stretching it in the pan.
Sheet Pizza Toppings
Pizza topping follows. Barbecue sauce keeps the chicken moist. I sprinkle cheese under and over other toppings to blend them. This is my preferred pizza topping.
Finally, the sliced jalapeño spice balances the barbecue sauce’s sweetness and smokiness. If you hate spice, you might omit it. Heat seekers, add more!
To work with store-bought or long-refrigerated dough, leave it out on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
To make this meal, quickly poach a few chicken breasts.
Optional topping: I don’t like pineapple on pizza, but some do.
Ingredients
- 1 pound room-temperature pizza dough, store-bought or homemade (See Recipe Note)
- 2-tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken 1 cup Hunt’s Hickory BBQ Sauce
- 6 ounces (1.5 cups) 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
- 1 thin-sliced jalapeño
Method
- Pre-heat oven: 450°F oven. Lowest rack.
- Stretch the dough onto the baking sheet: Place it in the center and drizzle with oil. Turn and grease the dough.
- Stretch the dough until it reaches the baking sheet without tearing it. Too cold dough springs back or is hard to stretch. Cover with plastic wrap and wait 10 minutes to fix.
- Top pizza: Mix the shredded chicken and barbecue sauce in a bowl and spread evenly over the pizza dough, leaving a boundary.
- Sprinkle the red onion, jalapeño, and remaining cheese equally. (I like cheese under and over the toppings, but you may do it your way.
- Pizza bake: Bake for 15 minutes on the lowest shelf until the cheese melts and the pizza is golden brown. Serve hot..
TRY THE AMAZING RECEPI OF GRILLING PIZZA ALSO
Grilling Pizza
Grilled pizza is delicious. Our grilled pizza recipe makes the best homemade pizza!
Why would somebody grill pizza?
After doing it multiple times, I can think of several reasons, including who wants to heat an oven to 450°F or greater on a hot summer day?
Grilled Pizza Changes Everything
Grilling pizza keeps heat outside. Grills replicate wood-fired ovens better than indoor ovens.
The smoke from the grill, whether charcoal or gas, gives pizza flavor that a standard oven cannot.
Easy too! Pizza dough does not fall through grill grates. If the grill is hot enough, your dough will get a nice golden crust.
Smart Pizza Grilling
The secret is grilling plain dough on one side. Remove it, flip it, coat the cooked side with sauce and toppings, and return the pizza to the grill for finish cooking.
Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe?
A quick grilling tutorial. I assume you have pizza dough, but if not, our homemade pizza page has a terrific recipe.
Preparation Tips
Dough: Make a double batch, let it rise, divide, cover in plastic, and freeze. When you want pizza for dinner, take the dough out of the freezer and put it in the fridge before work. When you get home, take it out of the fridge and place it on the counter to warm while you heat up the grill.
Pre-grill crusts: Stretch the dough and lightly cook both sides. Let the crust cool on a rack to avoid soggy undersides from heat and steam. This lets you make several hours ahead. When ready to grill again, brush sauce over crusts, add toppings, and grill.
Best Grilled Pizza Toppings
Grilled pizza can have any topping, however many will be raw because the cooking duration is only 2 to 3 minutes. If you want crunchy vegetables, that’s great, or cook them before putting them on the pizza. That’s bad for meats. Pre-cooked meat must top this grilled pizza.
Avoid excessive toppings to avoid soggy pizza.
Pizza dough recipe. Your supermarket may sell frozen pizza dough.
Ingredients
- Pizza dough (our recipe makes two pizzas).
- Unrefined olive oil
- All-purpose flour or cornmeal to dust the cookie sheet or pizza peel
- Optional toppings
- Tomato sauce
- Herbs
- Cheese—preferably mozzarella
- Sliced onions Tomatoes
- Mushrooms
- Pepperoni
Method
- Grill and condiments: Directly heat the grill. For pizza brushing and grill greasing, prepare a small basin of olive oil. Prepare the pizza toppings—tomato sauce, cheese, and anything else.
- Pizza dough: Flatten pizza dough with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough with your fingers or hold up the edges and let it hang and stretch while working around it.
- After stretching the dough, let it rest for 5 minutes and then push out the sides with your fingertips to form a 12-inch circular. Raised rims hinder grilling.
- Pizza dough: To wipe the grill grates, immerse a tightly folded paper towel in olive oil and use tongs.
- Place a pizza dough round on a lightly dusted (or cornmeal) rimless cookie sheet (or pizza peel if you have one).
- Slide the dough onto the grill grates.
- Grill for 2 minutes with the lid closed.
- Air bubbles in dough: Check the dough under the grill after 2 minutes. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and cook for another minute if it is just on one side.
- Cover the grill and cook a minute at a time until the bottom is golden.
- With a hot grill, it should take two minutes. Pizza dough will rise with air pockets.
- After the pizza dough has browned lightly on one side, use a cookie sheet or pizza peel to remove it from the grill. Flip the dough to the grilled side with a spatula. Cover the grill to retain heat for the following step.
- Flip cooked dough onto a cookie sheet: Use a cookie sheet or pizza peel to remove the pizza dough from the grill when one side has browned lightly. Flip the dough to the grilled side with a spatula. Cover the grill to retain heat for the following step.
- Olive oil, toppings:Paint the pizza’s grilled surface with extra virgin olive oil, then cover with 1 ladle of sauce—no more or it will be mushy.
- Sprinkle toppings, concluding with mozzarella cheese (if using) and meat (if using).
- Avoid heavy, mushy pizza by limiting toppings.
- Re-grill the pizza: Reduce gas grill heat. Close charcoal grill cover vents almost completely. Close the lid and heat for 2–3 minutes until the bottom chars and the cheese bubbles. Remove from the grate with a spatula and allow stand for two minutes before slicing.
Serve slices!