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Switch up pizza night with this smoky BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe. Best of all, it’s on the table in no time!
BBQ Chicken Pizza is right up there with our other favorite kinds of pizza – Classic Pepperoni, and Chicken Alfredo Pizza.
Pizza night!
Every Friday night it’s pizza and movie night in the Merkley home. We sometimes do homemade pizza – sometimes we pick one up.
Either way, we love trying new pizza! Not too long ago, we decided to try out a new recipe for a homemade version of BBQ Chicken Pizza and it was AMAZING!
The crispy bacon and cilantro took our pizza to a whole new level of deliciousness. The best part of all was that this homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza was so easy to make! We loved it so much that we’re adding it to the meal planner.
If you love barbecue chicken like we do, I highly suggest you make it. 🙂
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
To make this BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe as easy as possible, we use a can of store-bought pizza dough, as well as rotisserie chicken. It saves so much time!
That way, it only takes about 20 minutes to throw this pizza together! If you have a little extra time try out our easy Homemade Pizza Dough recipe.
- CHICKEN. Begin by cubing your chicken breast and tossing it into store-bought or Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- CRUST. Bake pizza dough for 5 minutes at whatever temperature the dough packaging instructs.
- BBQ SAUCE. While the pizza dough is still warm, add a ½ cup barbecue sauce for the pizza sauce (add more or less if desired).
- BAKE. Add cheese, barbecue chicken, cilantro, and bacon to your pizza. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake pizza an additional 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown.
Drizzle with more barbecue sauce, and ENJOY!
MORE toppings
Cheese. One of the easiest ways to change the flavor is to use a different cheese. Mozzarella is my favorite to use because it pairs well with a variety of ingredients, it melts easily, and browns beautifully.
With that said, you can use your favorite cheese along with or instead of mozzarella. I’d suggest trying: smoked gouda cheese, blue cheese, or gorgonzola.
Additional toppings. Add any of your favorite pizza toppings: pineapple, sausage, jalapeno peppers, or red onions.
How to use Pizza Stone
You can easily use a regular pizza pan and spray it with cooking spray, but if you have one, I suggest using a pizza stone.
Pizza stones hold heat more equally creating an evenly cooked crust. It also draws out extra moisture from more wet areas of the dough making sure that every part of the crust is baked to perfection.
- Always place your pizza stone on the lowest rack in a COLD oven. If you preheat the oven and then place the stone in, the sudden change in temperature can crack the stone.
- Allow the oven and the stone to heat up for about 30 minutes before placing your pizza on it.
A pizza peel is a must when cooking with a stone. The pizza peel is used to transport the pizza to and from the oven.
- Sprinkle it with cornmeal before placing the dough directly onto the peel and adding your sauce and toppings.
- Point the tip of your peel onto the back edge of your preheated pizza stone.
- Pull the peel towards you, letting the pizza gently slide onto the stone.
Precooked chicken. The pizza is not in the oven long enough to cook the chicken properly, so it MUST be precooked. To save time, use rotisserie chicken, canned chicken chunks, or keep cooked chicken in the freezer to grab on a busy day.
What to serve with BBQ Pizza
There are so many great sides and salads to serve with pizza. Here are some of our favorites:
- Broccoli Salad
- Garlic Knots
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Pizza Salad
- Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Arugula Salad
- Baked Hot Wings
Storing Info
Make ahead of time. Make this BBQ pizza recipe ahead of time and freeze it for a quick, delicious meal.
- To freeze, bake the pizza crust for 7 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and put on the toppings.
- Place the pizza on a freezer-safe aluminum baking tray or a clean piece of cardboard and flash freeze for about 2 hours.
- Remove it from the freezer and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap then again with aluminum foil.
- Label and freeze for 3-6 months.
To bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pizza on a baking sheet and bake until hot and the cheese has melted; about 5-7 minutes.
For a beautifully browned top, flip on the broiler and allow the top to cook 1-2 minutes longer. Keep a close eye on it. *Freezing canned pizza dough may prevent it from rising as much as it does when baked fresh.
STORE baked pizza. Leftover BBQ Chicken Pizza can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Place slices in an airtight container, and separate each slice with a paper towel or parchment paper.
For best results, reheat in the oven or toaster oven. If you’re in a hurry you can reheat it in the microwave.
For more pizza recipes, check out:
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Equipment
- pizza pan if you don't have a pizza stone
- pizza peel if using a pizza stone
Ingredients
- 1 can pre-made pizza dough, or 14 ounce homemade dough
- 1½ cups cubed chicken, rotisserie chicken works great
- 1¼ cups barbecue sauce, divided
- 3 pieces cooked bacon, chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
- garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
Instructions
- Begin by cubing your chicken and tossing it in ½ cup of BBQ Sauce.
- Bake the pizza dough for 5 minutes at whatever temperature the instructions say on the pizza dough packaging.
- While the pizza dough is still warm, spread ½ cup of BBQ Sauce (add more or less if desired).
- Add cheese, barbecue chicken, cilantro, and bacon to your pizza. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
- Bake pizza an additional 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown.
- Drizzle with more barbecue sauce, and ENJOY!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m a pizza lover and I am amazed at this pizza recipe. It is irresistibly delicious and pleasing, a new favorite!
My kids love this kind of pizza. It’s more delicious and satisfying than the store-bought. We’ll surely have this again, thanks Kristyn!
Oh my heck! I could eat this pizza everyday of the week. Has all my favorite things in it: barbecue, bacon, and cheese! So delicious, will definitely be making again.