This BBQ Chicken pizza features juicy chicken and plenty of gooey cheese. You’ve got to try my no-fail pizza crust turns out perfect every time.
Disclaimer: Today’s post was made possible by Sweet Baby Ray’s. They sent me product samples and a gift card to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.
During football season our meals revolve around the television set. We love making dishes like Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, Chile Con Queso Dip, and this BBQ chicken pizza recipe.
For football season (or any season), make games more fun even if your team isn’t the winner. When those game times collide with dinner time, don’t order those expensive, processed pizzas.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Affordable: Make your own pizza at a fraction of the cost of takeout.
- Perfect Pizza Crust: With crunchy edges and a soft center, my homemade dough couldn’t be easier to make. Bonus: No prebaking!
- Perfect Combination: The perfect bite of sauce, chicken, and cheese is just heavenly.
Serve For
- Game Day Party: Football (NFL or college), March Madness, or even hockey night
- Weeknight Dinner: We love making pizza together on Fridays
- Snowday Lunch: A great project!
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Pizza Yeast: Pizza yeast is a special yeast blend that has conditioning products like dough relaxers. This makes it easier for you to roll out and shape the dough. Fleischmann’s is my go-to brand. Look for it in the baking aisle near the cornstarch.
- Sugar: Don’t leave this out, it gives the yeast something to munch on so it can do its job.
- Flour: Measure your flour by spooning it into a measuring cup. Do not scoop flour our with your measuring cup, or you will use too much.
- Chicken: You can use any cooked chicken you like. Leftover BBQ chicken from the crockpot, your fried chicken leftovers, or even a rotisserie chicken would work.
- BBQ Sauce: I like Sweet Baby Ray’s. Feel free to use your favorite or even homemade.
Other Topping Ideas
- Add Crunch: Add thin and crispy french fried onions
- Mix up the Cheese: Throw provolone into the cheese mix. Or try it with cheddar
- Add more Veggies: Green bell peppers, mushrooms, or jalapenos would all be good options.
- Bacon: Need I say more?
How To Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Make Crust: Combine all ingredients. Knead and press into a circle.
- Chicken: Combine chicken and BBQ sauce.
- Sauce: Spread BBQ sauce over the pizza crust.
- Top: Top with chicken, cheese, and onion.
- Bake: Bake for 14-16 minutes.
Can You Make The Dough In Advance?
Absolutely! In fact, if you want to save yourself from missing all those big plays on the screen, you should get your dough ready first. You can make it up to one day ahead. Refrigerate it and it will slowly double in volume.
Leftovers
- Storage: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to wrap them in a layer of wax paper and then put them in foil. This helps seal in the flavors and prevents your fridge from smelling like leftovers.
- Reheating: There are 2 ways to do this the best way and neither is your microwave.
- Oven: Preheat to 375ºF, line your baking tray with foil, and pop the tray and foil in the oven without the pizza. This gets it hot enough. After a few minutes, grab it out using an oven mitt and add your pizza for about 10 minutes.
- Skillet: A non-stick skillet works best. Heat it on medium heat, then add the pizza cold into the skillet. It only needs a couple of minutes like this, then you’ll throw a few drops of water onto the base of the pan (next to the pizza slice, not on top of it). Put a lid on it and it will steam up to melt your cheese.
- Freeze: Freeze tightly wrapped for up to 2 months.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a spatula: Spread the sauce using a rubber spatula to ensure an even coating and to avoid any dough tears.
- Pizza Stone: Cook on a pizza stone if you have one for the crispiest pizza. If you don’t have one you can get a similar effect by preheating your pizza pan for 5 minutes in the oven.
- Doneness: The pizza is done with the cheese is melted and the edges of your crust are just beginning to brown.
- Semi-Homemade: Don’t have time to make pizza crust? You can use store-bought, or even substitute tortillas.
- Drizzle: Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese for a fun twist.
More Pizzas We Love
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BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough (Feel free to use a store bought crust if you prefer)
- 2 ¼ Cups Flour
- ¼ Oz. Pizza Yeast
- 1 ½ Tsp Sugar
- ¾ Tsp Salt
- ⅔ Cup Warm Water
- 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For the Toppings
- ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'n Spicy BBQ Sauce
- 1 Cup Cooked Chicken Chopped (around one breast)
- ⅔ Cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
- ⅔ Cup Smoked Gouda Cheese Shredded
- ½ Red Onion Thinly Sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt together. Add warm water and oil. Mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add the remaining flour/water alternating a little at a time.
- Knead on a floured surface with greased hands for 4-6 minutes or until dough no longer sticks to your fingers.
- Press or roll into a circle.
- In a small bowl, toss chicken and 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce until coated. Set aside.
- Top prepared crust with BBQ sauce. Top with cheese, BBQ chicken, and onion.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and the crust is starting to brown.
Notes
- Pizza Yeast: Pizza yeast is a special yeast blend that has conditioning products like dough relaxers. This makes it easier for you to roll out and shape the dough. Fleischmann’s is my go-to brand. Look for it in the baking aisle near the cornstarch.
- Sugar: Don't leave this out, it gives the yeast something to munch on so it can do its job.
- Flour: Measure your flour by spooning it into a measuring cup. Do not scoop flour our with your measuring cup, or you will use too much.
- Chicken: You can use any cooked chicken you like. Leftover BBQ chicken from the crockpot, your fried chicken leftovers, or even a rotisserie chicken would work.
- BBQ Sauce: I like Sweet Baby Ray's. Feel free to use your favorite or even homemade.
- Use a spatula: Spread the sauce using a rubber spatula to ensure an even coating and to avoid any dough tears.
- Pizza Stone: Cook on a pizza stone if you have one for the crispiest pizza. If you don't have one you can get a similar effect by preheating your pizza pan for 5 minutes in the oven.
- Doneness: The pizza is done with the cheese is melted and the edges of your crust are just beginning to brown.
- Semi-Homemade: Don't have time to make pizza crust? You can use store-bought, or even substitute tortillas.
- Drizzle: Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese for a fun twist.
Nutrition
I need to try this BBQ Chicken Pizza immediately, it looks so good!
This pizza looks amazing! I love this kind of pizza and cannot wait to make it at home!
That looks fantastic! I love barbecue and I love pizza. It seems perfect to me. I’m going to make this for the big game next week!
Made this for gameday, and everyone loved it. A fun twist on pizza.
In all of your pizza recipes for making the dough it calls for 2/3c warm water. In the directions for making the crust it’s add 1c of the warm water gradually adding remaining flour/water alternately a little at a time. How much water and flour should be added? I checked and every pizza recipe has the same amount and directions for preparing the dough for making the crust. Where does the directions call for the 1c water plus more. How can you get 1c warm water from 2/3c warm water? I want to make the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and the Jalapeno Popper Pizza!
Thanks for pointing that out Shirl, I’ve updated it. It is 2/3 cup of water.
My kids would go crazy for this pizza! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
I can already feel the pizza cravings kicking in!
Thanks Tash, it’s a craveable pie for sure!
This looks SO good! Those thin onion slices and gooey cheese are calling my name. You have officially convinced me to have pizza before taking my son trick-or-treating tomorrow. Cannot wait to make this!
Thanks so much Elizabeth, please let me know how you liked it! Hope trick treating went well and you guys got lots of candy! 😀
Spicy BBQ sauce, chicken and gouda…this pizza is pure awesomeness!
Thanks Mike I agree it’s a great combination!
This is one of my favorite types of pizza! And your crust looks KILLER! Yum!
Thanks so much Trish!
This pizza looks absolutely fantastic!!
Thanks so much Jocelyn!
We have been eating pizza like crazy lately! There are so many flavor combinations, and they are so quick and easy to throw together. To have another recipe to add to our pizza collection is awesome! It looks fantastic! I love the gouda – one of the best cheeses ever!
Agreed on the gouda! Thanks Kristi!