One of our favorite store bought pizzas has BBQ sauce and grilled chicken. This BBQ Chicken Pizza tastes just like the frozen one from the grocery store. With a tangy BBQ sauce, pieces of rotisserie chicken and a smoked Gouda and mozzarella cheese blend, you've got yourself a pretty delicious pizza for your next pizza night!
We always have several frozen BBQ chicken pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen on hand. Or should I say, we used to always have several on hand. Now that I've made this BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe, we just might be making the switch to fresh pizzas over the frozen ones because they taste just as good! This is commonly our pizza of choice for pizza Friday at our house!
To make these pizzas quickly, we use the store bought pizza crusts, but you could easily make your own crust for these. Thin crust is our favorite for this pizza flavor, but you could try a thicker crust if that is your preference.
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Ingredients Needed
- Pizza crust - This pizza is best with a thin and crispy crust. I like to make the three 7-inch pizzas, but you could also do one big 12-inch pizza.
- BBQ sauce - I think this tastes best when you use a BBQ sauce that is a little sweet. Try a honey or sweet n' spicy flavor.
- Chicken - I like to use a mesquite BBQ rotisserie chicken for this pizza. Any cooked chicken would work for this though. If you are planing to remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken, this is best done shortly after the chicken is purchased at the grocery store. You want to do this while it's still warm so the meat removal is easier. Putting the chicken in the fridge and removing the meat when your ready is ok too, it just doesn't fall off the bones as easily!
- Smoked Gouda cheese: If you are unable to find smoked gouda or are looking for an alternative, you could try smoked cheddar cheese. The smokiness of the cheese really adds to the overall flavor of the pizza, but if you would rather use a cheese that is not smoked, you could do that too. I would stick to replacing with another semi hard cheese like cheddar, Havarti or Gruyere.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Red Onion
- Cilantro: If cilantro isn't your thing, you could easily leave off this garnish.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
The first thing you will need to do is preheat your oven to 425°F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps with clean up and prevents sticking! Place your crusts on the baking sheets.
Spoon the BBQ sauce onto the crusts and spread it around using the back of a spoon.
Now it is time to sprinkle on the rest of the ingredients. Start with the chicken and cover each pizza with an even layer. Sprinkle the red onion on top of the chicken. Next, combine the smoked Gouda and mozzarella cheeses in a bowl, then sprinkle evenly between the three pizzas. Last, sprinkle with the cilantro.
Place in the 425°F oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown on top.
Remove from oven, slice into 4 pieces, and enjoy!
FAQ
- Can I make this gluten free? Yes! Use this gluten free pizza crust and make sure your BBQ sauce is also gluten free. (The BBQ sauces linked above are gluten free!)
- Do I have to use store-bough pizza crust? No, this is simply for convenience. You could make homemade pizza crust for these pizzas. Whatever size you choose to make your crust will work, just distribute your toppings evenly and adjust the cooking time and temperature as needed.
- Can I use something besides rotisserie chicken for these pizzas? Sure! You can use any cooked chicken. I think this would be a great way to use leftover chicken. Alternatively, you could grill or bake chicken breasts in place of the rotisserie chicken.
- How should I store leftover pizza? We typically don't have this problem, but you could store leftovers in an airtight container or zip top bag in the refrigerator! Place the pizza on a plate, cover with a paper towel and heat for 30-40 seconds when you are ready to eat.
- Do I have to make these on these mini pizza crusts? No! You could use a regular 12-inch pizza crust like this one. The cooking time should remain the same, but I would determine when it's ready based on the cheese and whether or not it's melted and starting to brown on top.
- Do I have to sue the two kinds of cheese for this? No. You could mix and match the cheese however you prefer. The smoked gouda really adds great flavor, but you could replace another semi hard cheese in it's place. Something like cheddar, Havarti or Gruyere would be a decent replacement.
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Recipe
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 3 7-inch thin and crispy pizza crusts
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place pizza crusts on baking sheets.3 7-inch thin and crispy pizza crusts
- Spoon BBQ sauce on pizza crusts, using the back of the spoon to spread it around.½ cup BBQ sauce
- Divide chicken across each crust in an even layer. Sprinkle red onion on top of chicken. Combine the Gouda and mozzarella in a bowl and sprinkle evenly across crusts. Top with cilantro.2 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped, ¼ cup red onion, chopped, ½ cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- Bake in 425°F oven for about 9-11 minutes or until cheese is melted and top is beginning to brown.
- Remove from oven, slice each pizza into 4 pieces and enjoy!
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