BBQ Chicken Pizza

$4.00 recipe / $1.00 serving
By Beth Moncel
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7
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Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Servings 4 2 slices each
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It’s almost Friday, so I’m going to throw a quick little pizza recipe at ya! BBQ Chicken Pizza is such a classic with its sweet, tangy, and salty BBQ sauce, bits of juicy chicken, creamy cheese, and savory onions. But, after making pizzas for a living for a couple of years, I learned that there are so many other fun things you can throw on top of your pizza! So keep reading to grab the classic recipe below, plus some of my other fun toppings that go really well with these BBQ flavors.

Close up overhead view of a BBQ Chicken Pizza

“I make this recipe time and time again. Everytime I’m glad I made it instead of opting for takeout. So flavorful!”

Brittany

Easy Recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza

Making your own BBQ chicken pizza at home is not only easy, but it’s way cheaper than ordering takeout. Plus, you get to customize it just the way you like. If I’m short on time, I use rotisserie chicken, which I chop up and mix with the BBQ sauce. You could even use canned chicken! If I don’t have chicken on hand, black beans make a great budget-friendly swap (mixed with the spices and sauce listed for the chicken). Shrimp would be nice, too! However you top it, homemade always wins.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

5 from 7 votes
Get the classic BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe, plus other fun toppings you can add that pair well with BBQ and make your pizza even more flavorful.
Author: Beth Moncel
Close up of one slice of BBQ Chicken Pizza being pulled away from the pie
Servings 4 2 slices each
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes

Ingredients

Quick BBQ Chicken*

  • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about ⅔ lb.) * ($1.33)
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
  • tsp salt ($0.02)
  • tsp pepper ($0.02)
  • ½ Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
  • ¼ cup BBQ sauce** ($0.16)

Pizza

  • 1 prepared pizza dough*** ($0.62)
  • ½ cup BBQ sauce ($0.32)
  • 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded ($0.98)
  • 1 jalapeño (optional), sliced ($0.33)
  • ¼ cup sliced red onion ($0.11)
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Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Season both sides of the chicken breast with the spices.
  • Heat a skillet over medium. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the seasoned chicken breast and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board.
  • Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes, then chop into small pieces. Add ¼ cup BBQ sauce to the chopped chicken, and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.
  • Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the prepared pizza dough or crust on a pizza pan, then spread about ½ cup BBQ sauce over the surface.
  • Add the cheese, BBQ chicken, sliced jalapeños, and sliced onion to the pizza.
  • Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.

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Notes

*Instead of cooking fresh chicken, you can simply season pre-cooked chicken like rotisserie chicken or canned chicken breast.
**You can use any BBQ sauce you like. I’m not too picky with BBQ Sauce, but I do tend to like Sweet Baby Ray’s brand. Personally, I do prefer smoky BBQ sauces to some of the sweeter sauces. Today I had this Hickory Smoke BBQ Sauce from Kroger. I think it would be fun to try a spicier BBQ sauce, or even a pineapple flavored BBQ sauce
***You can literally use any type of pizza dough or crust you like for this BBQ chicken pizza. I used my classic Homemade Pizza Dough, but it would also go well on a Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust, on French Bread, a baked tortilla, or your favorite store bought gluten-free or cauliflower crust. The toppings listed here are enough for a 14-16″ pizza crust.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slicesCalories: 532.88kcalCarbohydrates: 54.03gProtein: 30.83gFat: 20gSodium: 2640.13mgFiber: 2.28g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!

How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza Step-by-Step Photos

Seasoned chicken breast

Season the chicken: Combine ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper. Season both sides of one boneless, skinless chicken breast (about ⅔ lb.) with the spice mix.

Cooked Chicken Breast in a Skillet

Cook the chicken: Heat ½ Tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken, and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). You could also opt to make a batch of Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and use some of that to top your pizza.

BBQ Sauce being added to chopped chicken

Add the BBQ sauce: Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board. Let the chicken cool for a few minutes, then chop into small pieces. Add ¼ cup BBQ sauce and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.

BBQ Sauce being spread on pizza dough

Assemble the pizza: Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place a prepared pizza dough/crust on a pizza pan, then spread ½ cup BBQ sauce over the surface of the dough.

Add chicken and cheese to pizza

Top the pizza with 4 oz. shredded Monterey jack cheese and the chopped BBQ chicken.

Add onion and jalapeño to pizza

Finally, add sliced red onion and one sliced jalapeño to the pizza.

Baked BBQ Chicken Pizza

Cook: Bake your BBQ chicken pizza in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown. Slice into 8 pieces and enjoy!!

Close up side view of a BBQ Chicken Pizza

More Topping Ideas!

Here’s where it gets fun. Here are some of the other toppings I’ve enjoyed on my BBQ chicken pizzas over the years:

  • Bacon
  • Pineapple (don’t @ me)
  • Feta (surprisingly delicious against that sweet BBQ sauce)
  • Green onion
  • Cilantro
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Ranch dressing
  • Corn
  • Black beans

Storage and Reheating

Any leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap/foil and stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I like to use my air fryer to reheat pizza because it keeps it crisp and only takes a few minutes. Reheat your pizza in the air fryer at 350ºF for 2-3 minutes or until fully heated through. You can also use your oven, the microwave, or even a dry skillet on the stovetop to reheat pizza!

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17 Comments
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Demarco Turner
11.17.24 4:39 pm

Everyone needs to get into cooking at home. It is more healthier and you know what you put into your food. Not saying that all restaurants is bad because they’re not it’s actually some five-star restaurants out here.

KG
03.22.24 3:32 pm

Added orange bell pepper and pineapple as well.. colorful and tasty!!

Brittany
10.30.22 9:26 pm

I make this recipe time and time again. Everytime I’m glad I made it instead of opting for takeout. So flavorful!

Dawn Klein
10.06.22 7:16 pm

We just made this for supper. Easy Peary because we had the other half of a rotisserie chicken to use. My daughter added a green pepper too. So delicious. We also skipped the jalapeños.

Lisa
03.05.22 1:10 pm

This is so good!!!

Darcy
12.31.21 10:46 pm

I love the BBQ Chicken pizza from CPK and this recipe beats CPK hands down. It was delicious 😋 

Jackie
07.01.21 12:34 pm

Looks great! Trying it tonight!

Sandy
01.11.21 1:21 pm

The first time I had BBQ chicken pizza, the pizza joint put toasted almond pieces on it. The crunch was a fun contrast with the chicken and cilantro.

Meredith
07.28.20 5:57 pm

I am in pizza heaven. This was the first pizza I’ve ever made and it was PERFECT. I used your regular homemade dough recipe and let it rise in the fridge overnight. It needed 12 minutes in my oven.

I beat down the chicken breast with a tenderizer first to get maximum surface area on my cast iron. I also used less BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup total on the pizza and the chicken. This cut back the calories a bit. Thank you!!

Meredith
07.28.20 5:57 pm
Reply to  Meredith

Oh yeah, sprinkle some cornmeal on the pizza tray before placing the dough! 

Everly
07.23.20 4:33 pm

Made it with your homemade pizza dough. First let me tell you that pizza dough is the best I ever made. Second,the chicken is sooo good,so tasty. Next time,i’ll double the chicken mix on the pizza. My family is not a fan of jalepenos, so I left it out. Gonna make that again for sure!

Danni
06.24.20 9:42 pm

Looks delicious. Hear me out, try gouda for a BBQ chicken pizza. It’s amazing.

kashish food
06.23.20 10:24 pm

Awesome Recipe Thanks For Sharing It with us…

A
06.19.20 7:49 pm

#teampineapple

Janet
06.19.20 9:48 am

Lovely–I’m using a little bit of pulled pork left over from earlier this week and some crumbled queso blanco along with the pepper jack in my fridge. Just as I was agonizing over what to do for lunch!

Matt Robinson
06.19.20 12:02 am

I literally JUST got home from CPK and shared a bbq chicken pizza with my son, but this looks so much better. Seriously!